Star Wars: Ewan McGregor Wants Obi-Wan Kenobi to Reunite With Jar Jar Binks

The upcoming Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi will feature one of the most exciting reunions in the galaxy far, far away, as Ewan McGregor's Kenobi is set to face Hayden Christensen's Darth Vader, but if it were up to star McGregor, he'd like to reunite with another prequel figure for an adventure with Jar Jar Binks. This might not seem like the most likely reunion for fans, given the legacy that Binks' character left behind, but McGregor clearly enjoyed collaborating with performer Ahmed Best while working on the trilogy films. Best made his first return to Star Wars following the prequels for the competitive series Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge.

"I'd like to meet Jar Jar again," McGregor shared with Vanity Fair about characters he'd want to meet. "I loved working with Ahmed Best, who played Jar Jar Binks. Maybe we can bring him back."  

When Binks debuted in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, he was designed to appeal to the film's younger audiences, and while he seemingly accomplished his job, the viewers who were kids when the first films came out were old enough to be immune to his charms, as Jar Jar earned the brunt of the backlash against the films. Subsequent entries in the prequel trilogy saw Jar Jar's role be reduced, to the point of having almost no dialogue in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.

Now that those younger audiences who were the target of the prequel films are adults, Jar Jar is revered in a different way, even leading some to speculate about whether the Gungan could appear in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Unfortunately, Best broke the news himself that he wasn't involved in the series last year.

"Congrats my friends. Looking forward to seeing all these wonderful artists on screen," Best tweeted in response to the official announcement that the series had started production. However, when a fan inferred that Best would also be part of the series, the actor confirmed, "Thanks for the love, but I will not be in this series. As much as I would've loved to be a part of it. But I'm ecstatic to see folks who I love dearly back together doing great things."  

McGregor isn't the only one with kind words for Best, as Qui-Gon Jinn actor Liam Neeson praised his costar back in 2020.

"Ahmed Best, who played Jar Jar Binks, he came into a lot of criticism, I mean to the point where it really hurt his career," Neeson previously shared with Radio Andy. "And I have to say when I was making that film … he was probably one of the funniest guys and talented guys I have ever worked with."

He added, "I remember, I called [my old agent] and said, 'Listen, I think I've just worked with the new Eddie Murphy.' I still believe that. I was told that Ahmed went to one of those big Star Wars conventions … in the past two years, and the crowd went wild and gave him a standing ovation. Ahmed was crying his eyes out. It was a beautiful thing to hear."

Stay tuned for details on Jar Jar's possible future.

Would you like to see Jar Jar brought back? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

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