Tatooine was a fascinating place. One of the things I like the most about Star Wars is the nonstop barrage of concepts that were tossed out as if we should already know about them, and then discarded as the story pressed forward. Tatooine was full of fascinating concepts like Dune Sea and Jundland Wastes and Krayt Dragons, but none were as captivating to me as Jawas and Tusken Raiders.
Each of these concepts has one thing that makes them compelling: mystery. There are elusive ideas that we never truly see on Tatooine — like the Krayt Dragon — and then there are things that we see but still remain a mystery. What was behind the hood of a Jawa? What did a Tusken Raider look like if you unwrapped those bandages? It’s better not to know, but the idea of them is better than actually seeing.
When I was a kid, buying a second of a figure I already had was not something I made a habit of. Why get someone I already had when there were so many I didn’t have? But I made a few exceptions. I needed at least two Stormtroopers, obviously, and the Cloud Car needed two pilots for both seats, so that was a no-brainer. And one Jawa didn’t do. One Jawa couldn’t carry Artoo all by himself; that was a big trashcan for just one little dude to carry. So I had to have a couple of Jawas.
There’s a feeling connected to toy concepts that I used to get when I was a kid. It lies somewhere between that butterflies-in-the-gut feeling people describe — almost like the sudden drop of a roller coaster — and that feeling right before you’re about to laugh, if you could freeze that exact moment in time. I don’t get that feeling as much now, if at all, like I did when I was a very young kid. But I remember getting that feeling when introduced to the new concepts in Star Wars and the Jawas specifically, which was through the toy itself and on the toy’s card before I ever saw the movie. There was something about those shining eyes buried in the darkness under the elongated hood. Sure, he was small, but there was an alien sense of danger there.
When I was finally able to see the movie and Jawas first appeared, they simultaneously didn’t disappoint and left me wanting more. While the Jawas played an extremely crucial role in the first movie, their role was never overplayed, and their mystery remained, which is important in retaining mystique. I’ve watched Star Wars countless times since that initial viewing when I finally saw all these concepts that the cardbacks had frozen in time, and I still remember the first time I saw those gleaming eyes poking out of the rocks while watching Artoo toddle along.
Jawas have been released several times over in the 4-inch line, but have yet to make an appearance or even receive an announcement for the Black Series. While it is early in the line’s lifespan, there are a lot of characters to cover, and hopefully they won’t be forgotten. While Stormtroopers, Sandtroopers, Clonetroopers, Rebel Soldiers, and Imperial Guards are all welcome army builders, I won’t be satisfied unless I can buy enough Jawas to comfortably hoist my Black Series Artoo up in the air and hold him. I have a second Artoo waiting to be permanently displayed on the shoulders of a small Jawa army.
While they don’t have much in common in relation to appearance or height, the Sand People are forever linked to the Jawa by their similarly mysterious, almost boogieman-like presence on Tatooine. Where Jawas were an exciting and different concept, the Tusken Raiders were frightening and dangerous one. There was an angry, brutal look to them, and their appearance in the movie left even more to the imagination than the Jawas. But it was enough; it was clear they weren’t to be messed with. We saw even less of them than we did the Jawas, and they wouldn’t return to the franchise until their slaughter in Attack of the Clones at Anakin’s bratty hands.
I only had one Sand Person as a kid. Unlike the Jawa who I needed to have at least a pair of in order to properly have them carry Artoo, I only really needed one Sand Person if I was going to truly re-enact the attack on Luke, and, as I said, there were always new toys waiting to be bought, so concessions had to be made. But now? One wouldn’t be enough. Just like I’d need multiple Jawas in order to properly swarm over Artoo and carry him off, I’d need multiple Black Series Tusken Raiders for all the inevitable battles that would take place on Tatooine. No doubt Han and Chewie had run across a band of them when dealing with Jabba, and Luke had probably run across them on one of his many trips to that Tosche Station place he whined about.
That reminds me, I’m going to need a Black Series Uncle Owen so Luke and his Uncle can make supply runs and get attacked by Tusken Raiders. Remember that, Hasbro.
Plus, there was no doubt an animosity between the Tuskens and the Jawas that occasionally broke out into scuffles. Greedo probably ran across them too. And then there’s the raids they probably pulled on Jabba’s Palace, which means Boba may have had to fight them off. Sandtroopers versus Sand People, even. The possibilities are endless, and only one Sand Person will never do. I’d say at least five would be adequate — single file, of course, to conceal their numbers.
While it’s a divisive issue to some, both Jawas and Sand People would benefit from well done cloth robes in order to provide the most realistic and accurate representations. I think they’d look snazzy.
If I can ever get my hands on more Stormtroopers, I’ll buy more of those, and I need a handful of those sleek and sexy Emperor’s Guards, and a few Biker Scouts, but secretly I’m anxiously waiting for the announcement or reveal of Black Series Jawas and Tusken Raiders, because my Tatooine will never be complete without them.