Jar Jar Binks: A Matter of Perspective

By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues

photos copyright Owen Quinn

This to many swamped beneath the sea of new Star Wars shows from Disney may not realise it but there is one character that really should have been included in the resurgence but never will be. The sheer tsunami of hatred against him still to this day shocks me because it was not representative of the entirety of Star Wars fandom. That character is Jar Jar Binks.

A certain section of fandom seems to think they speak for everyone and own Star Wars. Their opinions matter and that’s it. It was idiots like this that forced the Twitter account cancellation of Kelly Marie Tran’s Twitter account when she received a backlash about The Last Jedi similar to that experienced by actor Ahmed Best who portrayed Jar Jar. He was driven to the brink of suicide by them which is disgusting to say the least.

And the reason I know these people that think they speak for everyone don’t is simple. My son was young at the time of the release of the Phantom Menace and just like every child back then, they loved Jar Jar Binks.

There;s no doubt that Phantom Menace was a terrible movie but George Lucas designed Jar Jar for the kids to be a goofy fun character amid what is quite a dark movie with full on invasions and a terrifying new villain in Darth Maul. Binks was a friend and confidant to young Anakin but by the end of the movie, he hatred towards Jar Jar was already swelling. People were saying he was racist and this completely chnged the fate of the character.

Originally he was to be part of the main cast in all three movies yet Jar Jar was reduced to an almost cameo role for the following two, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. It was a shit move especilly damaging to Ahmed’s ego. He more than likelyy felt he had done a bad job and felt responsible but he dd a great job. Imagine being trashed for doing your job every day despite following the guidance of your boss and job description.

The figures and toys the kids I knew all wanted Jar Jar and they laughed at his antics eg during the pod race and the battle droid battle at the end of the movie. But if you were a certain age, this was sacrilege to what Star Wars stood for. So what does Star Wars stand for? I thought it stood for the entire family having a great time adult and kids alike. I thought it stood for family nights out and memories being made. They certainly were in our house and I can tell you to this day my son still likes Jar Jar as do I.

It was the intention that Jar Jar was to be revealed as a Sith Lord, placed by Palpatine to stay close to the Jedi before the fateful night of Order 66 when he would be revealed as his true self. This has been visualised by clever people on YouTube and they have done an awesome job. Now wouldnt that have been a kick in the balls ala I am your father? This would explain why Jar Jar convinced the Senate to give Palpatine control leading to the birth of the Empire.

I know when we went to see Attack of the Clones, the kids were seeking more Jar Jar and were disappointed. Personally I feel George lost his nerve and should have stuck to his original Sith plan and run with it. Exactly how much money would he lose by putting Jar Jar in the two movies? Probably nothing mostly because the haters will still go and see it. What were they going to do? Stand outside the cinema and protest just like Father Ted? Down with this sort of Gundan!

It’s a pity that never happened because I would have taken great pleasure in telling them to fuck right off. It’s a fantasy movie for kids. They forget when the first Star Wars movies came out they were kids and just like me were caught by the droids and Wookie straight away. How dare they take that away from a brand new generation who were going to see their first Star Wars movie on the big screen ever because they couldnt see the big picture.

At the end of the day folks this isn’t real whether you love the Jedi religion or not and walk about your house in Jedi robes or not. That’s your choice and fair play to you because you’re not taking away from the new fans’ enjoyment. At Least you are out there leaving kids in awe of meeting a Jedi. You see the wonder in their eyes which is brilliant in stark contrast to these nay syers who ruined what could have been a great storyline.

I do wonder how much George diluted the character to the point Jar Jar is responsible for the birth of the Empire. I also have to point out that it is alleged that JJ Abrams wanted to put the skeleton of Jar Jar in the The Force Awakens desert scenes as an Easter egg. If that is true it portrays a real sad sense as people in creative positions of power need to stand by their convictions regardless if the world disagrees. They don’t speak for anyone else.

And the reason I say that is because I dared say that I thought Rogue One was a mess which it was with stuff shoehorned in and Galen’s hole made no sense. I got to see the premier and all the post said was, I;m not going to be a sheep but Rogue One is a mess. The shit I took was unbelievable. People unfriended me. They said I shouldn’t have posted my review. I didn’t. I posted an opinion, nothing else then a Hollywood actor attacked me calling me a dick. Not that it bothered me at all as I’ll never be a sheep and Rogue One is still a mess (Peter Cushing voice does not match the face, just saying) but it just showed that fandom demands solidarity and to speak with the same voice. To hell with that. Bile like this impacts the generation following us who will not understand why the likes of Jar Jar are suddenly in the background. In fact when you rhink of it the same happened to Rose when her entire storyline was dropped for Rise of Skywalker. Did anyone ever support Ahmed from the studios or any of those fans that bashed his chracter? Did anyone ever apologise to him or say it’s going to be fine? I would love to know. I like Jar Jar, He will always have fans in our house. I just wonder what character will suffer the same fate and if so hopefully someone will stand up and disagree. Thankfully the prequels have undergone a new appreciation and Ahmed is finally feeling the love of fans for his work indeed when he appeared as JJedi Master Kelleran Beq that rescued Baby Yoda in the Mandalorian the night of Order 66 his action figure immediately became the most demanded. Some even created custom made figures of him. Now that is what fandom should be not that bile section. We as fans must not allow them to speak for us or take away our enjoyment. The mouse owns Star Wars nobody else. Have an opinion by all means and there is stuff I do not like but I will not shove it down anyone’s throat. Like life you got to take the bad with the good.

So in anticipation of this article I bought a new Black Series figure to show you keyboard warriors who believe they own Star Wars or any other franchise.