When moviegoers sat down to watch Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, the fates of key legacy characters like Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Yoda were well known. Of course, the prequel trilogy also introduced plenty of new characters whose stories were unwritten. Most watching probably suspected the likes of Qui-Gon Jinn and Padmé Amidala had tragic futures awaiting them, but it was still interesting to see how things played out. By the time credits rolled on Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, fans had learned what became of most of the new faces, but there was one notable character whose fate remained a mystery after three movies. Jar Jar Binks never received any kind of closure in the prequel trilogy, a byproduct of the character’s role being significantly diminished after intense fan backlash.
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For years, the end of Jar Jar’s story remained up in the air, but Lucasfilm eventually decided to answer the burning question in canon. On February 21, 2017, the book Aftermath: Empire’s End was published. The novel contains a short interlude set on Naboo, revealing Jar Jar performs as a street clown entertaining children. He leads a rather lonely existence because he was ostracized from society following the rise of the Empire. Many blamed him for the Empire’s existence since he was the one who pushed for the Senate to grant Palpatine emergency powers at the outset of the Clone Wars. In the interlude, Jar Jar shares his story with a young boy named Mapo, who is interested in becoming Jar Jar’s protege. The old Gungan is happy for the company.
Jar Jar’s Heartbreaking Fate is Star Wars at Its Most Meta
It’s hard not to read the interlude as author Chuck Wendig’s commentary on reception to the prequel trilogy. There are obvious parallels to the real world. The adults of the Star Wars galaxy blame Jar Jar for the Empire and despise him, similar to how the character became the poster boy for older fans’ complaints about the prequels. And just as younger moviegoers found Jar Jar to be an amusing source of comedic relief, his biggest fans in the galaxy far, far away are children enamored with his antics. It certainly isn’t subtle, but it’s nevertheless effective and gets the point across clearly.
Seeing Jar Jar go from being a hero of the Battle of Naboo and a representative in the Galactic Senate to a street clown scraping to get by is a heartbreaking development. It’s a fate Jar Jar arguably does not deserve. While it’s true he was the one who spoke up and advocated for Palpatine to receive emergency powers, he alone was not responsible for the fall of the Republic. There were other factors at play, some of which played a much larger role. For instance, the Jedi Order’s blindness to the dark side contributed more to the Empire’s rise than Jar Jar’s motion in the Senate. By that point, things were already so far along in motion that Palpatine would have found a way to make the Empire happen with or without Jar Jar. The Gungan just made things easier because Palpatine had someone naive he could manipulate.
The interlude in Empire’s End generates a lot of sympathy for Jar Jar, and it was perfectly timed. If something like this had come out in the immediate aftermath of the prequel trilogy, it might not have been as effective. In the late 2010s, enough time had passed that those films were in the process of being re-evaluated and were seen in a much more favorable light than when they were initially released. Jar Jar will always be a lightning rod for controversy, but it was easier for people to take a step back and analyze the events of the prequels with a different context, especially since so many adults reading Empire’s End were part of the generation that grew up with the prequels. That circle of fans always had a special place for Jar Jar in the hearts, so it was poignant to discover what became of him.
Since the interlude is so short, readers don’t learn much else about Jar Jar’s life other than he’s now a street clown. However, it’s reasonable to assume things were not easy for the Gungan following the Republic’s fall. From a certain point of view, this passage from the book turns Jar Jar’s story into one of tremendous persistence and a triumph of the human spirit. Despite being mistreated by others and likely feeling immense guilt for whatever role in played in the Empire’s rise, Jar Jar found a way to make people happy and tried to be a light amongst the darkness. He could have easily wallowed in misery after losing all of his friends, but he managed to survive and found a new companion in Mapo. Ideally, Jar Jar had a happier existence during the New Republic era.
Will Jar Jar Binks Ever Be Redeemed On Screen?
While Jar Jar has appeared and been mentioned in published canon materials, he hasn’t been seen on screen since the 2014 Clone Wars episode “The Disappeared, Part II.” In fact, Gungans themselves haven’t really been utilized save for the occasional reference (The Mandalorian Season 1 even used the species as a punchline). On one hand, this is understandable; even as the prequels have been reappraised, Jar Jar is still one of the Star Wars franchise’s most polarizing figures. Especially in the early going of the Disney era, when the goal was to unite the fan base with a shared enthusiasm for upcoming projects, the last thing Lucasfilm wanted to do was conjure up negative memories of Jar Jar running around.
Still, as prequel era actors like Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen reprise their roles, it’s worth wondering if there will ever be a return in the cards for Jar Jar Binks. Lucasfilm continues to explore the New Republic era on screen, and it’s been established that Jar Jar is still alive during this time period. The odds of this happening are low, but he theoretically could make a cameo in an upcoming New Republic project. The biggest challenge for the creative team would be finding a justifiable reason for Jar Jar’s inclusion. If a character as infamous as the Gungan was going to come back, it couldn’t just be an empty calories bit of fan service. As rewarding as it might be to see Jar Jar play a role in toppling an Imperial remnant (perhaps providing the New Republic with information that leads to a key victory), it’s difficult to see how he would be involved with the conflict since he’s no longer affiliated with a warring faction.
The closest thing for redemption for Jar Jar might have already happened — but for actor Ahmed Best instead of the character himself. Best, who openly discussed the serious toll Phantom Menace backlash had on his mental health, made a very memorable appearance in The Mandalorian Season 3, reprising his Jedi role of Kelleran Beq (a character Best previously portrayed on the children’s game show Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge). In a flashback sequence, it’s revealed Kelleran is the one who saved Grogu from the Jedi Temple during Order 66. It was a standout moment for Best that brought his emotional Star Wars journey full circle. The Kelleran Beq sequence was one of the best received elements in an otherwise divisive Mandalorian Season 3.
It’s unfortunate that the backlash against Jar Jar reached such a level of vitriol. The Empire’s End interlude is a sharply written critique against those fans, serving as a reminder that there was a well-meaning individual at the heart of all the controversy. Best was just an actor who took on the opportunity of a lifetime and tried to do the best job possible. He certainly did not deserve the intense hatred that was thrown his way, just like Jar Jar didn’t deserve all of the animosity he received in-universe. After reading the interlude, fans will hopefully reconsider their stance on Jar Jar and recognize everyone was a bit too hard on him.
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