Sorry, I should have been more clear and said the canon timeline. This was from one of the post-prequel comic series (god do I wish I still had them laying around because I do not remember which one it was), and was very transparently added just to paste over that one big plot hole.
When Mark Hamill was first hired, the script was called ‘Luke Starkiller.’
They recut the movie a dozen times before “A New Hope” came out. Alderon being destroyed was a late addition.
tl, dr =the writers had no idea what was canon
Sorry, I should have been more clear and said the canon timeline. This was from one of the post-prequel comic series (god do I wish I still had them laying around because I do not remember which one it was), and was very transparently added just to paste over that one big plot hole.