Tusken Raiders (commonly referred to as Sand People) are minor antagonists in the Star Wars franchise, serving as minor antagonists in The Phantom Menace and A New Hope and as major antagonists in Attack of the Clones.
Tuskens are native creatures who inhabit the deserts of Tatooine. Tuskens don't like trespassers going into their territories, and are aggressive warriors. They wield primitive slug-thrower rifles and use gaderffii staffs as their primary melee weapons, increasing their lethality by dipping them in sandbat venom. Tuskens also had a unique and sacred bond with Banthas; this bond was such that when Tuskens died, their Banthas would often kill themselves out of grief. Tuskens went through rites of passage at the age of 15, when they would set out to slay a Krayt Dragon and take its dragon pearls to become an accepted member of the tribe. Water is especially sacred to Tusken Raiders, and many Tuskens believe moisture farming is akin to sacrelidge due to their believe that the water is rightfully theirs, leading them into constant conflict with moisture farmers. Tuskens were also very superstitious. Every Tusken Raider, regardless of tribe, gender, or beliefs always kept a promise.
Not all Tusken tribes are alike; some, such as the tribe that inducted Boba Fett into their ranks, wear black and red in addition to the tan robes other tribes wear. Additionally, many Tuskens are more peaceful than others and only strike back when attacked or intruded upon, while others are more violent and readily kill anyone not of their own kind, like the tribe that murdered Shmi Skywalker. The more peaceful tribes may also induct others into their ranks, like Boba Fett, if respect is earned. Tuskens also go on mystical quests after having native lizards that create spiritual vsions shoved up their noses, usually to find the wood that they use to make their gaderffi sticks; a rite of passage in their culture.
Film Appearances
The Phantom Menace
During the Pod Race on Tatooine, a group of Tusken Raiders were camped nearby the race track and started shooting at the passing pod racers.
Attack of the Clones
In the second prequel, Anakin learns that a group of Tusken Raiders have taken his mother hostage. He manages to find their encampment and finds Shmi tortured. When Shmi dies in his arms, Anakin takes out his grief and aggression on the Sand People - and slaughters the men, the women, and the children alike in vengeance.
A New Hope
After R2-D2 wanders off in search of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker and C-3PO go after him. However, they are unaware until later on that a group of Tusken Raiders are nearby. Luke and the droid investigate and when they spot them from a far distance, one jumps out of nowhere and attacks Luke and 3PO, knocking Luke out and ripping off 3PO’s arm.
When the Tusken Raiders have Luke unconscious, they rummage through his speeder, until they are scared away by a Krayt Dragon Call (their worst fear), which was actually mimicked by a hooded creature, later to be revealed as Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The Tusken Raiders make a cameo appearance in "Twin Suns" when Ezra and Chopper came to Tatooine to find Obi-Wan Kenobi. They attacked Ezra and Chopper, and destroyed their ship before being killed by Maul.
The Tusken Raiders appear in the fifth episode of the first season. They are not as vicious as they are in the films, and The Mandalorian was able to calmly negotiate a deal with them.
A full tribe of Tusken Raiders appears in the second season premiere. Here, they encounter The Mandalorian, who reveals he can speak Tusken, and his ally Cobb Vanth. After initial hostility on both ends, the pair manage to convince the Tusken Raiders to assist the residents of the town of Mos Pelgo to help them kill a Krayt dragon that was terrorizing both the Tuskens and the townspeople. Several Tuskens and banthas are killed, whether by being eaten or by being drenched in acid from the Krayt dragon’s stomach. Most of them survive and witness the Mandalorian finishing the creature off. Afterwards, the Krayt dragon is gutted for meat, and an adolescent Tusken finds a pearl inside the carcass.
A tribe of Tusken Raiders takes Boba Fett captive in the events immediately after Return of the Jedi. Though originally hostile towards him, they later induct him into their tribe after he saves one of their children from a 6-legged reptile and then stops the Pyke Syndicate by helping them destroy the Pykes' spice train and make them offer the tribe tribute in exchange for safe passage. He also teaches the Tuskens how to ride speeder bikes as well, which were required to stop the Pykes and their attacks.
Printed media
Tusken Raiders make an appearance in an issue of the Marvel Comics series Darth Vader, in which Vader, on a mission to Tatooine to find information on Luke Skywalker, like he did as Anakin decades before, slaughters an entire tribe of Tusken Raiders, this time either for vengeance or out of pleasure.
Trivia
In Star Wars Rebels, the Tuskens’ rifles are incorrectly depicted as being blasters. In all other media, their rifles fire actual physical bullets.
Tusken Raiders on Wookieepedia: The Star Wars Wiki
