Jar Jar Binks Returning To Star Wars
Jar Jar Binks is headed back to a galaxy far, far away.
This article is more than 2 years old
Jar Jar Binks is arguably the most reviled and detested character in the entire Star Wars canon. After the character was introduced in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, fans reacted so harshly to him that his role was significantly backgrounded in the following films. With the new era of Star Wars in full force, nobody would expect that this Gungan goofball could be making a return to the franchise. But that us exactly what a new report is alleging.
Insider Daniel Richtman (via We Got This Covered) is claiming that Lucasfilm wants to bring Jar Jar Binks back in one of their upcoming Disney+ shows. If this is true, the assumption is that he would show up in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series since he has a connection to that character. Richtman goes on to say that the reason for bringing the character back is to give him “a redemption arc.”
Though many fans found Jar Jar Binks to be intolerably annoying in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, that hatred ended up spilling over into the real life of the actor behind the Gungan, Ahmed Best. The role was the first real breakout for the young actor, but the vicious backlash against the character tainted his career for years. It got so bad that Best even contemplated taking his own life. Thankfully, he seems to have reconciled with the response and we’re assuming he would be brought back for this potential appearance.
In recent years, a popular fan theory posits that Jar Jar Binks was actually a powerful Force user and possibly even aligned with the Sith. Though this speculation possibly picked up thanks to some ironic appraisal, it has actually managed to help rehabilitate the character’s reputation in certain fan circles. Would this potential return acknowledge these fan theories? What kind of redemptive arc would the filmmakers have in mind for Jar Jar Binks? And would audiences be willing to give this character another shot?
Granted, this is all speculation and rumor at this point. The Obi-Wan Kenobi series is supposedly set to start filming next month, so it is likely we are about to hear a lot of possible scoops coming from that production. That might be why this Jar Jar Binks rumor has popped up in the first place. Again, if there is any credibility to this scoop, that series seems like the only place where it would make sense for the character to reappear. The assumption is that the Obi-Wan Kenobi series will take place between Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. If the show wants to determine what happened with Jar Jar in that interim time, it would end up being the character’s official canon exit from the franchise.
If Star Wars does end up bringing back Jar Jar Binks in some significant capacity, it is going to be fascinating to see what the overall fan reaction will be to his return. Has it been long enough that a sizable portion of the fanbase will welcome the Gungan back with open arms? Or will those who hated Jar Jar still find themselves in the majority opinion? Only time will tell.
