10 Most Traumatic Events In Star Wars
8. The Destruction Of Alderaan
The Empire did some pretty reprehensible sh*t, but committing planetary genocide was top of the list. Not only did they kill every last sentient being living on Alderaan, but they completely incinerated all the fauna and flora, leaving nothing but hunks of rock floating through space. Being environmentally conscious wasn't on the Empire's agenda for a second.
Roughly two billion people died in the explosion, including Leia's adoptive parents. The instant deaths of so many caused such a disturbance that force sensitive beings like Obi-Wan were psychically shaken.
Moff Tarkin - the foul stinking commander of the Death Star - gave the order. He believed ruling through fear was the only way to dominate a populace. If you could inflict mass trauma to such a degree that people were cowed into submission, then you were one step closer to ruling the galaxy.
He ordered all the Imperial personal aboard the Death Star to watch the destruction of Alderaan, to remind them of Empire's power. This had the effect of dissuading those who had been thinking of joining the Rebellion from doing so.