The 10th anniversary of International Star Wars Day is the best occasion to read about The Skywalkers

Observed annually on May 4, International Star Wars Day is the day to celebrate all things Star Wars — from marathon film viewings of Episodes 1 through 9 to Star Wars themed parties and Conventions.

It's become synonymous with the Jedi, Yoda, the Empire, lightsabers, and the greeting “May the Fourth be with you,” a play on the solemn Jedi mantra from which this unofficial holiday derives its name.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of International Star Wars Day, which was first celebrated in 2011 in Toronto, Canada. We thought of an especially meaningful way to observe the occasion: Read on the origins of the two most iconic characters in the Star Wars Universe: Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa.

While the films focused on the adventures of these Force-sensitive twins of Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker, several details about their lives in the period prior to the films’ timeframe remain a mystery.

If we go by the "Star Wars" canon, there is a 19-year gap from when they were born at the end of “Revenge of the Sith” to the time we meet them as young adults in “A New Hope.” What happened to Luke and Leia during this two-decade gap?

George Lucas’ “A New Hope” (40th anniversary edition published in 2017, Century) is the novelization of the screenplay, which created the pop culture phenomenon we know today.

The book offers many details about Luke Skywalker’s life before he became the most famous Jedi in history. It presents many elements that enhances our experience of the films, while still hewing closely to the course of the "Star Wars" story.

Like a director’s cut, the novel restores several scenes that did not make it to the theatrical release. There are thorough descriptions of the characters’ physical attributes, backgrounds and motivations. Nuances in key events are highlighted or are threshed out.

Most interestingly, “A New Hope” provides an insider’s look at the process of translating the screenplay into film. By reading the novel, we discover important details that were dropped or altered in the transition from script to movie.

Luke wanted to attend the Imperial Academy, and could conceivably have ended up being a TIE Fighter pilot, just to escape a tedious farmer’s life on Tatooine.

Jabba the Hutt spoke perfect English instead of the guttural noises that require translation by a protocol droid. The term “supralight” is sometimes substituted for “hyperspace” or “lightspeed.”

Imperial officials and Rebels alike referred to the Death Star only by the prosaic moniker “Imperial Battle Station.” And did you know that C3-P0 has a middle name?

While “A New Hope” enriches already familiar terrain, Claudia Gray’s “Leia: Princess of Alderaan” (2017, Lucasfilm Press) treads on new ground. The novel delves into Princess Leia’s early life, years before we meet her in Episode IV’s opening salvo, when she helps the Rebel Alliance steal the schematics for the Death Star.

Set mostly during the period following her 16th birthday, we encounter a teenage Leia who is already every bit as spunky, fiery, and formidable as the adult version which the late, great Carrie Fisher transformed into an icon.

She is also playful and flirtatious, and the novel spends time fleshing out the story of her first love.

Since it's about a 16-year old Princess, it could have easily stayed within the realm of young adult fiction, with tropes like inter-generational misunderstanding, awkward courtship, and friendship.

In fact, a good portion of the novel threshes out her unlikely, but eventually life-long bond with Amilyn Holdo, the future Rebel leader whose audacious actions dealt a lethal blow to the First Order in “The Last Jedi."

But the stakes were already high for the Rebel Alliance and the galaxy at large at this stage. As such, while the first half of the novel reads mostly like a YA book, the latter half accelerates with the edge-of-your-seat speed and tension of a spy thriller.

“Leia: Princess of Alderaan” is as much about the birth of the Rebel Alliance as it is about a Princess’ coming of age. While Leia grapples with the labyrinthine politics of the Galactic Senate, we see more seasoned politicians, including her adoptive parents Queen Breha and Viceroy Bail Organa, both founding members of the Rebel Alliance, navigate even more precarious terrain as Emperor Palpatine’s forces wizen to their strategies and the nascent Alliance’s nervous ranks increasingly fracture.

Many events in the novel foreshadow crucial scenes in the films. Leia commandeered the services of an eerily familiar cylindrical blue and silver astromech, ordering the droid to keep some data cards safe from Imperial forces. Queen Breha teased Leia that she should at least “fall in love with a scoundrel” before settling down. And Leia unknowingly channeled the Force to save a companion from certain death.

Several Star Wars-related books and comic books are available to tide us through while waiting for the release of the next film – or TV series if you are fortunate enough to have access to the Disney+ streaming service. You may wish to look for official reads though, as these will impact on the Star Wars films.

“A New Hope” and “Leia: Princess of Alderaan” are among those books considered part of the Star Wars canon. They teach us that we all can make a meaningful contribution to our communities, no matter our current station in life. We may be a crown Princess, a wise and powerful Jedi, or a humble moisture farmer on a desert planet. What matters is that our moral compass points in the right direction, we are open to learn and improve, and we are willing to use our talents for the betterment of our community.

Forty-four years after the theatrical release of “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope”, the mythos continues to thrive in the public consciousness. Perhaps Star Wars taps into enduring themes that speak to many of us: that good can conquer evil, that the underdog can triumph, and that power crumbles unless edified by wisdom and the courage to do what is right.

May the Force be with you! — LA, GMA News

About the authors: Rory J. Bolivar is a registered microbiologist, educator, and writer. Robespierre L. Bolivar is the recipient of the Gawad Mabini, one of the highest Presidential honors bestowed upon Filipino diplomats. Follow them on Instagram @robroryreads and visit their website at https://robroryreads.wixsite.com/bookreviews