The “Star Wars” universe first introduced us to the Tusken Raiders, originally referred to by Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) as the “Sand People”—a term viewed later on as derogatory, with their true identity being Tuskens. Since the debut of George Lucas’ iconic sci-fi saga, the expanded universe has unveiled a lot about these mysterious inhabitants of Tatooine. Over the years, not only have they been given names and faces through various media appearances, but their culture and backstory have been explored.

The Tuskens were first shown unmasked in the 1997 video game “Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II,” where they bore cat-like features and sported light grey fur. Known as the Grave Tuskens, this depiction no longer exists within current “Star Wars” continuity. The franchise saw a radical shift when Disney took over in 2012, making significant alterations like relegating most of the expanded universe to “Star Wars Legends,” effectively removing it from the canonical storylines.

This decision by Disney simplified the process of maintaining the franchise’s continuity moving forward, but it also meant discarding nearly forty years’ worth of storytelling, much to the dismay of numerous fans. Since unmasked Tuskens have not been featured in the current canon, fans continue to speculate about their appearance. For now, enthusiasts can still delve into the “Star Wars Legends” for glimpses of how Tuskens were depicted before Disney’s alterations, keeping the possibility alive of revisiting and enjoying these former tales.

“Dark Forces II” introduced the first confirmed unmasked Tusken, but a different visage nearly appeared years earlier. Timothy Bradstreet created an unmasked take on the characters for Topps’ 1994 “Star Wars Galaxy Series 2” trading cards. He was halfway into his piece when his editor instructed him to stop, having been informed that Lucasfilm wanted the Tuskens to remain mysterious. Bradstreet salvaged his artwork by turning it into a bounty hunter with a Tusken appearance, and the character Taggor Bren (pictured above right) was born.

Further Tusken appearances in Legends did feature some of them unmasked, including the one pictured above on the left. The image, illustrated by Tomás Giorello, graced the opening splash page in Dark Horse Comics’ “Star Wars: Republic” #62, published in March 2004. It comes from the nightmare of a young sand-hating Jedi Knight you might know — Anakin Skywalker. He experiences a vision of his mother’s death, similar to the one he had in “Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones,” and the image reveals what the Tuskens look like beneath their masks.

This visage is truly horrific and could have been altered by the vision’s dark nature brought about by Anakin’s fear, which ultimately corrupts him into falling to the dark side of the Force. Whether it’s an accurate depiction of an unmasked Tusken or one that’s been created by Anakin’s subconscious, it, alongside the trading cards, was shunted into “Star Wars” Legends when Disney bought the company. As such, neither image is recognized as representative of Tuskens as far as Disney is concerned.

While the Tuskens remain masked in Disney’s projects, including the many comics published by Marvel Comics, their culture has been explored in a good bit of detail. “The Book of Boba Fett,” for example, features Tuskens extensively, though primarily in flashbacks. While none of them remove their masks, their tribal structure and clan honor are detailed, revealing a complex society of desert nomads.

One development of particular note is that the Tuskens take in Boba Fett, making him a member of their tribe. This means that a Tusken could theoretically be any species under the mask, which may be one of the reasons they don’t remove them. Each piece of armor or garment of clothing a Tusken wears is a mark of honor, and removing anything in front of others is considered taboo.

It’s also heavily implied that Tuskens are native to Tatooine, and their society is composed of women, children, and men, all of whom have their own responsibilities to the tribe. Tuskens are a disparate group of people who primarily live in the harsh Tatooine Jundland Wastes, and while some tribes are more violent than others, they aren’t all like that. In “Attack of the Clones,” Anakin slaughters an entire village to save his mother and mete out some vengeance. Years later, in the story “Coda” in “Star Wars: Darth Vader” #25, it’s revealed that the Tuskens fear Anakin and build a wicker effigy of the Dark Lord of the Sith, offering a sacrifice to ensure he never again attacks their tribe.