Star Wars: The Mandalorian Sheds All-New Light on Iconic Franchise Villains

The return of Star Wars: The Mandalorian featured no shortage of major surprises in the Season 2 premiere on Disney+, with tons of returning characters appearing on the latest episode. Long-time fans will likely be satisfied with the return to Tatooine in “Chapter 9: The Marshal,” as it is one of the most iconic locations in the entire saga, and has been featured in every trilogy as a symbolic monument to the beginning and end of the Skywalker Saga. And now the episode shed more light on the culture of a group of “villains” who were often shown at odds with the series’ heroes with the Tusken Raiders.

Derogatorily referred to as “the Sand People,” the Tusken Raiders are a band of hardened scavengers that sometime terrorize people caught in the Dune Sea of Tatooine. But in Star Wars: The Mandalorian, we see them come to an understanding with the humanoid settlement of Mos Pelgo after they team up to take down a vicious Krayt dragon that’s hunting both groups.

At first, Din Djarin teams up with the marshal of Mos Pelgo named Cobb Vanth; Djarin will help Vanth eliminate the dragon in exchange for the return of Boba Fett’s Mandalorian armor, which he procured from the scavenging Jawas. On their way to the dragon’s nest, they become surrounded by a tribe of Tusken Raiders.

Djarin ceases hostilities by once again communicating with the Tusken Raiders, instead deciding to work with them in order to achieve a common goal. As the group concocts their plot to eliminate the Krayt dragon, they also come to a realization that they will need more numbers and decide to mend their differences with the people of Mos Pelgo.

While there are some arguments, the Tusken Raiders commit to leaving the citizens alone, not raiding their farms or lands and not committing violence against their numbers when encountered in the Dune Sea. All they ask is that the Mos Pelgo people allow them to have the carcass of the dragon so they can scavenge.

Throughout this process, we see glimpses of the Tusken Raider culture including how they communicate among each other, how they travel, and how they eat and drink. It’s a refreshing look into the day-to-day routines of a group that has long been portrayed as villains, and establishes that there is a way for two hostile Tatooine forces to co-exist after the collapse of the Empire.

New episodes of Star Wars: The Mandalorian premiere on Fridays on Disney+.