Jar Jar Binks/Legends

"Mesa day startin' pretty okee-day with a brisky morning munchy, then boom! Gettin' very scared and grabbin' dat Jedi and pow! Mesa here! Mesa gettin' very, very scared!"

- Jar Jar Binks

General, Representative and later Senator Jar Jar Binks was the first Gungan to represent his people in the Galactic Senate, first serving as a Junior Representative along with Senator Padmé Amidala, and then, after her death, serving as full Senator himself. Like most Gungans, Jar Jar was lanky and spoke Basic with a unique accent. Despite being naïve and clumsy, Jar Jar Binks contributed greatly to the fate of the Galactic Republic, whether for good or for ill.

He was one of Qui-Gon Jinn's companions during the Invasion of Naboo, traveling to distant worlds such as Tatooine and Coruscant, an activity not taken upon by many Gungans. On his return to Naboo, Binks served as a General for a short while in the Gungan Grand Army, and was a joint commander of the Battle of Grassy Plains with General Ceel. During Binks's career as Junior Representative, he acted as Amidala's proxy and proposed giving Supreme Chancellor Palpatine emergency powers in order to deal with the Separatist crisis. Binks continued his public service even after the death of Amidala, taking her place as Senator.

Early life


Born to George R. Binks and his wife in Otoh Gunga, Jar Jar was raised in his family traditions to be a great whaler as his ancestors had been for hundreds of years. Due to his clumsiness and ineptitude, however, Jar Jar was never able to become what his father had wanted him to be. Once, while on an expedition to hunt a whale in the southernmost seas of Naboo, George ordered his son to hold the wheel steady; Jar Jar, however, let go. This caused their ship to crash into the whale which resulted in the ship sinking to the bottom of the ocean.

A month later, George, his wife, and Jar Jar were all stranded on a desert island. This caused George to lament over what could have been; he called his son an imbecile and attempted to commit suicide. When Jar Jar offered to swim for help &mdash; a task which would have taken fifty years if it was possible at all &mdash; George first called him a fool, telling him that he would be eaten within a day, but then had a moment of clarity and told him that it was a good idea. Jar Jar was about to jump into the water when George's wife reprimanded him and stopped George from allowing him to do so.

Though what happened to George and his wife is unknown, Jar Jar later found his way back to Otoh Gunga.

Life in Otoh Gunga
"You were banished because you were clumsy?"

- Obi-Wan Kenobi

Kicked out of all of Otoh Gunga's schools and not able to turn to his parents for guidance, Binks hopped between job after job throughout his youth. His clumsiness inevitably got him fired before sunset. Once, Jar Jar was working as a street-side shudderup musician when a passerby paid him money to stop the music. That is when he was discovered by local lawbreaker Tarpals.

Tarpals was the leader of a small band of young thieves. Jar Jar was given the job of distracting security patrols while Tarpals and his gang pulled off various scams. Unlike the other thieves, Tarpals treated Jar Jar like a valued team member and a friend. This friendship ended when Tarpals enlisted in the Gungan Grand Army. The band soon scattered and Jar Jar again began searching for his place in life. Fortunately, Boss Rugor Nass, ruler of Otoh Gunga, arranged new employment for Jar Jar, partly out of respect for his parents, and partly on the request of now-Captain Tarpals. When Jar Jar accidentally freed all of the animals in the Otoh Gunga Zoo Nass sentenced Jar Jar to six months of hard labor in the Quarry penal colony.

Nass commuted the sentence when Jar Jar saved him from drowning in an out-of-control Bongo. Jar Jar also saved the life of Nass's niece, Major Fassa. Fassa pledged a life debt to Jar Jar who was embarrassed by her devotion, but excited about a chance at romance. He was both disappointed and relieved when Boss Nass revoked the life debt on a technicality.

Later, Boss Nass threw a lavish party at his mansion and gave Jar Jar a job in the kitchen. Pretty soon, Jar Jar destroyed the gasser oven. The explosion cracked the bubble wall and flooded the party. Jar Jar tried to save Boss Nass's luxury heyblibber, but ended up crashing it instead. Boss Nass was outraged, and decided that he had had enough. In the Gungan Council Chamber of Judgment, Nass, along with his peers, enforced the Nocombackie Law, banishing Binks and preventing him from ever returning to Otoh Gunga upon pain of death. Jar Jar tried to hide in Otoh Gunga but Captain Tarpals found him in Chef Marshoo's restaurant scrounging for scraps. Tarpals apprehended him and prepared to take him to the surface, however, he was ambushed by Marshoo and several thugs. Tarpals was knocked out in the scuffle, but Binks saved him. The hapless Gungan pleaded with Tarpals for clemency, but was ignored. Tarpals then escorted Jar Jar to the shores of the Lianorm Swamp, the place of Binks' banishment.

