PT The Jar Jar Binks Appreciation Thread

Just finished a video about this very subject.



But I have to say, even though I've made the pro-Jar Jar argument before to friends and whoever, going through the movie for clips and actually seeing it laid out in front of me on a timeline for a week or two made me realize a) how rich the character's story arc actually is and b) how much nuance Best and ILM brought to his portrayal.

The instinct is to compare Jar Jar to, like, Ruby Rhod or something. But there are a number of scenes in the movie where he drops out of "comic relief" mode and into something completely different. And even in comic relief mode he usually has an extremely clear POV, feeling about what is going on, etc etc. A number of little grace notes throughout -- for instance, I really like the way he talks to Anakin as a fellow outsider in the Coruscant sequence.

(I also laughed more at the comic relief bits while making this than I usually do, which may be because I was seeing them more in light of his character and less of just "antics."

 

Good to See my mans Jar Jar Binks still getting love. I hope Ahmed Best is feeling ok this holiday. I know he has been through a lot.

 

AWESOME!!!

 

I think knowing his fate after ROTJ has recontectualized his character for me

 

I recently rewatched TPM on a flight after not finding any other (non-SW) films on the airline's entertainment system that appealed sufficiently to me. It's been some time since I last rewatched SW; in the time in-between, I've engaged in a few writing projects that helped me see better some of the criticism of Lucas' writing. I mention this because now I better understand why some people find Jar Jar annoying. At the same time, however, this is clearly acknowledged in TPM. Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Padme all do not think Jar Jar is the cutest character in the galaxy. What makes their interaction with Jar Jar different from that of the response of some reviewers of TPM, however, is that they are kind enough to treat someone who might slightly get on their nerves gently. They understand that he is a decent being who fundamentally hasn't done anything for which one would call a person out, and they treat him with the due degree of respect that you would treat such a person. I wonder how many of us would do the same were we in their place, or were a similar situation to happen in real life. So I feel that Jar Jar's presence in the films says a lot about the character of those with whom he interacts, and I'm glad he's there for that reason.

 

Apparently, that's not him:

https://talklikejarjarday.com/blog/...im-wesa-free-at-the-end-of-return-of-the-jedi

 

Saw TPM on release when I was 17 years old and found Jar Jar funny. Many people talk like he is dumb, but he isn't. This shows in his serious moments. He's just clumsy but a good hearted character. I think he is hillarious in his clumsy Moments, I am a film buff, I love old slapstick movies, I love old Cartoons, I love Laurel and Hardy and other silly stuff. It is pretty clear, what Lucas also stated, that Jar Jar is based on Goofy. And ,like Lucas, I also love Goofy cartoons. Like in all Star Wars movies, Lucas is mixing different genres and is influenced by other movies. Lucas likes to experiment.

 

I've never seen Jar Jar as stupid, either. On the contrary, he is among the wisest characters in the Saga. Perhaps he doesn't possess the keen intellect of someone like Padmé, but the simple wisdom of his observations and his whole approach to life is rivaled by few in the galaxy.

 

I agree with both @Emperor McClane and @Lulu Mars

Jar Jar may not be the most competent individual in a physical sense, but he isn't dumb. He knows how to read people and knows his place in the galaxy. For example, the look he gives when theres tension between Anakin and Obi-Wan in AOTC. That, combined with his innocent, good-hearted nature, makes him a really special character. Jar Jar should be cynical given how he is underestimated in so many ways, but he is constantly trying to prove himself. That makes him quite relatable in a way.

 

Can we all agree that Jar Jar and Mace are an awesome team?

 

This seems like a good time to up this thread by sharing the awesome video at the top of the page!

 

I somehow have not seen this video yet.



Pretty spot on.

 

I firmly believe in the Darth Jar Jar "theory".

 

I wonder if Jar Jar was supposed to the prequels’ version of C-3PO, but after the backlash against him Lucas dropped that plan.

 

He is, among other things, the Threepio of TPM, but I don't know if he was ever meant to have the same kind of role in the other two.
He could have gone with Padmé and Anakin in AOTC to help sell their refugee disguise, I suppose, but the way Palpatine took advantage of his naiveté in Padmé's absence is so fitting that I can't help but think that it was part of the plan all along.

We have to remember that Jar Jar was never just comic relief; he played an essential, active role in uniting the peoples of Naboo and saving their world. He might come off as a fool at first glance, but he's really an agent of love who wants nothing more than to help; to protect peace and justice. To paraphrase Ahmed Best, Jar Jar is the friend who will always be there. A true hero.
He's the essence of "Don't judge a book by its cover".

With that in mind, I feel that Palpatine using Jar Jar's "friendship" to divide and conquer where Padmé used it to unite and liberate is an extremely powerful inversion and was just meant to be. Jar Jar belongs in the Senate at that point in the story.

