The Tuskens are complicated people. The native Tatooinians were stereotyped as evil savages in the early Star Wars films, but thanks to TV series The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, we now know they are much more. The retcon is having one unfortunate side effect, it is both fantastic and necessary to see cultural depth given to an indigenous people.
The scene in Attack of the Clones where Shmi is captured by a tribe of Tuskens, and her only chance of survival is to die in his arms, is what I speak of. I killed them all. They are dead. Every single one of them. When he returns to his stepdad's homestead, he tells Padmé that not only the men, but the women and the children as well.
It was already awkward when Attack of the Clones was released back in 2002 and George Lucas wanted to use it to portray the anguish and anger that would eventually lead to Revenge of the Sith. Padmé still finds a viable marriage partner at the end of the movie even though he hears this confession.
The portrayal of the Tuskens as uncivilized brutes is glaring. A New Hope introduces them as marauders who attack and steal from him. Potshots are taken at the Podracers in The Phantom Menace. The Empire presented the Tuskens as monstrous bad guys, and didn't consider them as people. Since Shmi is the only reason they assault him, it's even worse.
If the Disney era of Star Wars hadn't already been going out of its way to rebrand them, this version of the Tuskens would merit a lookback. In the first season of The Mandalorian, Din Djarin is able to communicate with them using sign language. In the Aftermath: Empire's End novel, Freetown marshal Cobb Vanth negotiates a deal with the Tuskens to protect his town in exchange for water, and they liberate it after a group of slavers capture it. In the second season of The Mandalorian, Din and Cobb team up with the Tuskens to defeat the Krayt dragon. Two very different cultures are working together.
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The Book of Boba Fett has done the most to change the Tuskens. Fett became a full member of the tribe after he escaped from the pit, with all the rituals and honor that entails. Fett says that there are many different tribes of Tuskens, each with their own set of values. As the ex-bounty hunter spends more and more time with them, the Tuskens are revealed to be made up of unique individuals. For lack of a better term, The Boba of Fett has shown that the Tuskens were real people.
This is great and correct, so thanks to Lucasfilm for recognizing the problem and addressing it. There is only one problem, and it is not a big one, and it is not worth creating.
It was always uncomfortable, but now it feels like a hate crime because it feels less of an act of vengeance. It makes sense that having his mom die in his arms would make him angry. It is impossible to not see the scene as Anakin killing an entire cultural group of people for the crimes of just a few. Even assuming kidnapping and torturing people is part of the tribe's values, there are only so many members who could be responsible for Shmi's death. If nothing else, the women and children were guilt-free, and yet Anakin goes out of his way to say that he slaughtered them too.
I am aware that he was an equal murderer by the end of Revenge of the Sith, because he killed so many people. When I think of the brief glimpse we see of him attacking the Tuskens in Clones, it is completely irrelevant. I don't want to confront real-world horrors when I watch Star Wars. Really? It is just... icky.
I think it is a good thing that Tuskens aren't just portrayed as savages anymore. Sometimes good retcons can have consequences that weren't foreseen. I don't want to watch Attack of the Clones again in the first place.
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