What Do Tusken Raiders In The Mandalorian Look Like With No Mask?
The Mandalorian is back with a vengeance, and there's a lot for fans of classic Star Wars to sink their teeth into.
From the appearance of the infamous krayt dragon, to a certain fan-favorite character emerging at the very end of the episode, there's a lot to unpack. Plus, that's not even getting into all of the fun Easter eggs associated with a story taking place on Tatooine, complete with Jawas and Tusken Raiders. In the first episode of season 2, Mando (Pedro Pascal) ends up forming a truce of sorts between the townspeople of Mos Pelgo and the Raiders in the desert.
However, while Tusken Raiders have been in the Star Wars universe since the very beginning, there's still quite a lot casual fans don't know about them. For starters, a lot of people may be unaware of what a Tusken Raider even looks like. Throughout the various Star Wars properties, Tusken Raiders are adorned with masks, gloves, and long robes. We'd imagine all that clothing makes things pretty hot, considering they're on a desert planet, but the aliens have probably become accustomed to it by this point. However, that still doesn't answer the question of what a Tusken Raider would look like naked ... if that's something you're wondering about.
Well, wonder no more! There have been a few places over the years where you could've seen what Tusken Raiders look like with their masks off ... maybe.
Tusken Raiders are monstrous under their masks
Believe it or not, you can get a pretty good picture of what a Tusken Raider actually looks like under their hood simply by looking to the past. Over the years, the aliens have made a handful of maskless appearances throughout the Star Wars universe. The first time a Tusken was ever seen by fans without a mask was in the 1997 video game Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II, pictured above. There's a group in the game known as Grave Tuskens, who appear to have cat-like features.
However, since it's an old video game, it's hard to get a clear idea of what a Tusken looks like under the mask, without squinting. Some clarity came a few years later when a half-masked Tusken Raider appeared in Star Wars: Republic #62. In this comic book, Anakin has a nightmarish vision, which includes a Tusken showing off the left side of its face. Since it's a dream sequence, the image is somewhat distorted, so it's still a little difficult to make out key characters of this race.
Dark Horse Comics
That said, this depiction isn't necessarily accurate, because it is entirely possible Anakin had no idea what a Tusken Raider looked like. In other words, this image could have just been his psyche filling in the blanks, and installing a monstrous creature there ... which would make sense, considering they kidnapped his mother.
In other words, these images may not be all that accurate when it comes to understanding the Tuskens. That said, another piece of Star Wars media may finally solve this mystery, in a different way.
Tusken Raiders could be made up of different races
Anyone who watched the season 1 finale of The Mandalorian knows that Din Djarin wasn't born a Mandalorian. He was adopted later in life, suggesting that being a Mandalorian is more of something you choose rather than something you must be born into. It would certainly make sense, considering that Mando has even referred to his way of life as a "religion" in the past.
And based on one comic, it appears as though something similar may be going on with Tusken Raiders.
In Star Wars: Republic #59, Anakin encounters A'Sharad Hett, who wears Tusken garb. That is, until he takes off his mask — revealing himself to be human. He goes into a bit of his backstory, explaining how his mother came to live with the Tuskens a long time ago. Later in the comic, he reveals that humans aren't genetically compatible with Tuskens, and it is potentially suggested that these raiders have a bunch of different races living among them.
In the Star Wars universe, what is and isn't canon can change at a moment's notice. The Mandalorian even established a new language for Tusken Raiders to speak, so the series isn't afraid of adding new aspects to the mythos. Similarly to how we eventually saw Mando without his mask, perhaps the show will eventually show us a Tusken Raider unmasked in all of its glory, and end this mystery for good.