PT The Jar Jar Binks Appreciation Thread

Im not the biggest fan of the clumsy Gungan, but I think his place in the saga is important. When seeing The Phantom Menace for the first time, I honestly didnt notice Jar Jar all that much. I remember watching TPM twice in a row. I dont remember any annoyed feelings or irritation. He just seemed like a tag along character similar to Chewbacca. I instantly felt the voice actor was of Caribbean background, having parents from the islands myself it was cool to see and hear that. I can say the same for the Trade Federation voice actors, glad they werent british or american sounding. Ive read that Jar Jar was placed in the films to purposely market towards children. I have no beef with that. The animators did a terrific job illustrating Jar Jar, and matching Ahmad Best performance with Jar Jar, I will say the same for their work with Watto. Jar jar and the Gungan design is very interesting, part frog, part snail in the head, but their bodies like humans. That had to take some imagination. Ahmed Best set the tone for how the other Gungans would speak and how their dialect would sound, Boss Nas and Tarpuls sound similar and that was a good touch. As a character, I personally can not relate to Jar Jar Binks. He was banished from his community for always messing up. Having to wonder alone and not really have any companions or friends. I wonder anyone in real life would be able do that without losing their heads. Jar jar could have taken the easy way out in the Gungan throne room and just let Qui Gon leave. He took a chance on the Jedi and it paid off. Jar Jar helped unite the Naboo and Gungan communities, through his developed friendship with Padme. The best scene with Jar Jar and Padme is the moment in Palpatines office, where Jar Jar asks if the Naboo people really need help and Padme says Naboo is in danger, causing Jar Jar to reply the Gungans are in danger also and Gunguns dont go out like weaklings and how they were warriors. It was a true representation of who the Gungans were, primitive yet strong in fighting an enemy who was a threat to everyone on Naboo. Boss Nas even should his appreciation for Jar Jars bravory. During battle Jar Jar was somewhat useless, returning to his naturally clumsy ways, but the fact he was out there and not sitting on the sidelines shows his intentions. He wanted to fight, he wanted back into his community and he wanted to protect his planet. So to George Lucas, Ahmed Best, all of Jar Jars animators and the artist who designed Jar Jar and the Gungan alien race. THANKS

 

Jar Jar is probably the most unfairly hated character in film history

 

I love Jar Jar

Not only is he a good character on his own, but he is a GREAT symbol for an underlying theme in SW, especially in TPM

His development is vastly overlooked. His somewhat naïve nature is what allows him to unite the Gungans and the Naboo, funnily enough. He's the type of guy that's just in the wrong place at the right time, and he ascends to heroism from mere exiled pariah. It's a great thing to watch

His status as the one who unifies Naboo and the Gungans is a perfect representation of the theme of symbiosis. His bond with Padme is sort of like that story with the princess who finds a frog prince; it's obvious who's who. The graceful political leader in a position of power in the favoured society befriending a disgusting creature from a scummy watery area. Scummy watery areas, might I add, are a prime source of life

Anyway, Jar Jar is not as appreciated as he should be. The saga needs him, or it's weakened for it

 

he's a funny slapstick character. I saw the film 10 times in theater's and people laughed in the theater. For some reason idiotic slapstick characters are celebrated in other films and tv shows but jar jar is hated. I still don't grasp why. I mean if he had been the Lead character yes, but he wasn't.

 

Jar Jars Hate is unfounded and I will never understand why people hate him so much without Jar Jar bunks episodes 3-6 would be completely different. so IU he is the reason that the Empire is a thing and without him it would be vastly different.

 

Great points raised by CoolyFett and by Seagoat!

I love Jar Jar -- he's my favourite character. I've said a lot about him over the years, so I'll just add, for now...

People see different things in him, much like the movies themselves.

To me, he's the prequel trilogy's picaro, dandy, and foil.

I also see him as the playful, jarring side of Star Wars incarnate. A bubbly spirit, a living embodiment of virtue, a wise fool.

I find it fitting that he would pop up and play such a big part in the first movie (which is also, from a certain POV, the most "fairy tale"-like, and the most superficially innocent).

One can even read him as a sort of "wild" animal (there are, in fact, many explicit nods to nature, and many roaming "beasts", in TPM), up on-screen to ambulate a key theme concerning the "untamed" nature of unripened humanity; an analog to Anakin's journey from childhood, living on the Outer Rim, to joining (but never quite fitting in with) "civilization" when he leaves and is absorbed into the ranks of the Jedi Order, serving the Galactic Republic, a governmental structure that formerly ignored the plight of his condition on Tatooine (and still does once he joins).

That theme is a pretty disturbing one for what it throws up and implies about human nature. We all start off from a point of relative innocence, but our thoughts and feelings harden as we become "civilized" -- moulded by, and sometimes forcibly shaped by, the social more and precepts, and decayed assumptions, of our guardians and peers, and the whole of the society around us. We develop a shell (Darth Vader). Jar Jar himself is not untouched by this regrettable "civilizing" effect, left easily open to exploitation by Palpatine, after earlier being ignored by him, who plays upon the affinity for militarism Jar Jar himself possessed (or was possessed by) back in TPM ("Gungans no dyin without a fight: wesa warriors, wesa got a grand army...").

