Tatooine is the alpha and omega of Star Wars. It’s the home of Luke Skywalker and now the latest Star Wars project, The Book of Boba Fett. But despite being a constant presence in the Star Wars galaxy, next to nothing is known of Tatooine’s native people, the Jawas and the Tuskens. But that all changed with a throwaway line in The Book of Boba Fett Episode 5.
When Mando reunites with Peli Motto, she reveals her go-to method for acquiring rare ship parts: a partnership with the diminutive hooded people known as the Jawas. In fact, her relationship with them is both business and personal, as she apparently dated a Jawa once.
Her review? “Very furry.” This is a revelation to all Star Wars fans, our first clue of what the Jawas look like underneath their hoods. Aside from the hilarious image of a tiny, Ewok-like creature dealing droids to Luke and his Uncle Owen, why is this reveal interesting? Well, the answer lies in evolutionary science.
According to the non-canon Legends narrative, Tatooine was once a lush planet complete with a sea where the Dune Sea is now. This was reinforced in The Book of Boba Fett when Boba went on his lizard-fueled vision quest. If this part of Tatooine’s past is canonical, it also explains the Jawas’ appearance.
This backstory reveals the Jawas and the Tusken Raiders were once one people, but after a bomb triggered a planetary climate crisis they split-off into the Jawas and Tuskens. So if the Jawas are furry, it’s possible they inhabited a part of Tatooine that wasn’t always desert. Maybe they evolved in order to survive in a long-gone Tatooine tundra.
What’s more, the inclusion of this bit of Star Wars lore may reveal something about the Tuskens’ appearance too. If the Jawas are furry, and the Jawas and Tuskens evolved away from each other, the Tuskens may be the opposite; people evolved to live in heat, while the Jawas evolved to live in the cold.
This throwaway line has huge implications for how we look at the natives of Tatooine. If a Jawa is part of Peli’s dating pool, they may be more human-like than many fans think. It could even be the first hint toward the unhooding of a Jawa on screen.
The Book of Boba Fett is now streaming on Disney+.
