If you want to pick a moment that perfectly encapsulates the genius of the Tusken Raiders, head on over to The Phantom Menace. As the Podracers hare around the windy caverns of Tatooine, a band of pesky Tusken Raiders perch high above the race course and revel in taking pot shots at the drivers. They do this not to survive or protect. They do this because it's fun.

For Tusken Raiders - it should always be Tusken Raiders; Sandpeople is a far too prosaic and limp nomenclature to convey their magnificent malevolence - are the ASBOs of the Star Wars universe, preying on wayward farm boys, smart enough to ride single-file to hide their numbers, dumb enough to be scared off by a pensioner making weird moaning noises.

Interestingly, after rummaging through Luke's landspeeder, they don't actually steal anything. As they raise their gaffi sticks and hoot in mindless glee (or in reality electronically modulated donkey brays), they are mugging people just for the thrill of it. It's only a matter of time before they discover happy slapping.

Astonishingly for such legendary creations, the Tusken Raiders didn't appear in Lucas' screenwriting process until the third draft. In this version, Luke is taken prisoner and rotated on an electronic windmill until Artoo frees him. While that idea was culled during budget slashes, the Tuskens still pack a magnificent punch. Stuntman Peter Diamond, wearing the Tusken mask, couldn't actually see Mark Hamill during combat, which gives the moment a real frisson of danger and raw ferocity. That Lucas smartly shoots them from below only enhances their mythic status.

The Tusken Raiders also sum up Star Wars' lo-fi, homespun simplicity. Here are creatures crafted from beige bandages, sackcloth and loo-rolls-painted-silver-for-eyes, yet they still manage to be far more effective than a thousand pixels. That such iconic creations get an ignominious end at the hands of Anakin Skywalker is too sad for words. Or electronically modulated donkey brays. IAN FREER