PT The Jar Jar Binks Appreciation Thread

I agree JohnnyAmato
.. I love how Jar Jar takes himself seriously, lines up for the dive..And then lets out that really weird scream. And then Qui Gon and Obi-Wan glance at each other like "I don't know why we're trusting this creature"

 

I also love how Obi-Wan is putting the breathing device to his mouth, but then lowers it as Jar Jar screeches and takes off. Looks like he is about to play the harmonica, but a rude sound interrupts him and "bests" his attempt.

Jar Jar's scream and dive are a bit of a goofy/light-hearted version of Palpatine doing his Sith scream and coming straight at the Jedi in his office. Which is kind of neat, I guess, if you're silly enough to subscribe to the modern-day "Jar Jar is a Sith Lord" fan-conspiracy theory that has been made semi-popular the last couple of years.

Also notice that Jar Jar performs quite a leap, but makes only a modest splash. Perhaps the rest of the kinetic energy produced by his impact with the water occurs as some below-the-surface inner jet plume. Or maybe Jar Jar is unconsciously using the Force and creating a small indent in the laws of physics. Or he's a lot less heavy than we might think. Now that I think about it, that's probably the answer. Forget Light Side/Dark Side. "Be light in the Force" seems to be the relevant message.

 

Cryogenic I think Jar Jar is just really lightweight and (or) a supreme diver who can hit the water cleanly

 

Indeed. I love how much of an "open secret" the film makes of Jar Jar actually being rather athletic and graceful in his own way.

But the ego blindness of others prevents them from ever seeing it.

 

Cryogenic
So true. But at least in AOTC , Anakin and Obi Wan and Padme seem to acknowledge him nicely. He was a war hero on Naboo after all

 

Well... sort of.

On the first "day" of Clones:
Anakin uses him as a complaint cushion after feeling snubbed by Padme.

On the second "day" of Clones:
Padme offloads on him all her various duties as Leader of the Opposition while she takes an "extended leave of absence".

Conclusion/Further Thoughts:
They're much too caught up in their personal frets and obligations to treat him much as a person in AOTC. And only Padme really expressed any delight toward Jar Jar in TPM.

And on the third "day" of Clones:
Jar Jar is manipulated into helping the Senate grant Palpatine emergency powers thereby paving the way for the eradication of the Jedi Order and the birth of the Galactic Empire.

Conclusion/Further Thoughts:
Jar Jar is constantly dumped on and used as a convenient salve or adjunct in AOTC, after being banished and generally regarded with disdain, and literally pushed, prodded, choked, yanked, zapped, etc., in TPM. He scarcely appears at all in ROTS and no-one pays him any mind, except for a rude Senator who coldly tells Jar Jar to "watch it".

I love what Lucas did here.

 

Cryogenic
At least Padme seemed to trust Jar Jar a lot. She seemed optimistic about Jar Jar's political capabilities.

But you are correct. Overall Jar Jar is dumped on. Even his own species hates him because he's more of a laid back, peaceful, kind Gungan .. instead of the warrior-like, tribal personality of the other Gungans.

Jar Jar is dissed by everyone, especially by the fans. Sad because I've always loved him

 

Well, maybe. But perhaps only in the way that Boss Nass seems to trust in Jar Jar's ability to lead fellow Gungans into battle -- a "diversion" -- and potentially turn into Gungan soup.

I think there is some ambiguity in the matter, anyway.

That's also rather sad, given Jar Jar's proud love of his own people's warrior instincts to both Padme (Amidala) and Panaka in TPM.

But yes, as Lucas has said, the Japanese saying is, "The nail that stands out is pounded down".

I've always been a fan. I became more of a staunch fan over time.

He's loveable, has his own way of keepin' on, and so, naturally, he's hated.

 

My first SW memory is Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan meeting Jar Jar so he will always be a soft spot for me no matter what.

 

In an astoundingly amazing yet strange moment when, Jar Jar saying "Oh maxi big da Force, well that smell stinkofwiff" as if he knows anything about it, we learn that the Jedi were not really liked that much and that they "stink" "Jedi poodoo" (in AOTC by the Dug). That is the Truth behind the normal guy on the street so to speak. They do not understand the Jedi that they look down on them as well despite protecting the Republic.

Little do they know and even Obi Wan for that matter, that there are those like Qui Gon have compassion for the “little guy”. Jar Jar himself one of the little guys, who was going to be punished by "crushing" . Stepped on, figuratively speaking.

MJ

 

OK, lets be nice to the greatest cinematic punching bag of all time.

Here's what I'll say. On paper, he's not a bad idea for a character. Star Wars has always been about the Island of Misfit toys coming together to save the day. Luke is a lowly farmboy that becomes the hero of the Rebellion. Han Solo is basically a money grubbing pirate that evolves into a compassionate freedom fighter. Chewbacca is a former slave turned muscle against the oppressors. R2 and 3PO are seen as basically just tools, but manage to play larger roles than anyone could expect, and then you have Obi-Wan and Leia who are kind of the gateways for those characters to experience a larger world and gain a larger purpose. You can even see this in recent films like The Force Awakens and Rogue One.

Prequels kind of have the same thing going for it. You have the young and inexperienced Obi-Wan and a slave boy in Anakin learning and playing larger roles once being exposed to the larger world through Qui-Gon and Amidala.

