Pint-sized scavengers, the Jawas have yet to show their faces in a Star Wars movie or TV show. So, what does the wider franchise canon tell us about what Jawas look like under their hoods?
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What Jawas Look Like Under Their Hoods in Star Wars
Star Wars lore doesn’t offer a definitive answer regarding Jawas’ true appearance. This applies to both the pre- and post-Disney era continuity, but neither addresses the subject conclusively. But one thing the original and revamped versions of the Star Wars canon seemingly agree on is that whatever the Jawas are hiding under their hoods, it’s nothing pleasant. Several legacy materials – including the Star Wars: A New Hope novelization and Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary – describe the Jawas as “ugly” and “rodent-like.” The former source also refers to Tatooine’s tiny scroungers as devolved humans, which doesn’t sound much better.
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Lucasfilm’s revised Star Wars continuity hasn’t added much more to the mix, opting to preserve the Jawas’ mystique instead. That said, in the Disney+ limited series The Book of Boba Fett, Peli Motto reveals that Jawas are furry. What’s more, the 2015 novel Star Wars: Aftermath furthers the “rodent-like” angle, likening the Jawas’ musk to a bunch of wet rats. But that’s about all we have to go on. Sure, behind-the-scenes photos unmask Jawas as petite humans wearing balaclavas and light-up “eyes,” but that doesn’t really count. Similarly, removing the hooded robe from a Jawa action figure leaves you with a lumpy, bandage or robe-swathed critter – but again, this isn’t considered canon.
Are the Jawas Related to Tusken Raiders?
While pondering the Jawas’ looks, you may find yourself wondering if they’re somehow related to Tatooine’s other wrapped-up locals, the Tusken Raiders. It’s a logical assumption – and one partially backed up by what is now Star Wars Legends canon. The novelization of A New Hope teases the possibility that the Jawas and the much larger Tuskens are sub-species of the same humanoid race. The 2003 video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic also proves that Jawas, Tuskens, and humans are offshoots of the same ancient ancestor.
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Of course, none of this information applies to current continuity. Indeed, the most Tusken Raider-centric post-Disney Star Wars project, The Book of Boba Fett, doesn’t link the Tuskens and the Jawas. The same goes for the Tuskens’ portrayal in books, comics, and other media: nothing about Jawas. And even if the two groups were related, it still wouldn’t help solve the mystery of the Jawa’s true faces. The Tuskens’ wrapping-free mugs are also an unknown quantity in Star Wars lore 2.0!
The Jawas’ big and small screen exploits are currently streaming on Disney+ as part of the platform’s Star Wars collection.
