Jawa

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

- C-3PO

Jawas were a sentient species of meter-tall humanoids native to the Outer Rim desert world of Tatooine.

Biology and appearance
What Jawas hid underneath their heavy robes was subject to much speculation from the colonist who settled on Tatooine, with one rumor claiming that they were in fact giant rodents or de-evolved humans.

Society and culture
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. 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.

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

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.

History
One clan of Jawas was responsible for locating and reuniting C-3PO and R2-D2 after their escape pod crash landed on Tatooine. The clan later sold the droids Luke Skywalker's uncle, Owen Lars. Unfortunately, the clan was completely obliterated by Stormtroopers looking for the droids. Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi later found the Jawas and burned the bodies to make a fire.

Jawas in the galaxy
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 or by Jawas themselves.

Behind the scenes
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.

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.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars Journeys: The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars: Galactic Defense
 * Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes
 * Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars film
 * Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion
 * Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
 * A New Hope Read-Along Storybook and CD
 * The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight
 * Star Wars: Battlefront
 * Star Wars 1: Skywalker Strikes
 * Star Wars 2: Skywalker Strikes, Part II
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader 1: Vader
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader 9: Shadows and Secrets, Part III
 * Star Wars: Commander
 * Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
 * Aftermath
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader 9: Shadows and Secrets, Part III
 * Star Wars: Commander
 * Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
 * Aftermath

Non-canon appearances

 * Disney Infinity 3.0