PT Jar Jar Binks isn't THAT bad

My point was that this was not really his fault. He was doing his best even then—even if things turned out badly in the end.

 

He seems more clever in his TCW appearances. In contrast, he's mainly there to be an amiable buffoon in the Prequel Trilogy.

 

Good point, @SateleNovelist11 . I mean, he does have serious moments in The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, but it's clearer in TCW that he is also smarter than he looks. At least the two characters have more in common than the two versions of Anakin…

 

Yeah, that is true. His primary use is that he leads the protagonists to the Gungan army in TPM, whereas he's manipulated into supporting Palpatine's advancement in AOTC, the latter of which I think could've been written better. I recall reading somewhere that Jar Jar was originally intended to be close to Anakin and that would factor into the tragedy of his transition into Vader. But don't quote me on that. It's been a long time since I read that, and one always has to be careful of articles that don't cite things. If true, it could serve as one of many things that Lucas changed his mind on.

 

Oh, I do know that. But on the other hand, does it really make sense to put someone in charge or let him represent you in senate who has zero political background, when such an extremely serious decision - as giving someone immediate "emergency" powers - is being made? Or do you at least try to discuss it in detail with that representative and communicate at that critical time? Or, would it not make sense to have someone with thorough political experience and knowledge vote in a galaxy-wide government? I mean, they did have a new queen with dozens of apparently experienced political advisers around her at that time. Padme COULD have sent someone among them to represent her. At that point she didn't even completely trust Palpatine herself anymore. So having someone vote who is obviously 100% behind him makes sense?
No, I'm neither bashing the PT nor Jar-Jar per se. But SOME things could have been handled more wisely from a writing perspective.
This is coming from someone who likes the PT in general and has never been a Jar-Jar hater, FYI.

 

While I think that the Jar-Jar hate has often gotten out of hand, I find my biggest issue with him is all the goofiness with him on the battlefield during the big invasion sequence. And let me be clear, I am not looking for grimdark Star Wars! Just saying that this is supposed to be where the stakes are highest, where we are supposed to feel the heroes are at risk, where we are supposed to be "taking things seriously". Cutting to Jar-Jar "accidentally" taking out all those battle droids in various comedic, goofy, zany ways was a real tone-breaker.

 

Yes, agreed, @SateleNovelist11, and interesting! Ahmad Best wanted Jar Jar to be murdered by Vader I think, possibly as a redemption for giving Palpatine emergency powers. I would like to see more of him. I personally found how he was written out slightly jarring—although he would obviously have to take something of a new role in Revenge of the Sith.

Excellent points, @SHAD0W-JEDI ! I might not have minded that myself. I did enjoy some of the slapstick gags, but it might have been nice if Lucas had begun to take Jar Jar more seriously in the Third Act of the movie.

 

I grant Jar Jar might not have been exactly a qualified politician. However, remember who was in the room when the idea was proposed—Master Yoda, Master Windu, and several respected senators, none of whom objected. Jar Jar remained silent then, trying to let others who were more experienced speak. In other words, considering that Yoda and Mace Windu did not object, I do not really think Jar Jar can be blamed.

 

I think there's room for both, and that it provides a nice balance for the tone. TPM is unapologetically for kids of all ages, while Lucas says he wouldn't take a kid under 10-ish to see RotS. (Even the trilogy has it's own tonal balance). It's good to see Jar Jar have some successes, showing that despite his lack of skill and coordination, he's not useless. It's in there for the kids and those who feel they can relate. Embracing that will alleviate one's struggle with it.

 

OK, I see your point. Once again, not bashing Jar-Jar here. But this only supports my impression that the PT Jedi come across as totally clueless. THEY are the ones who should have known better, are supposed to be wise and able to sense danger. They can use the Force and have been protecting the Republic for ages, while Jar-Jar is - more or less - innocent and naive. For all their big talk, they are totally helpless when a single guy quite obviously is about to put himself in power over an entire galaxy. And it's not some unknown force or order, but their ages-old enemies, the Sith. Somebody should have put 2 and 2 together there.

 

I agree with that. I just might have dialed it back slightly, in order to make more of his deeds there deliberate. To be honest, I probably would not have known he was general if they had not said it aloud. Still, the slapstick humor is important and I agree that Jar Jar exists to be relatable.

 

Maybe. I think the Jedi's sight was clouded in their own pride—which I think was really why the Dark Side appeared clouded to them.

 

Fair enough, though I feel if his deeds were more deliberate than he wouldn't be the epitome of clumsy. He wasn't appointed General because of his skill, but because of the role he played in bringing the two peoples together and inspiring Amidala to fight for their planet. The whole Battle of Naboo took place thanks in part largely to Binks and his comment to the Queen that most others would not have made out of social propriety. And I feel Jar Jar's antics on the battlefield are a microcosm of his role in the film, which all add up to illustrating the notion that being naive and uncoordinated doesn't mean being useless. Which is supposed to be inspiring to the Jar Jar in all of us.

As Ahmed Best said, "The character of Jar Jar, he was banished from his world because he was clumsy. He just didn't fit in with the other Gungans of his world. And I think everybody remembers when they were that kid who just didn't fit in, and I know when I was that kid who didn't fit in to any group. I think all of those kids, and all of those, ya know, people who feel like they don't fit in will identify with Jar Jar. He wants to fit in, and he wants to be with everybody else, and he wants to be good but he just can't help it, he's just... he's just clumsy. You relate to the world, even though these are different creatures and different people, you know, something about it that makes you relate to it, something about it makes you feel for the characters."

