Commonly used as a beast of burden, the bantha is a large quad ruped. With their massive, spiral horns, banthas are an impressive sight. Their ability to adapt to different types of climates took the bantha to several worlds other than Tatooine, shrouding the beast's planet of origin in mystery. The bantha is a herbivore and, on Tatooine, must survive on the sparse vegetation found on the surface of the planet, mainly sandlichen mats that grow in protected hollows or just under the sand. Because of their size, banthas get to accumulate large reserves, which can allow the heavy creatures to survive for up to a month without food or water. Although they prefer to move around at a slow pace, banthas can run surprisingly fast when the need arises, and stories of dangerous bantha stampedes are heard throughout the galaxy. Wild banthas live in herds and show distrust of outsiders. Once tamed, however, banthas grow to enjoy the company of other species. Some of their masters return the sentiment, like the Sand People, who share a very special bond with their mounts on Tatooine. The bantha's meat is used for food, the skin and fur for clothing, while tools, ornaments and toys are carved out of the bones and horns. On a barren planet such as Tatooine, nothing is wasted.

Standing at over four meters tall, the ronto is a surprisingly intelligent beast whose strength and loyalty make it a prized pack animal. It can be seen in a few spaceports on Tatooine, where business owners have imported the huge quadruped to help with their labors. While their size suffices in scaring away the majority of attackers, rontos are fairly docile and attach themselves to their masters. They can withstand the desert's scorching heat but require a great deal of food and water, which is why their masters prefer to use the massive beasts close to their settlements rather than bring them on long expeditions across barren terrain.

Strong, fearless, and an able pilot and mechanic, Chewbacca the Wookiee makes a capable ally to his friends and to the Rebel Alliance. A loyal friend to Corellian smuggler Han Solo, Chewbacca is his co-pilot when Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and two droids come aboard the Millennium Falcon for a fateful trip to Alderaan. Chewbacca is a key part of the rescue plan for Princess Leia, acting as an 'alien prisoner,' allowing Han and Luke to infiltrate Detention Block AA-23 of the Death Star. It is also Chewie who persuades Han to go back to help Luke during his critical attack run on the Death Star's fatal exhaust port. It is later, during the events on Bespin that perhaps the greatest change takes place in Chewbacca. Roaring in rage as the Imperials began to lower Han into the carbon-freeze chamber, the Wookiee lashes out at the stormtroopers. It is Han himself who calms his friend and ends the berserker rage.

Intelligent but smelly scavengers of the desert, these rodent-like creatures are natives of Tatooine. About a meter tall and constantly jabbering in their own language, Jawas live in clans. To protect themselves from the fierce double suns of their planet, they wear coarse, homespun cloaks with hoods; only their glowing eyes are visible. Jawas travel and live in bands, using giant, treaded sandcrawlers for mobility and shelter. The crawlers can hold many dozens of Jawas as well as the droids and other machinery that they scavenge, repair and resell to Tatooine moisture farmers and others. Once each year before the storm season, Jawas make a trek to the great basin of the Dune Sea for a huge, secret rendezvous that becomes a great swap meet where they exchange news and salvaged items.

A nomadic and often violent species, the Sand People of the planet Tatooine are as fierce and savage as their harsh desert environment. Also known as Tusken Raiders, even their appearance - born of necessity - lends them an air of menace. Wrapped in gauzy robes and strips of cloth from head to foot, their faces are concealed with breathing masks and goggles to protect their eyes. The frightening visage of a bandit Tusken Raider can terrorize as easily as their weapons. The Sand People are easily intoxicated by sugar water and are most dangerous during their adolescent years, when they must survive rigorous rites of passage--such as hunting krayt dragons--to become adults. Since there is no written Tusken language, the storyteller-historian is the most respected member of Tusken communities. Many Tusken Raider clans of 20 to 30 individuals return annually to their traditional encampments in the Needles, a section of the Jundland Wastes, to wait out the dangerous sandstorm season. The Sand People have an almost symbiotic relationship with their bantha mounts. A member who has lost his bantha is considered incomplete, and an outcast among his people. Likewise, when a Raider dies, his mount engages in a usually suicidal frenzy and is turned loose in the desert to survive or die on its own. Tuskens live in an uneasy, and frequently shattered, peace with Tatooine moisture farmers. They attack settlements from time to time, using their traditional weapon, the gaderffii (or "gaffi") stick, a kind of double-edged ax, or older projectile rifles. Targets of opportunity also include individuals or small parties roaming the desert, such as Jawa scavenging parties.