Star Wars Fan With Viral Jar Jar Binks Tattoo Reveals the Inspiration for the Gungan Tribute

Ahead of the release of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, franchise fans were looking forward to [...]

By Patrick Cavanaugh

Ahead of the release of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, franchise fans were looking forward to meeting Jar Jar Binks, a character who was brought to life entirely through CGI. To the disappointment of some audiences, Jar Jar was more of a jester-like character whose clumsiness provided the film with much of its physical comedy. Binks served as only one representation of the film's more whimsical elements, earning him heavy amounts of criticism in the subsequent years. Many fans have warmed up to the character since his debut, with one fan recently going viral on Twitter when it was revealed he had a massive back tattoo honoring the character.

Jessica Ouellette shared the above photo of her husband Michael, depicting Jar Jar giving a thumbs up as a parody of former Jackass star Steve-O's tattoo depicting himself giving the same gesture.

Michael recently revealed to Pedestrian that one of the inspirations to get the tattoo was to shut down everyone who dismissed the character, as he was as valid a part of Star Wars lore as anyone else.

"For years I've been asked the same Jar Jar question and it would lead to the tired process of me having to listen to the same prequel hating shit talk over and over," Oulette revealed. "I started to think about the tattoo more and more. I needed a Jar Jar tattoo to shut them up. But I knew it had to be something epic. It needed to be a joke, but a really well done joke. I wanted something that paid respect to the character and was still absurd."

He added, "I thought about it for a couple of years. Do I get a tramp stamp Jar Jar? A pin-up Jar Jar? All the ideas I had were too jokey. Then one night I was sitting at the bar of my favorite restaurant having a few cocktails and talking to the bartender about getting what will be seen as the dumbest tattoo ever, then it hit me: Steve-O's back tattoo."

Oulette revealed that the tattoo took more than 20 hours to complete, broken up into three sessions. This isn't the only Star Wars tattoos he has, with one entire arm devoted to Luke Skywalker and the other devoted to Darth Vader. Despite those other characters having more passionate followings, Oulette noted just how many conversations the tattoo has inspired among other fans.

"People ask if they can get their photo with it," he confirmed. "I don't mind. I love Star Wars and I love talking about Star Wars. This tattoo has actually made talking about Star Wars fun again because it moves the conversations past the usual prequels bashing. There are haters out there but it's all on social media. I don't give a shit about their comments. It's always the same shit. I'm a virgin. I'll never get laid. I'll be alone forever. I deserve to be shot. I should get my ass kicked. I'll be raped in prison. When people see it in person it's always positive. Well, I do get called an idiot or crazy but it's with a laugh and they always buy me a beer after."

Oulette did want to clarify, "For the record – I don't live with my parents. I am married. I have had sex (multiple times). I have friends. I have a job. I do go outside. I know that Star Wars isn't real. They are just movies."

Would you ever get a Jar Jar tattoo? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

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