Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a hidden gem for newer, younger video game fans, and within the game are a number of hidden gems of Star Wars lore, including the secret history of the Tusken Raiders. This race of people from Tatooine are far too often depicted only as savages of the desert planet. With the Star Wars: KOTOR remake supposedly on the horizon, players should take to their next-gen consoles and PCs to discover the story of the Tusken Raiders themselves.

To do this, players need to land on Tatooine in the town of Anchorhead, where they will soon be faced with the conflict between the Czerka Corporation (a mining company) and the "Sand People." Revan will be asked by a Czerka representative to kill the Tusken Raiders who attacked Czerka miners, abducted a citizen, and stole their Gaffi Sticks. However, Revan will find that a robot named HK-47 who can translate the Tusken Raiders' language can create a more diplomatic, Light Side ending to the KOTOR mission in which they help the Tusken Raider Enclave prepare a move away from Anchorhead and deeper into the Dune Sea. After this, players can gift the Storyteller of the Tusken Raiders a Krayt Dragon Pearl instead of using it for a lightsaber upgrade.

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Accomplishing all of these tasks unlocks the hidden door to the secret story of the Tusken Raiders in Star Wars: KOTOR. The Storyteller gifts the player with the oral history of the Tusken Raider people in exchange for the pearl. The expansive tale - translated by HK-47 - details the first peoples of Tatooine and how a series of misfortunes led to them and the planet being defined by sand and a fear of outsiders.

The Story Of The Tusken Raiders In Star Wars: KOTOR

Tusken Raider Star Wars KOTOR

The Storyteller shares that, millennia ago, before Tatooine became Star Wars' Huttball hotspot, the planet was green with wildlife, and the Tusken Raiders were civilized beings who lived separately from nature. However, when they began exploring outer space, they encountered an ambiguous people named "the Builders." The Builders appeared to be a more advanced civilization who were more familiar with space travel, and because of this, they began exploiting the Tusken Raiders. The Storyteller believed the Sand People sinned by “touching the stars” like the Builders and were thus plagued with disease and slavery, but in realizing this, they went to war with the Builders. This war scorched the soil of Tatooine into glass that then shattered in the conflict into sand; the people of Tatooine then adapted to the new climate that was defined by the trauma of war and fear of the outside world. This is why Star Wars' Tusken Raiders - except toward the Mandalorian - are so aggressive toward others, and especially the Czerka Corporation.

This sad and tragic history seems to perfectly capture how the Tusken Raiders turned into the fearsome society seen throughout Star Wars media. However, should Revan decide that he does not believe in this story (or if the player just wants their Krayt Dragon Pearl back), they can disagree with it, get chased out of the Tusken Raider Enclave, and earn both the pearl and the Gaffi Sticks back. The depth to this classic game's lore dives are surprisingly deep and multi-faceted like in the case of the Tusken Raiders, so hopefully Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic's remake will preserve this story and others like it.