The sandcrawler is a fictional transport vehicle in the Star Wars universe that is found on the desert planetTatooine. The vehicle, as it appears in its major appearances in , is 37 meters long and 18 meters tall. Only a 27-meter length of its lower hull was constructed as a set for the film. Other appearances were simulated with matte paintings and a remote-controlled model.
Origin and design
The design of the sandcrawler was first inspired by photographs of a NASA-designed rover created to explore alien planets. It was conceived as large, old, very rusty, and having treads. The front of the vehicle was envisioned to have a mouth-like scoop that lowered with hydraulics to pick up things, like a garbage truck. While its original design was streamlined, it was modified to be taller and more awkward-looking. The final design was created on April 5, 1975.
Production
The prefabricated movie set of the sandcrawler was shipped from England and took special effects genius John Stears and his crew four days to move it thirty miles into the Tunisian desert. It was two stories tall and ninety feet long when it was fully assembled, with the caterpillar tracks being almost twice as tall as a person, and covered in sand and mud to give them a "used" look. The night before the scene with the Jawas was to be shot, a sandstorm blew apart the set, and it took a day to put it back together and an additional day to shoot the scene. Afterwards, it was transformed into a burned-out hulk, taking another day. The construction of the sandcrawler piqued the interest of the Libyan government, who sent inspectors across the border to make sure it was not an actual military vehicle of some kind.
Depiction
Most sandcrawlers are homes to Jawas. They were originally constructed in Corellia for the purpose of serving as ore haulers during mining operations, and many were brought to Tatooine when it was first settled as a miningcolony. When the mining industry collapsed they were abandoned and the native Jawa took them over. The number of sandcrawlers is unknown on Tatooine because most Jawa clans only meet during the annual "swap meets" when Jawa clans meet to trade with each other. Jawa clans usually worship the Sandcrawler they have inhabited for generations. The Sandcrawler is powered by 8 massive turbines to power the treads which pull it over the dunes of the desert. Since repairs are not done thoroughly, sandcrawlers are liable to fail at any time. Within the Sandcrawler are a maze of tunnels, living quarters and rooms which keep spare parts, machinery and captured droids. The front of the Sandcrawler opens to form a large ramp though there are also hatches between the giant treads that provide access to and from the crawler. They are powerful enough to withstand Tusken Raiders but are no match for Imperial Stormtroopers. The Sandcrawler first appeared in the 1977 film', where R2-D2 and C-3PO were transported across the desert terrain of Tatooine. They make a cameo appearance in ' in the establishing shot for the podrace, and also appeared in the ' when Anakin Skywalker asks a Jawa leader for directions to a Tusken Raider camp. One also appeared in the post credits of a documentary on The Phantom Menace DVD. It was shown during the podrace, moving faster than and overtaking Sebulba's podracer. A Sandcrawler and Jawas are also seen in the final sequence of ' when Rey arrives on Tatooine. Sandcrawlers, or early predecessors, have made appearances in many Star Warsvideo games, such as ', and '. The vehicle appears in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, in a scene where the titular character pursues a sandcrawler carrying the scavenged parts from his ship.
Cultural references
A 17-inch, radio-controlled toy Sandcrawler was released in 1979 as part of the original Kenner Star Wars toy line; a recolored version with a more "authentic" painted surface was issued in 2004. In 2005, Lego came out with a detailed model. Lucasfilm's Singapore base is shaped and named after the Sandcrawler.
