Tusken Raiders
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| Tusken Raiders |
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Tusken Raiders (or Sand People) are fictional creatures in the Star Wars universe. They are characterized as a nomadic warrior race that lives on the planet Tatooine.
Appearances in Star Wars media
Tusken Raiders first appear in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope when a pack of them attack Luke Skywalker in the Jundland Wastes and knock him unconscious. Just as they are about to carry him away, however, Obi-Wan Kenobi frightens them off and rescues Luke. They make a brief cameo in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace taking pot shots at the Pod Race drivers. They make another appearance in the Star Wars universe in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, set 22 years before A New Hope; in this film, they have kidnapped Anakin Skywalker's mother, Shmi, and tortured her for a month. Anakin eventually finds her, but it is too late; she is mortally injured and dies in his arms. Seized by a violent rage, Anakin slaughters the entire tribe, including the women and children.
Expanded Universe
According to Expanded Universe sources, Tusken Raiders are named after Fort Tusken, an early Old Republic mining settlement in which all of the settlers were overwhelmed and 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.
The comic book series Star Wars: Republic explains that exiled Jedi Sharad 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 on Coruscant he learned that humans and Tusken Raiders were genetically unable to reproduce. 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 series Star Wars: Legacy, set some 200 years later, reveals that A'Sharad eventually turned to the dark side of the Force and, as the Sith Lord Darth Krayt, briefly conquered the galaxy.
In the Junior Jedi Knights and New Jedi Order series, it is revealed that Jedi Knight Tahiri Veila was raised by the Tusken Raiders after they captured her in a raid.
A Tusken Raider named Hoar appears as a playable character in the PlayStation fighting game Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi.
In the Xbox Original game Star Wars: Battlefront II players are allowed to play as Tusken Raiders in a special game mode called "hunt".
The Cavefish biker gang from the Lucasarts game Full Throttle were designed to resemble Tusken Raiders in appearance.
References
External links
- Tusken Raider in the StarWars.com Databank
- Tusken Raider on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki
- Unmasked Tusken bounty hunter on the cover of Boba Fett ½: Salvage
