Writing at StarWars.com, Jon Waterhouse takes a look at five pivotal moments from the saga, encompasing moments from The Last Jedi, A New Hope, Rogue One, The Book of Boba Fett and this choice, The Mandalorian as Din Djarin and Toro Calican encounter some Tusken Raiders in the desert.
Meeting with the Tuskens (The Mandalorian, “Chapter 5: The Gunslinger”)
Although this scene proves entertaining and memorable on the surface, sift a little deeper through the sand and some special significance rises to the top. When aspiring bounty hunter Toro Calican gets the Mandalorian to help him track down legendary mercenary Fennec Shand, the pair find themselves encountering Tusken Raiders amid the Tatooine desert. Thanks to Mando’s knowledge of Tusken sign language, he’s able to negotiate with a pair of these Sand People, allowing him and Calican safe passage through Tusken turf. Unfortunately for Calican, he has to forgo his brand-new binocs as part of the deal. Here viewers get a new look at Tusken Raiders and a first glimpse at their hand-signal communication. Although his face is obscured by Tusken gear, Tusken Scout #1 is portrayed by Oscar-winning actor Troy Kotsur, who took home a 2022 Best Supporting Actor prize for his role in CODA, making him the first deaf man to ever win an Academy Award. Additionally, Kotsur helped develop the Tusken sign language used in this series and later in The Book of Boba Fett.