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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Lit Jar Jar in the Aftermath Series

Discussion in 'Literature' started by Master Endz-One, Oct 26, 2017.

  1. Charlemagne19

    Charlemagne19 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Jul 30, 2000
    Eh, he's a literal clown now and no indication he's impoverished.
     
  2. Jeff_Ferguson

    Jeff_Ferguson Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2006
    Does anyone have The Written Word handy? It seems to be the only source on the Wook for Jar Jar serving in the Imperial Senate in Legends, but I've never had it confirmed by anybody.
     
  3. Master Endz-One

    Master Endz-One Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Jun 30, 2017

    I don't feel as strong about as you do, but I agree they should have done something better with him or not mention him at all. That part of the book had nothing with the forwarding of the storyline.
     
  4. KamNale

    KamNale Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Feb 11, 2012
    He told Mapo that they'll make the whole galaxy smile and for some reason it sounded more ominous than it should of. As for putting blame on Jar Jar for the creation of the Empire. He was the one who gave emergency powers to Palpatine. Don't forget that us, the audience knows that Palps is bad. The Senate at the time agreed to this power move, not knowing he was a Sith. After seeing the Republic turn into the Empire, who was to blame? Jar Jar. It's not that hard to understand. Blame the guy who gave the bad guy more power.
     
  5. revan772

    revan772 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 5, 2014
    Imagining Jar Jar as a clown feels scary and uncomfortable in retrospect. (I still enjoyed the story but just imaging what he looks like at this point.)
     
  6. Charlemagne19

    Charlemagne19 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Jul 30, 2000
    *Jar Jar stares out from the storm sewer*
     
  7. Pacified_llama

    Pacified_llama Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Sep 15, 2017
    You see, I have this classical vision of a clown being like a court jester - a fool to all who don't know him, but a wise man to those that do.
    Jar Jar just doesn't fit into my definition in that respect.

    I still maintain it's a promotion. Jar Jar ignorant of his own silliness is far worse than one who is conscious of it - it teaches humility.
    And, really, hasn't history taught that his reputation cannot be salvaged? - the negative opinion will just harden to it even more.
     
  8. Pain and Suffering

    Pain and Suffering Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Mar 8, 2015
    The Gungans seemed like people that are generally kind-hearted and I doubt they would abruptly turn on one of their respected people because of things out of his control. After all, it's not like Jar Jar was the only one to make a move to grant Palpatine more power. And it's not like the whole Senate didn't agree with Jar Jar on giving the Chancellor emergency powers. Am I supposed to believe that all those politicians were ostracized by their people more than 20 years later and forced to be clowns as well?
    This point was somewhat intended to be an out-of-universe argument. I've heard people say that Jar Jar was the one to start the Empire, which is completely ridiculous. Senator Amidala was also in the "upper echelons of government" with the Emperor too, but the people of Naboo still adore her (as we can garner from the Darth Vader comic). And technically, she was the one who started the whole thing, since she made for a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum and that was what got Palpatine's rise to leadership started in the first place. Anyway, my argument actually does work in-universe, as without Jar Jar's motion, all the Jedi on Geonosis would have been killed. But even in-universe, apparently people forgot about that too.
    I don't know what else I'm supposed to believe from this portrayal of Jar Jar than the author gave into the whims of haters. Turning Jar Jar into a clown? If he really was sympathetic to Jar Jar, he would have treated the character properly and respectfully. Jar Jar seems more likely to have been elected to Boss status, possibly served as an ambassador for his people, and maybe even run relief missions during the Rebellion era. After a while, I think he would retire, but still remain active in helping others, especially around his home planet. Honestly, being an entertainer for others amusement just doesn't seem like something Jar Jar would do. He was funny not because he was trying to be, it's just who he is.
     
    Daneira likes this.
  9. Outsourced

    Outsourced Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 10, 2017
    If he "Gave in to the haters", then why does Jar Jar have a sympathetic ending instead if ending up dead?
     
    revan772 and Revanfan1 like this.
  10. Revanfan1

    Revanfan1 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2013

    Exactly. He may not have exactly had a happy ending, but if he ends up doing something that makes him happy? Then no, that's not giving into haters at all. They'd want to have him miserable, or dead.
     
    BigAl6ft6, Endor_boy and vncredleader like this.
  11. Coherent Axe

    Coherent Axe Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 20, 2016
    It's just who he is makes him a natural clown, which is really the best kind. He clearly wasn't cut out to be a warrior, as TPM showed, and he was woefully inept in politics, so Aftermath has him stumble into something he's not only good at, but does seem to enjoy to some extent. That's him helping people in the humble way relief missions would deliver, and I think it's definitely a happy ending. Not every character has to become President of the Galaxy. (I didn't like how the EU made Mon Mothma and Leia the Chiefs of State for almost the first two decades of the NR, seemingly because they were the only established primary characters in a position of leadership. Bring in new characters to fill those roles!) Just cos he's a main character, he doesn't have to rise to the highest position of his culture by default.
     
