Tusken Real Appearance Right Under our Noses???

I noticed this long ago, while looking at the "Star Wars:Illustrated Universe" book which features art by Ralph McQuarrie.

I noticed that in one, depicting a Tusken Camp where stories are being told, and among the tuskens are a few other beings, similar in shape form and clothing, with one exception, they have no masks. They are slightly rodent-like, and since the Tuskens are related to Jawa's, which are rodent like, then it just might be them.

Here is a smaller version of the pic, from the wiki:

[image=http://starwars.wikicities.com/images/b/b1/Tusken_Raiders.jpg]

 

Or they could be jawa slaves...

 

that's one tall jawa then...

 

I've spotted that before. Personally, I think it looks like a Bothan, and that it isn't acutally a Tusken. (Remember, seeing another Tusken's skin was grounds for a death duel.)

IIRC, one of the Republic comics shows an unmasked Tusken in one of Anakin's nightmares or something.

 

Nope, it didn't actually show a Tusken... at least, I don't think so. All I remember was his seeing A'Sharad Hett unmasked. And his having a nightmare. Not the same thing. I could be wrong, but that's all I remember. I think it was in Clone Wars III, or possibly IV, I'm having a hard time remembering which atm.

- Keralys

 

I think I know which he means (not the A'sharad one), but I don't think that was a tusken. I'll try and find a pic

 

The old Essential Guide to Characters describes them as rodent like under their masks. Unless that's been overturned, I'd say the picture is pretty accurate/

 

Bothans were never shown in any of the Star Wars movies, and Ralph McQuarrie wouldn't be doing concept art for them. The EU bit about Tusken culture wasn't around when McQuarrie was doing his art. There's no reason to believe that's not a Tusken, considering the crowd is made up entirely of Tuskens.

It shows A'Sharad Hett, who is specifically not a Tusken Raider by blood. He's human, and when A'Sharad removes his helmet, Anakin is stunned.

Though A'Sharad's appearance does give us a clue into Tusken culture: he's covered in elaborate tribal facial tattoos.

edit: Sorry for the double post.

 

>>>Bothans were never shown in any of the Star Wars movies, and Ralph McQuarrie wouldn't be doing concept art for them. The EU bit about Tusken culture wasn't around when McQuarrie was doing his art. There's no reason to believe that's not a Tusken, considering the crowd is made up entirely of Tuskens. <<<

True, but I'd still take it with a grain of salt, since its concept art. Perhaps that tribe didn't have as strict rules regulating whether a Tusken's face/skin could be shown as most tribes did.

>>>It shows A'Sharad Hett, who is specifically not a Tusken Raider by blood. He's human, and when A'Sharad removes his helmet, Anakin is stunned. <<<

I'm not talking about A'Sharad. Its a gruesome half-face that almost looks cyborged. There was a thread about it a while back...

EDIT: Ah, here 'tis:

[image=http://images.darkhorse.com/common/salestools/previews/swonrep62/swonrep62p1.jpg]

It could be just a figment of Anakin's imagination, but I'm sure he could have seen a Tusken's face when he went on his rampage.

 

Well I meant more along the lines of, well, McQuarrie could do whatever he wanted with the art because that bit of EU didn't exist yet/

As for the picture...could be a Tusken's face. Could be Anakin imagining what a Tusken looks like. I'm trying to think if that face matches up to anything else Anakin has faced, since the rest of the picture is random faces from his past. All I'm saying is the only source I know of that has ever discussed a Tusken's appearance has said they were rodent like.

 

^^Ever since that picture came out in Republic I've always thought that's what a Tusken looks like. Maybe Anakin stumbled across one when he was hacking them to pieces who hadn't had his face wrapped up.

 

Yes, that picture was the one I thought of when you said "anakin's dream". I did assume it once but didn't say anything because I thought maybe another thing from Anakin's past.

Also, I'm sure GFFA people know what they look like, its just us who don't, unless we do...

 

It may be statistically irrelevant, but all the Tuskens we have seen have been humans. We have no direct proof of non-human Tuskens at all...

- The Imperial Ewok

 

But we have a quote from Anakin expressing his surprise that A'Sharad, upon removing his mask, was not a Tusken.

Plus, that's some hell of a language for a human to speak.

I once thought of the possibility that Tuskens were human, when I was playing KotOR. I forgot what gave me that impression.

 

It might just be me, but Ralph McQuarrie picture doesnt seem to show any unmasked Tuskens. All I see are Tuskens with their masks still on, probably getting a story told about their history. Something like that. You can see the silver of their masks...and I generally take the "snout" to just be the respirator unit they use.

But thats just me.

Culturally they are very vague, and I like them like that. The fact they adopted the Hetts, is interesting, as is the fact that he was able to have a child. Means they do have more humans, and likely could just all be humans. Anakins vision of the Tusken seems like its before he actually kills them? I doubt he really saw anything with all the chopping he did in the dark. That image is probably more what he thinks they look like. Everyone always calling them "monsters" and all, its more than likely thats just the image he has in his minds eye. Cause they certainly dont look like Jawas there (ratlike?)

 

You're right about the masks, but the fourth standing guy from the right isn't wearing one.

 

Um, is it just me that thinks that the maskless Tusken in question looks like a cross between a dwarf and a Redwall reject?

 

No matter what that thing is standing with the Tuskans, my eye is drawn to the freshly shaven Banthas in back. Think they used that fur to make their woolen drapery?

 

Thrawn McE brings up an interesting point. Maybe at one time there were non-human Tuskens, but then, because they would need a death-duel or whatever (according to someone who posted earlier), they found procreation difficult what with having to kill eachother every time they started to take off their clothes. So, rather than just go extinct, they began adopting humans, but keeping them covered so they wouldn't know they weren't Tuskens. Eventually, the Tuskens died off, but they lived on in the now-all-human Tusken Raiders, and none of them ever knew the other wasn't a Tusken. So by the time of Ani's otburst, he was just killing a bunch of humans who thought they were Tuskens.

Wow, that's like a mini T-McE wannabe theory.

 

1 problem: it's pretty stupid to extend the death-duel thing to procreative sex without coming up with some way to get around it, isn't it?

Unless they were Shakers, I guess.

I'm open to the idea of them taking in humans, but I can't believe that the Tusken language survived a complete human overhaul.

 

I was always under the impression that the picture was of Hoole, the author of the article, having shape-shifted into something slightly resembling a Tuskan, and using his telepathic powers to make the other Tuskans accept him.

I suppose it all amounts to the same thing, though.

TC

 

Hoole is such a cool character. Real low-key. I'm a big fan of the fact that a character like him could get a book series, albeit a silly one like Galaxy of Fear.

 

I was always under the impression that the picture was of Hoole, the author of the article, having shape-shifted into something slightly resembling a Tuskan, and using his telepathic powers to make the other Tuskans accept him.


Slight problem. Examine the figure in the shadows NEXT to the guy were are discussing. He's the same.


Unless there are TWO shape-shifting guys in the picture....

 

Heh, I like the Hoole theory...goes well with the narrative in the book. Plus, the unmasked figure has quite a Jay Leno-esque chin. I find it hard to believe that a Tusken could wrap that thing up underneath the cloth that makes his/her mask.

Plus, the character in the shadows is almost certainly another masked Tusken.

 

Yeah, the shadowed characters look like other Tuskens to me.