That said, he could absolutely have had more to do in that political role, especially in ROTS.

 

I feel its fairly safe to say Jar Jar's diminishing role as the PT goes along was not in reaction to backlash, but more or less generally planned that way.

The innocence, sincerity, and exuberance Jar Jar personifies slowly ebb away as the Galaxy falls under Palpatine's dark influence until he finally crushes it completely, making it into his military/industrial complex. The contrast illustrates how much the Galaxy changed over the course of the galactic crisis and wars.

As @Cryogenic says, Jar Jar, and TPM as a whole, amplify the significance of where the PT ends up. And many people, even PT detractors, seem very adoring of this final destination. But in order to see its true depth and dark majesty, you need TPM -- and Jar Jar.

Additionally, it's poignant that Jar Jar and Anakin become corrupted simultaneously in Episode II. Anakin massacres the Tuskens just as Jar Jar is inadvertantly helping Palpatine cripple democracy and split the Galaxy in two.

This halfway point of the trilogy is also where Jar Jar passes the baton over to C-3P0, as his role begins to increase.

 

I realize I am coming very late to this thread, but I noticed this quote from a while ago:

I think I remember that happening twice in The Phantom Menace: once when Jar Jar steps into Bantha droppings and once when Jar Jar comments on how gross an alien animal flatulating is. Would I prefer if they had left those out? To be honest, probably. Even as a kid, I wasn't a fan of that humor. I was, however, always a fan of Jar Jar.
In regards to the first "joke", that happens briefly and little to no time is spent on it. I probably would not have even noticed if I had not heard anyone point that out. Jar Jar has many slapstick gags in that movie, many of which I find very funny. However, this one I do not find even very noticeable and it is something that could happen to anyone (most of us have stepped into dog droppings at least one—or horse droppings if we live in an area where many animals of burden are ridden), so I think this really plays into Jar Jar showing the weakness and humanity in all of us by even having to deal with the most mundane of misfortunes. In other words, there are many drawn-out gags from Jar Jar in The Phantom Menace, but I find the two scatological ones are rather minor and easy to overlook.

 

I have come very late to this thread, but I thought I might as well give my own thoughts on the character. Whatever people say, he is, and probably always will be, my favorite character in this particular franchise (as can probably be guessed from my profile).

People are free to dislike the character if they like and I completely understand that. However, I think many of the complaints are unfounded and result from the "bandwagon" fallacy. The Empire Strikes Back is still frequently considered the greatest Star Wars movie ever made. I am not saying I agree with that, but I think it is unreasonable to expect every Star Wars movie after that to be The Empire Strikes Back (of course, as many people say, back in 1999, many people seemed to be expecting the Second Coming of Jesus Christ Himself and instead got a Star Wars movie, so they were doomed to be disappointed).
The two characters who are probably most often disliked in The Phantom Menace are probably the two characters whom I personally find the most interesting in the movie and probably have the most pronounced character arcs—Anakin Skywalker and Jar Jar Binks. I think they are disliked because a lot of people miss the lighter, more childlike side of Star Wars which is just as important as the darkness in The Empire Strikes Back or Revenge of the Sith and counterbalances it. Some people have been calling him the C-3PO of The Phantom Menace, which is true, I think, to an extent. He has a slightly different style of humor, leaning more on a slapstick cartoonish vibe, which makes sense, since he was the first ever fully digitally created character in a movie, which is probably out of fashion in action movies of this nature but does not make them any worse. But there is something much more important than that that differentiates Jar Jar Binks from C-3PO. As much as we love Threepio, he is, and always will be, a machine. He is not so relatable with an arc and whatnot (unless you count in The Rise of Skywalker, but The Rise of Skywalker was The Rise of Skywalker and we needn't talk about it). Jar Jar is, and always will be, a person.

A common objection to Jar Jar is that he is a racist Caribbean stereotype. Even if I grant that his accent is somewhat similar, the whole objection feels ungrounded. They had to give him some accent or other and a very regional one worked best since the Gungans did not really have a place in the wider area of the Galaxy. There is the claim that the ears are dreadlocks, but that just feels like a stretch because there are many animals that match Gungan ears, such as elephants. If frogs would like to take complaint with Jar Jar, they may.

So why do I like Jar Jar? Probably for the same reason I love hobbits and the works of J. R. R. Tolkien as a whole. He's the most human of the characters. Yes, he isn't actually a human (neither are hobbits, debatably), but he reacts to things the way a human being would react, albeit to an exaggerated degree. A lot of the Star Wars characters give a "larger than life" feel, which is okay in an epic, but Luke Skywalker is often criticized for not not shedding a tear when his aunt and uncle, who raised him, die. Jar Jar really reacts as almost anyone would react if suddenly thrust into a Star Wars movie—like a child, overwhelmed by the grand events surrounding him. If you do not believe me, just consider this quote:
"What yet? Monstairs out dare! Leak'n in here, all'n sink'n, and nooooo power! You nutsen! WHEN YOUSA TINK WESA IN TROUBLE?!!!?"
If we are honest with ourselves, in Jar Jar's circumstances, most of us would react the same way. This is also one of the best quotes in Star Wars in my opinion.

