Why Did The Tusken Raiders Take Anakin's Mother?
Image Source: Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones (Official comic adaptation by Dark Horse Comics)
Now that fans have been shown the inner workings of the two Tusken Raider tribes from The Mandalorian and Boba Fett, we’re left wondering again; why did the Tusken Raiders nab Anakin’s mother, Shmi Skywalker-Lars?
Traditional references depict the Tusken Raiders as cunning, unnegotiable, and cruel. As Tusken Raiders got more screen-time and infamy in published works, however, the “unnegotiable” part has become slightly more flexible. Thankfully, some seven years ago, Redditors had the same question, and answered with possible leads.
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The first fan theory has been an all-time favorite: Palpatine had something to do with it. It’s not completely out of the question, but it’s highly unlikely given how the average Tusken Raider views outsiders. In the Star Wars Legends novel Darth Plagueis, it’s revealed that Plagueis had a major helping hand in not just the suggestion of a clone army to Sifo-Dyas, but also a variety of dastardly experiments with midi-chlorians in pursuit of creating life or longevity. With Plagueis still alive, and the astonishing introduction of Anakin’s character and their focus set on growing Palpatine’s political power, it’s arguable that Palpatine already had a lot on his plate, and did not have enough resources to hunt down an aspiring Jedi learner’s slave mother. If Palpatine had any knowledge of where Anakin’s mother was, it’s likely the storyline itself could be different. Shmi’s death would have elicited the same distraught and angry slaughter-filled reaction from Anakin, but it could have been more public. She could have been another martyr of the Jedi order failing to act in time, a casualty of Senate corruption, and possibly a faster character arc of a broken soul realizing he was manipulated. Another reason for Disney+ to create a Star Wars “What If?”.
Image Source: Wookieepedia
The second fan theory makes the most sense, however: the nabbing and murder of Shmi Skywalker-Lars was a cruel coming-of-age ritual for that specific tribe of Tusken Raider younglings. One user figured the ritual was essentially a test of how well the Tuskens could make an outsider suffer before they inevitably died. Though the Tuskens have been known to collect prisoners, there have been very few that have survived long enough to become part of the tribe: Boba Fett and Tahiri, a young Jedi orphan from the small read Star Wars: Junior Jedi Knights (#3): Promises are two of those few to have survived the sands. One of the most referenced quotes from Shmi’s point of view can be found in the Attack of the Clones novel, and it tugs at the heartstrings and supports this theory:
“Annie was her comfort, her place to hide from the pain the Tuskens had, and were, exacting upon her battered body…it was more than a desire to inflict pain, Shmi realized, though she didn’t speak their croaking language. This was the Tusken way of measuring their enemies, and from the nods and the tone of their voices, she realized that her resilience had impressed them. They didn’t know that her resilience was wrought of a mother’s love.“
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Sources: Star Wars: Darth Plagueis, Star Wars: Junior Jedi Knights: Promises, Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (novel)