Sandcrawler/Legends

"Maybe the Jawas will find a use for them when we're gone. Ha! That's a laugh!"

- Czerka Corporation Protocol Officer

Sandcrawlers were large, slow, treaded vehicles used by Tatooine's Jawas, who used them as mobile headquarters, shops, and homes. They played large roles in Jawa society.

Characteristics
Sandcrawlers were powered by ancient steam-powered nuclear fusion engines. Giant treads allowed them to cross difficult terrain. Sandcrawlers had to be extremely stable to prevent the vehicle from toppling over when caught in powerful sandstorms, and were thusly the best way for the Jawas to cross the harsh deserts of Tatooine while avoiding attacks from Tusken Raiders who tended to stay away from these massive vehicles.



About half of a sandcrawler's volume was devoted to cargo space &mdash; originally for ore, these areas were quickly retrofitted as storage areas to hold Jawa salvage. The rest of the vehicle contained workshops for tinkering with and repairing technology; any technology found among the dunes.

Captured droids and equipment were pulled into the storage areas via an extendable magnetic suction tube formerly used for drawing ore. A retractable front-loading hatch also allowed the Jawas to claim larger materials. Any reclaimed scrap was added amid the maze of junk spread throughout the cluttered hold, or melted in the giant central smelting area.

The vehicle's bridge, located on top of the sandcrawler, was surrounded by a series of tiny windows. The clan's chief could often be found in this command center, which provided an excellent view of the desert. Scouts also kept watch for glints of metal that might indicate hidden treasure, aided by scanners and metal detectors. Only a small amount of the sandcrawler was used for the crew, and Jawas often slept six in a cabin the size of an average humanoid's closet.



History
The best-known sandcrawlers were the Miner Digger Crawlers brought to the planet by Corellian and Czerka Corporation miners who hoped to find ore resources on the planet. When this plan backfired, they were abandoned along with the rest of the mining equipment. Other models of the sandcrawler were created by Tagge Mining Company.

The sandcrawlers would come to be used by the native Jawas for the following millennia as scavenging and peddling vehicles. As a result, the sandcrawlers became an important component of Jawa society, providing a home and a transport for scouring the desert in search of the droids, wrecked starships, and scrap metal that their economy thrives on.



Traditionally, half of a given Jawa clan would remain in their village or desert fortress, while the other half would reside within a sandcrawler to support the rest. While the tank-like vehicle's thick armor plating provided significant protection, a sandcrawler could be disabled by several well-aimed blaster shots. Because of their age, the sandcrawlers required constant repair, although many moisture farmers noted that their Jawa owners seemed to be capable of maintaining them forever. Sandcrawlers were rarely seen together, though they convened annually at mysterious Jawa swap meets in the Dune Sea. At these clandestine gatherings, numerous clans would commune to exchange scraps, sell droids, buy technology, or even arrange inter-clan marriages.

In 14 ABY, during a mission to Tatooine, Jaden Korr had to negotiate with a few Jawas, and got into a sandcrawler. Jaden retrieved an R5 astromech droid, amongst a pile of other disabled droids.

Behind the scenes

 * The original concept art for the Sandcrawler was probably inspired by Hotel du Lac in Tunisia. These assumptions are taken because of the extreme resemblance the hotel has with the vehicle. And since filming largely took place in Tunisia, this is unlikely to be a coincidence.


 * The name sandcrawler may be inspired by sandwalkers, an Arab mythological creature that roams the desert at night, stealing camels, and only leaving crab-like tracks. The Jawa's stealing of droids may be similar to the sandwalkers' stealing of camels.


 * For close-up scenes in the Tatooine Desert, just the bottom part of the massive Jawa Sandcrawler was built.


 * A sancrawler appeared in an eppisode of a popular TV show called the Grim adventures of Billy and Mandy. However the Sandcrawler was under the possesion of a Tusken raider rather than Jawas and was suprisingly friendly to the show's protagonist.

Notes and references
Sandkriecher