【2018 Archives】

As Star Wars approaches its monumental 40th anniversary018 ArchivesMay 25 this year, you're sure to see a lot of focus on Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, and other main characters of galactic importance.

But you shouldn't forget that the saga's charm comes from its unsung heroes -- such as the droids who show up in every single film and guided our journey to a galaxy far, far away in the first place.

SEE ALSO: Guess which other 'Star Wars' movie had wild alternate endings? 'Star Wars'

That's the spirit of From A Certain Point of View, an anthology of 40 stories from well-known authors, announced Friday and coming this October.

According to the official announcement, each story "will be told from the perspective of background characters of A New Hope — from X-wing pilots who helped Luke destroy the Death Star to the stormtroopers who never quite couldfind the droids they were looking for."

Mashable Top Stories Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The subjects of each story haven't been announced yet, but here's a few we're hoping for:

• A rebel soldier who survived Vader's onslaught at the end of Rogue One, only to be killed by stormtroopers in the corridor of the Tantive IV blockade runner.

• The Star Destroyer gunner who was told to "hold your fire" when he could have blasted the droids' escape pod and ended the whole saga right there.

• The R5 droid with a "bad motivator" that Luke and Uncle Owen almost bought.

• The bartender at the Mos Eisley Cantina -- what was his deal with not serving droids, anyway?

• The pilot who introduced Obi-Wan Kenobi to Chewbacca and missed out on the adventure of a lifetime.

• The Jawa who bought Luke's landspeeder, which had to be more fun to drive than those giant lumbering Sandcrawlers.

• Literally anyone on Alderaan.

• The Imperial officer on the other end of Han Solo's "we're fine here, how are you?" conversation.

• The mouse droid who ran away from Chewie.

• And of course, the stormtrooper who bashed his head in the corridor. Did he get workman's comp and a one-way ticket off the doomed Death Star?

Many of these kinds of subjects have been tackled before -- in short stories that are no longer canon after a Lucasfilm books purge (Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina), fan-made short films (the exquisite mockumentary Troops, which covers the story behind the death of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru), or stories that were never intended to be canon (such as the Star Wars Talescomic that hilariously claimed the R5 droid was a secret Jedi who sacrificed himself for the good of the Rebellion.)

But From a Certain Point of View, part of the new official canon, will be your final definitive answer on the deal with all those background characters you've wondered about.

The book will be released October 17 for $35. All authors have donated their fees to FirstBook, a nonprofit that aims to give kids equal access to reading.

---

Featured Video For You

---

'Rogue One' reveals some easter eggs, but plenty are still hidden

---

Topics Books Star Wars

• Digital Culture
• Social Good
• Tech
• Shopping
• Science
• Entertainment
• Deals
• Life

• Something for Nothing
• The pet toy massacres of 'Toy Story' must be stopped
• DHS cybersecurity director subtweets Trump after being fired via tweet
• Thanks to a bug, Twitter Fleets didn't actually expire after 24 hours
• <em>The Voice</em> and Its Village
• Tinder guy uses the eclipse as a way to get some action in the dark
• HBO Max's 'Fresh Prince' reunion is a blueprint for streaming services
• Julian Assange is mad you think he lives in a basement
• In the House of a Thousand Likes
• Trump blasts media because they didn't praise Charlottesville response

• Concept design puts stunning U
• A chat with Kurt Russell, aka Ego the Living Planet in 'Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2'
• Uber will totally narc on teens
• Fans are obsessing over this image of Hailey Baldwin sitting on the toilet
• You can re
• 'Game of Thrones' wine will have to hold us over until Season 7's premiere
• Twitter hails 'braveheart' mother who jumped on a leopard to save her son
• People can't get over this photo of Republican dudes who want to cut maternity care
• Drones are revolutionising dinosaur research by mapping giant footprints by air
• WikiLeaks dump shows how CIA compromised iPhones and Macs

• The best dispatches from our grim new reality
• Prince Harry shares his anger at the paparazzi for photographing his mother as she lay dying
• Everything coming to Disney+ in December 2020
• iFixit teardown confirms Apple's M1 MacBooks are basically the same as their predecessors
• Labor History in Real Time
• The Cleveland Browns held the largest NFL national anthem protest yet
• Twitter will now warn you before you like a tweet with a fact
• Girl hilariously turns the tables when her roommate tries to prank her
• Man Out of Time
• Everything coming to Disney+ in December 2020

• No Filter
• Rainn Wilson wants you to get serious about the fight against climate change
• 15 years ago, the Xbox 360 launched in the desert. What a wild event.
• How to host virtual Thanksgiving
• Paradise Tossed
• Snap concludes investigation into racial bias on content team
• Bitcoin is on the verge of surpassing its all
• Bear enters home and only leaves after getting punched in the face
• The Long View in Granada
• There's a Sexy Jon Snow costume because Halloween is coming