10 Background Star Wars Characters More Important Than You Think

You know what? I have a lot of time for R5-D4. Dude's just a little red astromech trying their hardest after being scooped up by some screaming aliens with big glowing eyes, and then, just when he has the chance to escape, his motivator fries. You've got to feel just a *little* bit sorry for them.

But consider this: what if R5's motivator didn't conk out? R2-D2 would've been left on the sandcrawler and the Rebel Alliance would've been doomed. It's a remarkable turn of luck that his parts were as knackered as they (were when you really think about it).

BUT AHA - this wasn't luck at all. In actual fact, R5 is one of the biggest unsung heroes in Rebel history. As was revealed in the first From a Certain Point of View collection in 2017 (in "The Red One", by Rae Carson), R5 was actually an agent of the Rebel Alliance before he was captured by the Jawas and had his memory wiped. The poor little astromech was desperate to be sold, and when the big day finally arrived, the droid was legitimately excited.

However, before he could make it to the Lars homestead, R2 spoke to R5 and told him about his secret mission. R5 then nobly malfunctioned his own motivator on purpose, ensuring his friend escaped from the Jawas, and would be able to pass on Princess Leia's message to Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Thankfully, it all worked out for R5 in the end. After rendezvousing with the Rebels a short while later, he eventually found work with Peli Motto in Mos Eisley. Here's hoping it won't be long until he's sipping Fuzzy Tauntauns and sunbathing in a well-earned retirement somewhere that's not Tatooine.