    BigAl6ft6 and Endor_boy like this.
  12. Charlemagne19

    Charlemagne19 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Jul 30, 2000
    The Gungans seemed like people that are generally kind-hearted and I doubt they would abruptly turn on one of their respected people because of things out of his control. After all, it's not like Jar Jar was the only one to make a move to grant Palpatine more power. And it's not like the whole Senate didn't agree with Jar Jar on giving the Chancellor emergency powers. Am I supposed to believe that all those politicians were ostracized by their people more than 20 years later and forced to be clowns as well?

    I don't think the people of the GFFA are, as a rule, generally nice or fair. The Gungans are also people who put an exile on penalty of death to Jar Jar for his poor hand-eye-coordination. I mean, who put him in charge of the Boss' vehicle anyway? Obviously Jar Jar Binks isn't responsible for Palpatine's rise to power but it's perfectly reasonable people might want to scapegoat him. Given Naboo became an Imperial resort world and aliens were likely treated like garbage, I think it's likely the Gungans didn't thrive under the regime and would want someone to direct their anger at.

    But I think the biggest appeal of Jar Jar's "ending" is it's a serious story about a comical character.

    And even if Jar Jar ISN'T at fault--he's the kind of guy who would take the punishment than argue his innocence.
     
    Endor_boy and Master Endz-One like this.
  13. Pain and Suffering

    Pain and Suffering Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Mar 8, 2015
    It seems like the people of Naboo are in general relaxed and mild-mannered. The Gungans seem to fit into this category. Sure, there are rotten apples, like Rish Loo, but in general, I would say the Gungans seemed pretty friendly and willing to help others (like Pepe Bow or Captain Tarpals, and of course, Jar Jar).

    Boss Nass banished Jar Jar, and sure, he was on bad terms with his race then, but in the Battle of Naboo, Jar Jar was a key component to bringing the humans and the Gungans of Naboo to work together, which was the first time it had happened in many, many years (or even forever) as far as I can garner from what we see in his film. Basically Jar Jar was the one who paved the way for improved relations between the humans and Gungans of Naboo and for Gungan representation on a galactic-wide scale, he was a representative, and a general, and super respected by his Gungan people, and then one day that all just...goes away? I find that too hard to buy. I could see a few people ostracizing him, but all the people of Naboo just suddenly decided to turn on him because of what Emperor Palpatine did? And Jar Jar can have a serious side, too. Sure, he's generally not serious, but there are a few moments when he acts serious when the situation calls for it.
     
    Charlemagne19 likes this.
  14. Pain and Suffering

    Pain and Suffering Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Mar 8, 2015
    edit: double post.
     
  15. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999


    Really? You've never come across the line, well understood by football managers, that 'you're only as good as the last thing you did'? Whatever you did before, it doesn't matter. It cuts both ways too - in sport, a manager might be seen as failing but then the team wins a big game and no cares about what came before.

    It is wholly irrational and unfair, but also very human, which in GFFA terms likely translates to 'sentient'.
     
  16. Charlemagne19

    Charlemagne19 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Jul 30, 2000
    Like I said, I'd like to believe people are decent and good who would know not to blame Jar Jar Binks for supporting Palpatine and view themselves as all guilty for giving up on democracy.

    I just don't think that's RL or the Star Wars universe.
     
    Revanfan1 likes this.
  17. BigAl6ft6

    BigAl6ft6 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Nov 12, 2012
    I think Jar-Jar's interlude was sympathetic and sad, he is unjustly blamed by other people for ruining something (4th wall alert: in the galaxy, people blame him for granting the Chancellor Emergency powers, in the real world people blame him for ruining Star Wars) but he's found peace and people who like him now. It's a happy ending, if a bit bittersweet.
     
  18. Pain and Suffering

    Pain and Suffering Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Mar 8, 2015
    The last thing Jar Jar did was help Queen Julia (when no one else could, because she would only accept Jar Jar's help). Having a former politician end up as a clown doesn't make any sense, nor does blaming Jar Jar for the Empire. If you blame Jar Jar, you have to blame all the other thousands of senators who voted to pass the emergency powers (and kept introducing and passing more acts that gave Palpatine emergency powers afterward). Sure, Jar Jar may be associated with Palpatine because he was chancellor at the time that Jar Jar served as representative, but then you have to group Padme, Bail, and Mon Mothma in that category too, yet they managed to retain the respect of their people for the rest of their lives. Their people respected them just as much as ever for doing about the same things that Jar Jar did.

    And no one thinks to blame the people who actually voted in the chancellor in the first place. And no one hated Bail Organa (and none of the other thousands of senators) for supporting the emergency act. So you can either assume from this that if that many senators voted on it, (1) it must have actually been somewhat of a good idea at the time (2) all the Senators poorly represented their people and were all stupid to vote on such an act and/or (3) everyone in the Senate should be clowns now. It's just totally bizarre to think that Jar Jar has a happy ending because the respect his people had for him is completely obliterated 23 years later (even though Bail and Mon Mothma stood for the same things and the people still think they're great).
     
    Master Endz-One likes this.