After Troy Kotsur made history by becoming the first Deaf man to win an acting Oscar, an old interview with the star resurfaced online, revealing how he helped develop the sign language used by Tusken Raiders in the Star Wars universe. Talking with The Daily Moth (via /Film), Kotsur explained how he came up with the signs that would be used by the Tuskens in The Mandalorian series.
The first season of The Mandalorian led fans across the galaxy, as faces old and new got entangled in a brand new galactic adventure. In episode five of the first season, the titular Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) goes to the desert planet Tatooine and has to ask the Sand People for safe passage. The dialogue between Mando and the Tuskens is "spoken" using a unique kind of sign language, created specifically for the show. As it turns out, Kotsur was consulted by The Mandalorian's crew to develop the new, galactic sign language.
According to Kotsur, his goal while developing the Tusken sign language was to avoid ASL. As the actor puts it, each sign language reflects the needs and environment of its users, so it was only natural to come up with a completely new system that would underline Tusken culture. In Kotsur’s words, “I made sure it became Tusken Sign Language based on their culture and environment.” That’s how he came up with specific signs, such as the one for “Mandalorian”, which is “based on the helmet and the 'M' hand shape.”
Besides helping The Mandalorian's crew to develop the Tusken Sign Language, Kotsur also appeared in episode five of the first season as an unnamed member of the Sand People. As Kotsur reveals in the interview, the job was a dream come true. As the star explains it, “when I was eight years old, I dreamed to be part of Star Wars. Many, many years later, almost forty years later — it is fate.”
The Tuskens would be reused for the second season of The Mandalorian and also the spinoff series The Book of Boba Fett. The Tusken culture is expanded at each appearance, with new elements added to the Star Wars lore. And, at the center of it all is the sign language Kotsur helped create.
The next Star Wars series, Obi-Wan Kenobi, will bring Ewan McGregor back as the iconic Jedi Master, a part he played for the prequel trilogy. Obi-Wan Kenobi is partially set in Tatooine, so we’ll probably get a glimpse of the Tuskens. And when we watch the beautiful signs the Sand People use to communicate, we’ll know we have Kotsur to thank for deepening the alien race’s mythology.