So, let us consider his arc. When we meet the character, Jar Jar is an outcast—not because he did anything wrong, but simply because of personal incompetence he has been exiled by his people. This is an obvious injustice, such that I think any reasonable person should pity him who has a good heart. Then he meets Qui-Gon Jinn and is saved by him. According to his religion, Jar Jar now owes him a "life debt", which means he has to help Qui-Gon now. Both Obi-wan and Qui-Gon find him somewhat annoying, but Jar Jar still leads them to safety, knowing full well the terrible things the Gungans will do to him. Now, it could be pointed out that he only did that because they were in danger there, but still, I imagine Jar Jar could have found somewhere else that was decent to hide that would not also threaten his life—but he had to honor his life debt.


Here, Boss Nass, of course, lets Qui-Gon and Obi-wan go, but they learn that Jar Jar will be "punished". Jar Jar understandably asks for help… and then Obi-wan says perhaps the most heartless thing ever placed in the mouth of Obi-wan Kenobi: "We are short of time, Master." Seriously, Jar Jar might be executed for all they know and this is all Obi-wan has to say. Jedi are supposed to show compassion, but Obi-wan is heartless. This is flaw in Obi-wan continues elsewhere, for instance, in saying, "Why do I sense we've picked up another pathetic life form...?" This is obviously offensive to Anakin, but I would argue it is more offensive to Jar Jar, whom Obi-wan has already met. This is part of the reason why the intense hatred of Jar Jar bothers me so much. We see it within the movie and it should be seen as a bad thing.

Now, in all fairness, I would say Obi-wan grows out of this. In Attack of the Clones, one of the first things he says is, "It's Good to see you, too, Jar Jar," signifying that they have become friends. Yoda himself points out when talking to Obi-wan, "Yes, yes. A flaw more and more common among Jedi. Hmm. Too sure of themselves they are. Even the older, more experienced ones." But moving back to Jar Jar…

Qui-Gon's response is different. He also finds Jar Jar annoying. Earlier, he says, "The ability to speak does not make you intelligent." But now that Qui-Gon sees the Gungan in danger, he chooses to help. But it should be remembered that Qui-Gon is someone who always sees value in others—value that others miss. This is soon seen more clearly with Anakin Skywalker, but it is seen also in Jar Jar.

Jar Jar accompanies them as they save the queen and then they escape to Tatooine. On the way, he has a brief conversation with Padmé, which is not massively important, but Padmé does seem to be one of the few people to find him amusing. Here Jar Jar says, "Mesa berry, berry scared", as anyone would be.

Nevertheless, Jar Jar accompanies Qui-Gon on a desert planet in order to honor a life-debt—which must be terrifying for an amphibian who grew up in the swamps of Naboo. Following, they go to Coruscant and plead their case to the Senate, but their case is rejected. But then, as @SoUncivilized says, then something happens that no one, not even Darth Sidious who orchestrated everything behind the scenes, expects—Jar Jar speaks up: "Gungans do die'n without a fight.... wesa warriors. Wesa gotta grand army. Dat why you no liken us, metinks."

This inspires Queen Amidala to seek an alliance with the Gungans, which was really only possible because of Jar Jar. The Naboo and Gungan people were clearly not well associated before, but it was very much Jar Jar who unites them with a common cause. Boss Nass (presumably because now it is convenient for him to like Jar Jar) makes him Bombad General—a position Jar Jar accepts very reluctantly. So Jar Jar leads a battle as a distraction while the other main characters (who decide to bring along a nine-year-old for some reason) sneak into the citadel. Now, a lot of people say he acted cowardly in that battle. To be honest, I do think it would have done well to cut down on some of the slapstick comedy gags toward the climax of the movie. However, he does manage to take down a number of droids. Yes, he ultimately surrenders, but he was at gunpoint and the whole battle was a distraction anyway.

After this, Jar Jar is considered a hero and rightly so. He becomes the Junior Representative of Naboo—perhaps making him the first Gungan to have a place in the Senate. At any rate, the Gungans do not seem to have much of a place in the larger events of the Galaxy. It is a fair argument to say he might not have been qualified to be a politician, but it is clear he did his best. I imagine he accepted this position reluctantly, considering his reaction to being general.

