Jawa

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"I can't abide those Jawas! Disgusting creatures!"

―C-3PO^[src]

Jawas were a sentient species of meter-tall humanoids native to the Outer Rim desert world of Tatooine.^[1] What they hid underneath their heavy robes was subject to much speculation from the colonist who settled on Tatooine,^[6] with one rumor claiming that they were in fact giant rodents or de-evolved humans.^[7]^[4]

Jawas were passionate scavengers, combing the deserts of Tatooine for droids or scraps which they would capture and use for sale with the local residents, forming a co-dependent circle of trade. They often utilized sandcrawlers to transport their droids, with the previous mining companies on Tatooine abandoning them in the desert once their projects failed, allowing the Jawas to use them as mobile bases.^[4] However, they had a reputation for swindling, selling hastily-refurbished equipment and faulty droids, however they could create specialized 'monster droids' made up of various parts from a variety of droids. The moisture farmers however were wary to purchase their goods, however they often did due to being hard-pressed to find a better selection in their remote location.^[1]

A Jawa could often speak both their native Jawaese which utilized scent as well as spoken words to convey meaning—and thus making it impossible for outsiders to understand—while their simpler Jawa Trade Talk allowed them to communicate more easily with other species.^[4] Jawas would be found lurking at podracing tracks in order to haul away smoking debris from crashed Podracers.^[8] Jawas were usually first on the scene of a crashed starship, as Anakin Skywalker discovered when he crash-landed the Twilight on Tatooine.^[9] Jawas would travel through the desert in their huge sandcrawler transports.^[1] Other Jawas worked for Jabba the Hutt.^[10]

Jawas had a tentative peaceful relationship with the Tusken Raiders, or "Sand People," an aggressive species also native to Tatooine. However, the Jawas preferred to avoid the Sand People when possible due to their unpredictable nature. They also feared the Krayt dragon, and getting caught in a sandstorm was also just as dangerous.^[1]^[4]

A clan of Jawas was responsible for locating C-3PO and R2-D2 and selling them to Luke Skywalker's uncle, Owen Lars.^[3]

A popular galactic drink known as Jawa Juice existed and was served in locations such as Dex's Diner on Coruscant, however it was not made from Jawas.^[4]

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Behind the scenes

In Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, Obi-Wan Kenobi is offered a cup of "Jawa Juice" at Dex's Diner on Coruscant.^[11]

No canonical source has revealed what a Jawa looks like under the hood. In behind-the-scenes shots from Return of the Jedi, the Jawas have squarish heads covered in black cloth with large yellow eyes that appear mechanical. However, this is a costume and so may not represent their canonical appearance. The original Star Wars novelization implies a possible familial relationship between Jawas and Tusken Raiders. It also describes Jawas as rodent-like and compares them to de-evolved Humans, though these could be mere metaphors.

According to Stephen J. Sansweet's book Star Wars: From Concept to Screen to Collectible, the Jawas were the centerpiece in one of the strangest copyright infringement cases involving Star Wars. In 1978, small hooded creatures with glowing eyes that Neil Young called "Roadeyes" began accompanying the rocker on stage during a concert tour, in a tour film, and on the cover of the album Rust Never Sleeps. The case was settled out of court.^[12]

In 2015, Jawas made an appearance in Star Wars, a webcomic adaptation of the original trilogy. However, due to cultural interpretation, the comic is in a "grey area" of canon.^[13]