Ariq Joanson was a moisture farmer on Tatooine. His best friend was a fellow moisture farmer named Eyvind. Aside from his moisture farming, Joanson tried to create peace between the Sand People, the Jawas, and the moisture farmers. His idea for peace sparked from an earlier encounter where he had made peace between himself and the Tuskens by leaving water for them at the edge of his farm. During his first attempt at making peace between the three groups, they were ambushed by stormtroopers of the Galactic Empire in an attempt to continue hostilities between the settlers and the Tuskens. Knowing that there was for now no hope with his plan, Joanson intended to leave Tatooine and join the growing Rebel Alliance, but he instead decided to stay on Tatooine and begin a local rebellion.