 

I saw every Star Wars movie in theaters at original release. Was 25 when I saw TPM. I loved Jar Jar, still do. He is as much an everyman as Owen Lars. Some people are actually inept in real life. Every day people bumble into situations. His character drives a lot of the events. From the life debt to Qui-Gon to introducing the Gungans to introducing Padme to the Gungans... it was all what kept the movie flowing. The real life events of the place outside the Senate and Jedi council. Jar Jar is one of the mains. He is part of the group. He is a friend. He leads when necessary, takes action when necessary, but all the while he isn't qualified for any of it. I am proud to say I am a fan of Jar Jar also. Just like I'm a fan of Palpatine, Vader, Maul, Han, Chewie, Boba, Ahsoka, and plenty of others. Heck, I know plenty of Jar Jar's in real life. ...and I'm okay saying that some of them are friends. They provide plenty of comic relief for me everyday.

 

I just felt bad for Ahmed Best because he was bullied so much over his performance that he at one point contemplated suicide. He was just doing job to the best of his ability. Tbh, his use of the word mula TPM influenced my occasional usage of the word when I'm speaking casually. TPM certainly needed Jar Jar because there were some parts of that film that were a bit too serious. I guess you look at Jar Jar like a funny version of Jango Fett: a being trying to survive and make his way in the universe. It's like you get the comic relief and then you get the serious, capable one next.

 

Also, quite fair. I still might have liked to see him calling commands to the other Gungans as general. I agree with you about Jar Jar's purpose. It's just that a character still has to do something deliberately to really count as a hero. I am not saying that Jar Jar doesn't—for instance, he does actually bring together the Gungan and Naboo people. This is a minor nitpick, but I might change it slightly. Still, I really like the "unlikely hero" trope displayed in Jar Jar.

 

I thought Jar Jar was fine in the film. My biggest issue was with his speech. He talked a lot, and half the time he was very difficult to understand. Up till then characters in Star Wars spoke English or their native language, in which case it was subtitled. This is the first time Star Wars introduced a language reminiscent of Jamaican Patois.

 

Fair. I feel like you get used to his dialect eventually, but that is a fair point. I suppose they could cut it a bit.

 

Question: do people think Jar Jar should have died in Revenge of the Sith? Ahmad Best apparently pitched that idea to George Lucas.

 

I like to equate the Gungans to creole or cajun... somebody you'd see on Gator Hunters. They can be difficult to understand too. Thank goodness for captions.

...and no, no way should Jar Jar have died. He needs to retire a hero on Naboo.

 

Yes. I think it would have been easier if they had simplified his dialect. No one understood Chewie or Artoo, but that was never expected as we are typically expected to understand Jar Jar.
Fair enough. I would have liked to see more closure in him from the Prequels, however.

 

Sure, but he doesn't know what to command . The joke is they know what to do enough without him. He does say, "Steady. Steady." but it's a humorous moment because they don't really need him to tell them that. And later when they're surrounded by Droids and they ask him what to do, he replies, "My give up! My give up!" Yes, Jar Jar is the ultimate unlikely hero. He achieves heroism, but in the same sense that C-3P0, Buster Keaton and Goofy do, by bumbling into it - rather than through deliberate choices and actions.

That's what I think is so interesting, as an expansion of what can be brought to the Star Wars universe. Jar Jar, the ultimate misfit, even his speech patterns don't fit in with the established system. His way of talking resides in this limbo world between understandable and alien w/subtitles.

 

To be honest, I think hatred of any fictional character is irrational.

 

Well, it depends on what the character represents. I hate Kylo Ren because he is written poorly and he is an awful person. I like Adam Driver as an actor, mostly in other projects.

Honestly, I've come to dislike Philoctetes in 1997's Hercules, particularly during the middle portion of the film, because he seems arrogant and entitled. While he means well and he is a good friend and trainer to Hercules, the way he treats Meg when she rejects him is not mature, nor is it a good example for kids. I like how he is later in the film. I don't think there's anything wrong with disliking villains, particularly Disney villains like Frollo and Gaston. I guess Gaston is on my mind because there is this store at the mall called Fuego's. I got my significant other some jewelry there, and I was unnerved by Gaston's scary eyes on a backpack there. Lol. Kinda creepy.

I could only understand hatred toward Jar Jar Banks if he was or became some type of creep who was trying to get with Padme or something like that. But that's not what happened. I do think the novelization handled Palpatine's manipulation of him better. And I like how the senators thought that he spoke well to them, as it surprised them. They had previously dismissed him. So, it's more believable in the way that R.A. Salvatore handled it. He also fixes other problems with AOTC to the best of his ability. That movie is mainly interesting to me because of Anakin's quest to save his mother and Obi-Wan's overall investigation into Jango Fett and the Separatists. I think Lucas should have gotten someone else to co-write the film with him or perhaps have asked someone else to direct it. On the other hand, it did drive him to become a much better director for ROTS. So, I'm not complaining. I've met some people who liked Jar Jar in TCW who wished that he could have been in AOTC more. However, at that point, he probably would have been portrayed more like he was in TPM, which I could see working in AOTC better than ROTS. 3PO is perhaps the only comic relief in that movie, and that's appropriate. Jar Jar's humor would have been out of place in that one. Honestly, Palpatine himself is some times funny in a dark way during that movie. I do think TCW handled Jar Jar better than AOTC did.

 

Saw TPM in the theater with friends when it came out. Our reaction was mixed. I like it now more than I did then. No one hated it. But Jar Jar was pretty divisive. He has a high shrieky voice, particularly when panicking. And he talks non stop and dominates every scene he is in the first half of the movie. So while I like him now, it is not hard to understand why others did not back in the day. Of course certain fans made it personal and that is silly and it is sad what Best went through. And Lloyd.