Ahmed Best and Jar Jar Binks have a long history. The actor portrayed the Gungan character in the prequel trilogy through motion capture and voice performance. The clumsy but kind Jar Jar appeared repeatedly in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and his time in the Star Wars galaxy stretches far beyond the events of the prequels. Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath: Empire’s End, released in February 2017 and set after Return of the Jedi, checked in with a very much still alive Jar Jar Binks on Naboo.
In a recent interview with YouTuber Jamie Stangroom (via io9), Best reacts positively to Ja
That fate? Jar Jar became a clown. He brought joy to those he could with his antics, but the story painted him as a being haunted by his past. He made mistakes. He inadvertently helped Palpatine achieve his ultimate plan. Now, he’s on Naboo trying to earn a living in solitude because people don’t want to hang around him. So, calling his ending tragic isn’t far off the mark (though I think it’s sweet that he’s still trying to make people happy). Best is a fan of this outcome.
He told Stangroom (at about eight minutes into the video), “It’s a very somber, very dark eventuality for Jar Jar. I quite liked it actually, it was really dramatic.” He thinks it’s fitting that Jar Jar realizes he’s been manipulated and kind of lost his mind.
He went on to say he had a different ending in mind. He wanted George Lucas to kill the character. “When I realized that [Revenge of the] Sith was pretty much not going to have Jar Jar in it, and they were moving very, very far from me, I always complained to George that I didn’t get a good death. I wanted to really be just hacked to pieces in some kind of way, and George wouldn’t do it.”
I’m glad Lucas didn’t kill Jar Jar, partially because fans would probably have been obnoxious about it. But also, because I’m happy to see Jar Jar trying to atone. I don’t view it as the character receiving some sort of punishment, but I like that his arc continued.
What do you think about how Jar Jar ended up? Do you find it to be a miserable fate? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
Images: Lucasfilm, Giphy
Amy Ratcliffe is an Associate Editor for Nerdist. She likes Star Wars a little. Follow her on Twitter.
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