So Jar Jar fits right in with that theme. He was banished from a society that is on harsh terms with the ruling class already, so he's a loser without a home that ends up evolving into a hero by being the one to mend the bridge between the Naboo and his people. As much as a tiny astromech can hold the key to salvation in A New Hope, this low level Gungan turns out to be the key to success in Phantom Menace.

And from a technical standpoint, the techniques used to bring Jar Jar to the screen are actually groundbreaking. As I've said before, its a lot of the same techniques used to bring Gollum to the screen and predates it by a good 3-4 years. And whenever I do revisit Phantom Menace, I have to say, Jar Jar looks organic and real to me. He looks like he's actually there on screen interacting with the characters, which is very hard to convey with CGI characters. Not impossible, but extremely hard (I think part of it is that Ahmed Best really was there on set interacting with the actors, which makes it easier). To show how a full CGI character can go wrong, look at the CGI Scooby from the live action Scooby Doo movies. Yeah, that dog is clearly not there with those actors and its obvious.

So conceptually Jar Jar is actually fine. Its not until he opens his mouth and pratfalls all over the place that people start losing it.

 

"Maxi big da FORCE"

Jar Jar actually is saying something that Obi Wan tells Luke decades later " taken a step into a larger world"!

GL you're one sly fox!

Cheers!

MJ

 

It's funny how that little outburst of Jar Jar's also suggests he has heard of the Force.

I wanna take a look at the Gungan Archives.

 

Well I've been thinking about this lately and perhaps in the anthropological sense (GL favorite subject) Jar Jar maybe considered a fool so to speak but his species have this philosophy of "gods that demanding things". A bigger world in the "Heavenly realms" telling them what to do. So Jar Jar pieces information together when Qui Gon says the Force will guide. This also then would work in the decision to go for a radical amendment in the Senate. Jar Jar has the intelligence to realise what needs to be done.

Cheers!

MJ

 

Interesting perspective. Never really paired up/attached/podracer-engined "maxi big da Force" and Jar Jar being drawn to the logic of "a radical amendment" to "big up" the Chancellor's powers before. Perhaps it really is a piece of profoundly-embedded cultural coding on Jar Jar's part. Kind of like the clones and their wretched "Order 66" programming. Oh, threat! Oh, I must do as the Chancellor wills it, because it's my duty to the gods, to the Republic, etc. I love Jar Jar, but I think his intelligence could do with some work. If TPM depicts Jar Jar as the "wise fool", AOTC perhaps shows him engaging in foolish wisdom -- the foolish wisdom that "good" leaders must be supported in their political endeavours and always have the interests of the people at heart.

 

I feel Jar Jar only did what he is thought was the wise thing to do in that since Padme instructed him was to take the responsibility of her place in the senate. Later even Obi Wan told Padme they were all deceived. Jar Jar therefore has reasonable intelligence. Just that all became fools of the Sith Lord.

MJ

 

And, weirdly, Jar Jar's deception (or self-deception) is "seismic"; yet transitory. It's his biggest flub and perhaps his biggest regret; but just an ink blot on the canvas of his life. It's over and done in no time flat. Yet, of course, it is a massively scarring event for the galaxy itself. Much as this sort of dense hurt reflects back (rather literally) on Palpatine and Anakin in ROTS. Their actions are swift; and when they're actually being "executed", not necessarily elaborate or ornate. Yet the galaxy suffers tremendously for them; as they do as "Master" and "Apprentice" enablers in their own ways. This is a very tragic view of human agency in the world. Rather than the "text" of a person's life being that important, people seem condemned for the punctuation marks. Think of the opening crawl to ROTS; and the opening of the crawl: "War!" It's like a thunderclap that "activates" the drama. You want "War!"? Okay, you've declared "War!" Here is war; enjoy your damn war...

But yes, Jar Jar was acting on reasonable intelligence at the time (though that is also Bush and Blair's "defence" for the invasion of Iraq). And if there is a broader, redemptive theme here, it's that Jar Jar seemingly works, in his own capacity, to fight to put things right after the initial handing-over of powers. In a way, it's a shame the scene of Palpatine "thanking" Jar Jar for his courage was cut from ROTS. More, I think, because Jar Jar himself might have grown weary of Palpatine since doing it; but would perhaps express no outward sign of it in Palpatine's company or even the company of the "gods" (the viewers) watching. It's a private pain he has to live with. And the fact he is still serving Padme and Naboo as a whole also says a lot. If a mistake has been made, even a catastrophic one, one can always strive to do better. That is surely a fitting epitaph for Jar Jar's journey in the PT. And it might also be Anakin's life in a nut (Vader) shell.

 

Jar Jar's spinning jump and yell here are somewhat reminiscent of Palpatine's Sith battle cry from Revenge of the Sith. Coincidence? I think not. Perhaps this is the clue to unravel the mystery of Binks' secret Sith alignment?

 

Seeker Of The Whills

Ahh yes. The Darth Jar Jar theory

 

**** it. I loved Jar Jar as a kid, we all did.
Happy 18th birthday Mr. Binks

 

I love Jar-Jar's theme music. It doesn't come up much in TPM, only playing a few times, but I really like it:

 

Edit: As The_Phantom_Calamari said.

Please don't troll appreciation threads.

 

Excuse me, but this is the Jar Jar Binks Appreciation Thread. I think you must be lost, or confused, or drunk....or something.

 

Hi. Older fan here, in my 40's. I just wanted to say I've really come to appreciate what Jar Jar brings to the movies, particularly TPM, which I loved when I saw and love even more now. He's funny and charming and innocent, which is what Lucas meant to counter the somewhat grim storyline.