He is frequently accused of naïvety in giving Palpatine emergency powers, which ultimately led to him becoming Emperor (new fan theory: maybe Palpatine, being from Naboo, pulled some strings to make Jar Jar Junior Representative (and therefore the obvious stand-in senator when he also orchestrated Padmé going into hiding) because he thought Jar Jar would be easy to manipulate). However, it should be remembered that when he was in the room where that idea was suggested, he was surrounded by Yoda, Mace Windu, and several respected Senators. Jar Jar remained silent. If you cannot expect two great Jedi to realize the folly in this, why would anyone blame Jar Jar? And when he does give Palpatine emergency powers, he is greeted with thunderous applause. This was a radical amendment, but times were desperate. Besides, if we really blame Jar Jar for this, I think we could just as well blame Queen Amidala for calling for a vote of no confidence on a good Chancellor so that a Sith Lord would be elected or blame the Senators for giving Palpatine more power in Revenge of the Sith.

Throughout the Clone Wars, Jar Jar continues to always try to help others in every way he can, whether it's facing off a band of pirates or negotiating with General Grievous. I cannot think of a single selfish motive he has ever had. He just tries to help others in every way he can, and no matter how annoying he is, I think Jar Jar is still the best, most dependable friend you could possibly want. And I would say he's smarter than most people give him credit, even if he's by no means the smartest in the room.

He plays little part as the Republic finally ends, but you can just imagine how he must have felt to realize that he had taken part in causing it. Ahmad Best wanted Jar Jar to be killed off in Revenge of the Sith. I imagine it could have been good if he had died heroically (such as trying to talk down Anakin only to be stabbed, perhaps), but Lucas, for better or for worse, decided against it. I would have just liked to see more of him throughout the Prequel trilogy and see him grow as a character.

In Empire's End: Aftermath, we see him as a scapegoat, once again an outcast on Naboo—just because he's an easy person to blame for the Empire that was definitely not his fault. Now, some Jar Jar fans don't like this ending for him and I understand that. I might have liked to see him end more happily myself—and perhaps it will, since Jar Jar still has no canon death. All the same, I think there was good reason for ending it this way. In a sense, it is giving the anti-Jar Jar people what they seem to want—pushing Jar Jar out of the picture and making him as miserable as possible. But by doing so, it even shows a glimmer of hope, such that anyone with even a slightly open mind cannot help but pity the character a bit. Even as an outcast, Jar Jar does what he can. He becomes a clown and entertains children, war orphans and evacuees, even if the adults stay away from him, and he ultimately befriends a boy, Mapo, who is a fellow outcast. It is a bittersweet ending, of course, but I think it is a good one. Remember, Jar Jar is a Prequels character. The Star Wars prequels are tragedy. Anakin turns to the Dark Side. Padmé dies young of sadness. Obi-wan becomes a hermit and is ultimately murdered by his former apprentice. But Jar Jar, though again in exile through no fault of his own, makes a friend.

This is not to say that I do not want Jar Jar's return. I would welcome it. Perhaps he could show up in The Mandalorian or something. I would also like to see him tell Luke and Leia the story of their parents some time. Still, as it is, Jar Jar's story is good enough.

Jar Jar stands for all of us, I think, in the most profound way. He has no great power or force abilities (fie on Darth Jar Jar Theory). He has no great destiny. Nevertheless, he goes out of his way to help others in every way he can. He is a truly dependable friend—so long as you don't ask him to transport expensive crockery anyway, which I would never do.

 

I don't know, @Lulu Mars. I think he might have done well with Obi-wan, to be honest. Giving Obi-wan someone to talk to could have helped character development for both of them, while that romantic thing was going on on Naboo—which I think could use some editing itself, but still.

 

I agree with most of what you wrote. I fail to understand all that hate he, Jake Lloyd and the PT in general get.
Frankly however, I'd have to say that Hayden got WAY more hate in AOTC. Those whiners are certainly a major pain in the ass. Anakin has the audacity to state he doesn't like sand (how DARE he??), and the haters and whiners are practically crapping their pants and running to their mommies, crying how Lucas destroyed their childhood. Bunch of losers

 

I was not a huge fan of Anakin in Attack of the Clones, but I also was not a fan of the romantic storyline in The Empire Strikes Back. I think, however, that was more due to the lines he was given. I've heard Jar Jar and Jake Lloyd's Anakin criticized more, but in my personal opinion, The Phantom Menace was much better than Attack of the Clones.

 

To me it's exactly the opposite. But to each his own!

 

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

 

There’s no place for it. How and why would he die? A freak accident? I think it’s much better that Jar Jar survived to become an imperial politician

 

From what I have heard, he might have been murdered by Anakin if that idea had gone through. I think Ahmad Best wanted to give the character some redemption, either because or popular opinion or because he gave Palpatine emergency power.