The planet Alderaan, the namesake of the award
The Star of Alderaan was the fifth highest decoration of the Alliance Military that was awarded by the Alliance High Command during or after 2 BBY. Although it remained prestigious, it was the most commonly awarded decoration. The Star of Alderaan was created to honor the contributions of the planet Alderaan and its leadership to the foundation of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. It was awarded to Alliance Military personnel who exhibited actions of conspicuous bravery during combat operations that did not warrant a more prestigious honor, such as the Corellian Cross or the Illudium Star. Being awarded the Star of Alderaan was an impressive accomplishment and spoke to the courage and professionalism of those who were awarded it, despite its prestige being diminished by its relative ubiquity. The award was below the Mantooine Medallion.
The Star of Alderaan was issued as a wearable medal and as a bar ribbon and was a simple but aesthetically pleasing design. The medallion was a five-pointed gold star situated over a smaller disc with a center boss showing a stylized star with eight rays of light emanating from it. The backing disc was blue with a gold stripe located around its border. The ribbon from where the medallion was suspended from was a broad rectangle with a dark navy blue center stripe and two lighter blue stripes on its edges. At the center of the ribbon was a small fixed alloy that depicted Alderaan.
The horizontal and rectangular bar ribbon was navy blue, with two light blue stripes on the edges. Similarly to other decorations, the Star of Alderaan could be awarded numerous times, with each following award being represented by a small enamel starbird that was pinned to the ribbon above the Alderaan pin.
The Star of Alderaan as it appeared in Star Wars Legends
The Star of Alderaan was mentioned in the current Star Wars canon in the 2016 Fantasy Flight Games sourcebook Lead by Example. The award originated in the Star Wars Legends continuity, where it first appeared in the 1993 computer game Star Wars: X-Wing, which was developed by Totally Games.
- Lead by Example