Tusken Raiders

Tusken Raidersare a fictional alien race in theStar Warsfranchise.They first appeared inStar Wars(1977).

Tusken Raiders
Tusken Raider male costume with gaffi fromEpisode IV
In-universe information
Home world	Tatooine
Language	Tusken
Leader	Tribal leaders

Depiction

The Tusken Raiders are depicted as xenophobic and are known to be aggressive in their interactions with other species, though they are capable of compromise and cooperation with outsiders. They dress in heavy cloth robes, and cover their heads with strips of cloth to secure a breath mask and eye protection. They learned to train the Banthas native to Tatooine as mounts, and a marauding group of Tuskens will ride them single file, to hide their numbers.

Star Warsappearances

Tusken Raiders first appeared inStar Wars(1977). Early on in the film, a party of them attackLuke Skywalkerand knock him unconscious. However,Obi-Wan Kenobifrightens them off by imitating the call of a local predator and rescues Luke.

Tusken Raiders briefly appear inEpisode I: The Phantom Menace,taking shots at the Boonta Eve Classicpodracerpilots, and again inEpisode II: Attack of the Clones,set 22 years beforeStar Wars;in this film, they kidnapAnakin Skywalker's mother,Shmi Skywalker,and torture her for a month. Anakin eventually finds her, but she is mortally injured and dies in his arms. Seized by a violent rage, Anakin slaughters the entire tribe out of revenge, including the women and children.This was referenced byChancellor PalpatineinEpisode III: Revenge of the Sithto justify Anakin's reasoning for killingCount Dooku,and after he says it, a faint sound of the Tusken Raider's braying calls is heard in Anakin's mind as he ponders. InStar Wars RebelsSeason 3, Episode 20, a group of Tuskens attack Ezra and Chopper when they land on Tatooine to look for Kenobi, successfully destroying their ship. However, Ezra and Chopper escape and the Tuskens are killed byDarth Maul.

Tusken Raiders appear inThe Mandalorian.In the Season 1 episode "Chapter 5: The Gunslinger",Din Djarincomes across a small group of Raiders while travelling through their land, in search of a bounty.They are initially hostile until he communicates with them via sign language. In the Season 2 episode "Chapter 9: The Marshal",a Tusken clan teams up with villagers from Mos Pelgo in order to slay aKrayt dragon.

A tribe of Tusken Raiders appear in various flashbacks in the first three episodes ofThe Book of Boba Fett,where they findBoba Fettafter the latter escaped from theSarlacc,was robbed of hisMandalorianarmor, and left for dead. They initially force him to work as a slave digging for black melons in the desert, until he wins their respect and admiration after he kills a large sand creature, saving a Tusken child's life in the process. Following this, the Tuskens welcome Fett as one of their own, teaching him their combat style and desert survival skills, and eventually initiating him into their tribe after he passes a trial. In turn, Fett helps the Tuskens raid aPykeSyndicate spice train that had been attacking their territory, teaching them how to ridespeeder bikesin the process, and demands that the Pykes pay a toll to the tribe before entering their territory again in the future. However, after returning from collecting the toll, Fett finds that the tribe has been massacred, seemingly by the Nikto gang he had stolen the speeder bikes from, and holds an impromptu funeral. In the seventh episode, it is revealed that it was the Pykes who killed the tribe and framed the Nikto gang.

Expanded Universe

According to the noncanonStar WarsExpanded Universesources,Tusken Raiders are named after Fort Tusken, an earlyOld Republicmining settlement in which all of the settlers were overwhelmed, captured, or killed by Tusken Raiders, then referred to as "Sand People". The attack probably occurred due to the fort's placement over one of the Raiders' holy wells.

Although the Sand People are aggressive and violent by nature, they have deep-seated traditions that they cling to tightly. Young raiders are required to prove their adulthood in various physical activities. While the Sand People have no written language, the most revered member of a Tusken clan is the storyteller. He knows the life-story of every member of his clan, and also knows of the clan's history. The storyteller is required to memorize the histories word-for-word, eliminating any chance for misinterpretation or distortion. Apprentice storytellers often are more hard-pressed to prove themselves than warriors, for a single mistake in reciting the histories means instant death by decapitation.As violent as their nature is, Sand People stay as far from the moisture farmers as the farmers do them. There are occasional skirmishes with the more outlying settlements.

The comic book seriesStar Wars: Republicexplains that exiledJediSharad Hett and his son A'Sharad Hett lived among the Tusken Raiders for many years. Hett was one of the few non-Tuskens to be accepted into their ranks and was even given the title of "warlord".Although A'Sharad Hett believed he was half-Tusken for the better part of his life, during his training onCoruscanthe learned that Humans and Tusken Raiders were genetically unable to interbreed. This leads him to believe that his mother must have been a human, captured by the Tusken Raiders at a young age and raised as a Tusken. The seriesStar Wars: Legacy,set some 200 years later, reveals that A'Sharad eventually turned to the dark side ofthe Forceand, as theSith LordDarth Krayt, briefly conquered thegalaxy.

In theJunior Jedi KnightsandNew Jedi Orderseries, it is revealed that Jedi KnightTahiri Veilawas raised by the Tusken Raiders after they killed her parents.

A Tusken Raider named "Hoar" appears as a playable character in thePlayStationfighting gameStar Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi.In theXbox OriginalgameStar Wars: Battlefront IIplayers are allowed to play as Tusken Raiders in a special game mode called "hunt".

Tusken Raiders appear inKnights of the Old RepublicandThe Old Republicwhen players visit Tatooine. InKnights of the Old Republic,it is suggested that humans,Jawas,and Tusken Raiders share a common ancestry and that Tusken Raiders refer to themselves as the "ghorfa".

Concept and creation

TheNew York Timescompared the combat uniform worn by some British soldiers during theMesopotamian campaignofWorld War Ito the Tusken Raiders costume.

Star WarscreatorGeorge Lucassaid that the Tuskens' design was inspired by theBedouin,anArab tribefrom the desert regions ofNorth Africa.

Tusken Sign Language

In his script forThe Mandalorianepisode "Chapter 5: The Gunslinger",Dave Filonimentioned that the Tusken Raiders should use some form ofsign language.Deaf actorTroy Kotsurwas hired as a consultant. When developing the sign language, he attempted to avoidAmerican Sign Languageand suit the Tuskens' cultural and environmental context. A lifelongStar Warsfan, Kotsur also played a Tusken scout in the episode.The sign language later appeared to a greater extent in "Chapter 9: The Marshal",as well as the first three episodes ofThe Book of Boba Fett.

"Chapter 5: The Gunslinger" was the first time that Tuskens had communicated on-screen.Media outlets praised the sign language for humanizing the Tuskens and moving away from their characterization as indigenous "savages". Fans, especially deaf viewers, were similarly enthusiastic about the inclusion of an alien sign language inStar Warsand started aFacebookgroup to further develop the Tusken language.

Reception and cultural impact

Tusken Raiders have been criticized as an Arab orIslamicstereotype. Further cultural criticism compares the representation of the Tusken Raiders to stereotypes ofIndigenous people.

External links

• Tusken Raidersin theStarWars.comDatabank
• Tusken RaideronWookieepedia,aStar Warswiki