Why Tusken Raiders Won’t Shoot The Mandalorian In LEGO Star Wars

Tusken Raiders appear in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga and will attack players as they explore the planet of Tatooine, but should they choose to play as the Mandalorian – aka Din Djarin – or even Boba Fett, they’ll be treated with a non-hostile reception. Although initially introduced as violent bandits in 1977’s Star Wars, recent productions like The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett have expanded on their depictions to show that they’re more complex than once thought. Both Din Djarin and Boba become allies to the Tuskens, and it would seem as if that recent history has been reflected in the open world of the LEGO Skywalker Saga.

Tusken Raiders are encountered exclusively in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga on their home planet of Tatooine, and can be found in multiple locations across the Jundland Wastes while exploring the open world. The camp that Anakin Skywalker massacres in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones is located close to the Lars family homestead, and smaller groups can be found perched atop the area’s rocky cliffs. Tuskens also appear during the new LEGO Star Wars game’s recreation of A New Hope, ambushing Luke Skywalker before he is rescued by Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Tuskens are typically hostile to most playable characters in LEGO Star Wars: Skywalker Saga. While some are not inherently hostile to any party, the majority of the Tuskens attack on site except for two particular groups of characters, the villains and the bounty hunters. Among the bounty hunter class exists two very well-known members, the eponymous Mandalorian and Boba Fett. The Tuskens will not attack either character and appear friendly to both. What is interesting about this interaction is that it actually has a basis in the lore of Star Wars. In their respective shows, The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, both characters have had friendly interactions with the Tuskens, even actively helping them in the course of their adventures.

Mando And Boba Fett Are Friends To The Tuskens In Star Wars

In the case of The Mandalorian, Mando teamed up with the Tuskens to take down a large krayt dragon (also present in LEGO Skywalker Saga) that threatened both their tribe and a local village to reclaim Mandalorian armor owned by the sheriff of said village, Cobb Vanth. Mando successfully convinced the Tuskens to agree to the team-up and actively helped them take down the dragon before moving on. While not actively on friendly terms, the fact that Mando negotiated with the Tuskens instead of showing the normal hostility exhibited by other characters was a fresh take, and one that – whether deliberately or not – LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga acknowledges.

Likewise, The Book of Boba Fett has an even deeper connection to the Tuskens than ever before. As revealed within the show, Boba Fett, after his escape from the Sarlacc in Return of the Jedi, was captured by the Tuskens and kept as a slave before proving himself in combat. He then actively helped them raid a train and earned a place in the tribe before resuming his own adventures, with Fett no longer a Star Wars bounty hunter.

The Tusken Raiders of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga may react peacefully to other characters, but the fact that Din Djarin and Boba Fett are among the two they’ll never attack could serve as a fun nod to those two characters’ recent series. The new LEGO Star Wars game has been in production since before the first season of The Mandalorian aired, but it’s not impossible that the show informed the game’s depiction of the Tusken Raiders. At the very least, there’s nothing to stop players from recreating Mando and Boba’s interactions with the Sand People while on Tatooine.