In a subtle touch in AOTC, during the "emergency powers" scene, we first HEAR Jar Jar before we SEE him, and his voice is laced with an unnerving contempt: "Its a clear desa separatists made a PACT!" (How "clear" is anything; especially in politics? -- note how often that word comes up in TPM; and when). There is a great distrust of spoken language, and oration, and authoritative "rulings", throughout the PT. Jar Jar, with his distorted "pidgin" speech, hailing from a watery civilization, would seem to be a play on the tangled, troubling quality of language and also the declamatory figures (idols if you will) "chosen" ("He is the chosen one!") to represent difficult-to-communicate concepts in art and religion; in any encoding system. The symbol, let us suppose, "jars" with the infinitely greater complexities of reality.

These are just a few of the levels I think Jar Jar works (or, indeed, plays) on. Jar Jar is a potent, wonderful addition to the saga -- in my opinion.

 

I think the General Hate Jar Jar Gets makes me love him even more, he is one of my Favorite Prequel Characters right behind Padme !!!!!!!!!!

 

I enjoy Jar Jar's purpose in the movies, I just have a hard time dealing with his antics. I understand that's who he is and that's how most gungans are in general, but that's the only thing that really sets me back about Jar Jar.
I don't find him all that annoying and I do enjoy the progression of his character through the PT, from what we can somewhat see.

 

Agreed.

 

El Jedi, without bashing, what is your objective view on Jar Jar Binks as a character? Do you see any value in him? Why do you feel the dislike for him is unfair?

 

I like Jar Jar.

Personally I've always been a fan of slapstick comedy, be it The Three Stooges or something else. So to me as a 5 year old when I first watched Phantom Menace, I genuinely thought he was funny.

Over the years, my opinion hasn't changed much. I guess Cryogenic probably has the best analysis of Jar Jar, so I'll leave it at that.

 

I'm actually gonna go on record and say that I slightly prefer Jar Jar over Ewoks. Though I don't have a problem with either of these creatures, because they are perfect for Star Wars.

I just feel that in the eyes of general internet fandom Jar Jar has become the character who people use to associate everything they feel is wrong with the prequels.

 

Jar Jar

 

I was always pondering this thought? Did GL when making TPM want to have Jar Jar's ears fly back after the Eopie farted in his face on Mos Espa? If Lucas actually wanted that, I tip my hat to him for that. The thought of Lucas actually contemplating that is funnier than the scene itself! It is even little things like that that make me appreciate Lucas that much more. Because if you think about it what kind of person would think to put something like that in a SW film? I will tell you, a true visionary that's who.

 

To slightly elaborate on what I wrote before...

Jar Jar is the innocence inside of Darth Vader. The innocence in us all.

See: the "emergency powers" scene. We all like to think we're doing good, when we take steps to "protect" loved ones, or to make the world a better place, but sometimes, the very opposite occurs.

There is something quite benign, yet also slightly cynical, about that view of human nature. It's a particular tension, in my opinion, that makes Star Wars fascinating -- and Jar Jar the saga's most indelible avatar.

But then, that is only my take on matters.

 

it's sort of a metaphor for TPM in general i think. Some people wanted a darker movie, but if you start off that way then you have just 6 dark movies. You have to have the contrast. Funnily enough one of my facebook friends mentioned the other morning when the ST trailer came out that she'd be hearing jar jar quotes from her young son all day. One of her other friends made an anti- jar jar quote and either he later deleted it or she did.

 

I've always liked Jar Jar, and I always crack a grin at his antics. I admit, he could have been toned just a very little bit in TPM, but overall he's a lot of fun to watch and he has a likable personality. Jar Jar receives way too much hate for only being "annoying", even though there is nothing about his character that warrants any hate.

 

Ill tell you whats wrong with the Prequels, not enough Tarkin, not enough Jango and flying R2. There I Said it!!

 

I'm surprised -- and touched -- to see Jar Jar love mounting up in this thread!

 

Ugh, I would much prefer Wilhuff not be in III at all.

I like and agree with what my friend Jon has said. For all the wrong notes with Jar Jar's handling the growth and theme of symbiosis is pretty powerful.

 

I am happy to see so much not Hate for Jar Jar.

 

I feel the same way about him as I do for C3PO -- not my personal favorites but integral to the overall colour and tapestry of the saga. In both cases I feel there was a bit of unfortunate, albeit unintentional, insensitivity regarding potentially offensive stereotypes -- but they are executed in such a way that doesn't demand you think of them in such a manner. In any case hear, hear for this thread (or perhaps Yipee!)!

 

I love Jar Jar. His lines crack me up, but they weren't overdone. C-3PO and R2-D2 didn't have as much comic relief in the PT as they did in the OT, and there was no Han, so Jar Jar filled in the gaps. Although it got less and less in AOTC and then ROTS. I think his only line in ROTS was his "Excuse me" when Orn-Free-Taa says "Watch it." Hilarious. I believe there was an extra scene where Palpatine kind of thanks him for putting him into power, but it didn't make the film.

Ahmed Best did nothing short of a fantastic job voicing him. Some of his lines will stay with me forever, so they did something right. I thought the timing of his lines was spot on, also.

Without Jar Jar, the films would have been much darker in my opinion, he was needed. Also since he might have been geared more towards children, Lucas killed two birds with one stone, if you will. ROTS he wasn't used, but that was supposed to be a dark film.

Funny, we sometimes say his lines around the house as much, if not more, than classic lines from Vader or anyone else in the saga. Like I said, as much undeserved hate as the character gets, they did something right.

"Yousa follow me now, okeydey?" Great stuff, gets me every time.