The world was first introduced to Tusken Raiders in “Star Wars,” where Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) referred to them as “Sand People.” Later information revealed that to be a pejorative term, as they’re known primarily as Tuskens. In the decades since the first film in George Lucas’ sci-fi epic arrived in theaters, the “Star Wars” expanded universe has revealed much about the enigmatic people who call Tatooine their home planet. In addition to debuting several named characters, they’ve also been unmasked, revealing their faces in various media.

The first time a Tusken Raider was seen without their mask came in the 1997 video game “Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II,” where they had cat-like features and light grey fur. This group was called the Grave Tuskens, but they no longer exist— at least not in “Star Wars” canon. When Disney acquired the franchise in 2012, the company implemented several drastic changes. Most notably, the House of Mouse relegated nearly all of the expanded universe to the newly dubbed “Star Wars Legends,” removing them from canon.

While this made it easier for Disney to keep track of everything moving forward, it wiped away nearly four decades of lore, which many fans didn’t appreciate. Since every previous depiction of unmasked Tuskens is no longer part of the franchise’s canon, many wonder what they look like now. Disney has yet to offer any examples of an unmasked Tusken, but that’s okay — there’s still Legends to enjoy, and from there, it’s possible to see what they looked like before Disney took over and changed the “Star Wars” franchise.

“Dark Forces II” introduced the first confirmed unmasked Tusken, but a different visage nearly appeared years earlier. Timothy Bradstreet created an unmasked take on the characters for Topps’ 1994 “Star Wars Galaxy Series 2” trading cards. He was halfway into his piece when his editor instructed him to stop, having been informed that Lucasfilm wanted the Tuskens to remain mysterious. Bradstreet salvaged his artwork by turning it into a bounty hunter with a Tusken appearance, and the character Taggor Bren (pictured above right) was born.

Further Tusken appearances in Legends did feature some of them unmasked, including the one pictured above on the left. The image, illustrated by Tomás Giorello, graced the opening splash page in Dark Horse Comics’ “Star Wars: Republic” #62, published in March 2004. It comes from the nightmare of a young sand-hating Jedi Knight you might know — Anakin Skywalker. He experiences a vision of his mother’s death, similar to the one he had in “Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones,” and the image reveals what the Tuskens look like beneath their masks.

This visage is truly horrific and could have been altered by the vision’s dark nature brought about by Anakin’s fear, which ultimately corrupts him into falling to the dark side of the Force. Whether it’s an accurate depiction of an unmasked Tusken or one that’s been created by Anakin’s subconscious, it, alongside the trading cards, was shunted into “Star Wars” Legends when Disney bought the company. As such, neither image is recognized as representative of Tuskens as far as Disney is concerned.

While the Tuskens remain masked in Disney’s projects, including the many comics published by Marvel Comics, their culture has been explored in a good bit of detail. “The Book of Boba Fett,” for example, features Tuskens extensively, though primarily in flashbacks. While none of them remove their masks, their tribal structure and clan honor are detailed, revealing a complex society of desert nomads.

One development of particular note is that the Tuskens take in Boba Fett, making him a member of their tribe. This means that a Tusken could theoretically be any species under the mask, which may be one of the reasons they don’t remove them. Each piece of armor or garment of clothing a Tusken wears is a mark of honor, and removing anything in front of others is considered taboo.

It’s also heavily implied that Tuskens are native to Tatooine, and their society is composed of women, children, and men, all of whom have their own responsibilities to the tribe. Tuskens are a disparate group of people who primarily live in the harsh Tatooine Jundland Wastes, and while some tribes are more violent than others, they aren’t all like that. In “Attack of the Clones,” Anakin slaughters an entire village to save his mother and mete out some vengeance. Years later, in the story “Coda” in “Star Wars: Darth Vader” #25, it’s revealed that the Tuskens fear Anakin and build a wicker effigy of the Dark Lord of the Sith, offering a sacrifice to ensure he never again attacks their tribe.