system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Star Wars] Were there any Imperial garrisons on Alderaan when it was destroyed?

In A New Hope it doesn't seem like much time passes between Leia being captured and Alderaan being destroyed. Did the Empire seriously destroy military assets and manpower, both of which cost $, to demonstrate the power of (and make a target of) the Death Star?
gpt
Haha, yes. 

EDIT: Tarkin considered the demonstration to be more valuable than any garrison. And giving those troops time to evacuate would've also given the rebels time to flee or make a big stink over the holonet. And considering what we know from *Rogue One*, this isn't out of character for Tarkin at all.