Meeting the Jedi


"Are you brainless? You almost got us killed."

- Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn

One day in 32 BBY, Binks went out foraging for food, when he stumbled across OOM-9's Trade Federation invasion force. Panicking, he bumped into Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, an ambassador who had been sent to resolve the crisis between the Naboo and the Federation and the Jedi saved the Gungan's life from the Federation war machine. Binks, despite being an outcast, adhered to the Gungan principle of a life debt, and insisted on following Jinn, much to the Jedi's annoyance. Both Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, needed to contact Queen Amidala in Theed, but had no way of reaching her. Binks suggested that they go to Otoh Gunga, his old home, but quickly regretted mentioning it. The Jedi convinced him to take them there, but Binks rightly feared for his life.



Upon reaching Otoh Gunga, he was arrested by his old friend, Tarpals, and brought before Nass. The Jedi bartered with Nass, and persuaded him to provide them with transportation to Theed. Following that, Nass sentenced Binks to death, but Jinn quickly interceded, citing that Binks's life belonged to him, due to the Gungan life debt system. Nass had Binks freed and sent along with the Jedi to Theed. Binks was dismayed over the fact that he had to tag along with the Jedi, but he figured that he had a higher chance of survival with them than in Otoh Gunga.

Upon reaching Federation-occupied Theed, Binks watched as the Jedi rescued the Queen, and escorted her to safety. Jinn convinced the Queen to go to Coruscant, to plead her case to the Senate, a choice that would result in Binks leaving the planet for the very first time. While the Queen's ship got past the Federation blockade of the planet, it sustained mild damage, and lost its hyperdrive capacity, leaving it only enough power to reach Tatooine, the only planet in the area devoid of Federation presence.

Beyond Naboo
"This sun doin' murder to mesa skin&hellip;"

- Jar Jar Binks



Upon reaching Tatooine, Jinn, Binks, Amidala (disguised as a handmaiden), and R2-D2 ventured into the city of Mos Espa in search of new parts for the ship. They came across Watto's Shop, which had the parts they needed. However, they had no way of purchasing them, due to the Republic Credit's lack of use in backwater planets like Tatooine. At Watto's Shop, they encountered a young boy, Anakin Skywalker. After leaving the shop, Binks crossed paths with Sebulba, a thug who threatened to beat Binks to a pulp. Only the timely intervention of Skywalker saved him. Skywalker was but a poor slave, nonetheless, he offered the group shelter and hospitality when they were caught in a sandstorm. At his home, they discovered that he had a talent for podracing, which Skywalker thought would be a good way for Jinn and Amidala to get the money required for the new hyperdrive.

Binks was more than willing to help in the enterprise, offering to perform maintenance on Anakin's podracer. Whether or not his efforts were of any help was irrelevant; Skywalker appreciated the assistance. On the day of the Boonta Eve Classic Race, Binks continued to assist, and observed the race from a special platform reserved for the racer's family and friends. Binks was thrilled when Skywalker won, mostly at the prospect of being able to leave the inhospitable Tatooine.

If Binks was taken aback by Tatooine, nothing could prepare him for Coruscant. A sprawling ecumenopolis, Binks was out of his depth in the capital, and understandably retreated to the sidelines of the political action taking place. He stayed at Senator Palpatine's apartments in the 500 Republica, eagerly awaiting the chance to return home. The chance came when Amidala was refused aid in the Senate, and decided to take matters into her own hands. She formulated a plan, based on Binks' mention of a Gungan Grand Army, and decided to take the fight to the Federation.

General
"General?!"

- Jar Jar Binks

Upon returning to Naboo, Binks discovered that Otoh Gunga had been evacuated due to a major battle. He knew of the Gungan sacred place however, and took the Queen there. Upon meeting Nass, she made an alliance with him, unifying the Gungan and the Naboo people after years of bitter hatred and isolation. Nass was most pleased with the new alliance, and attributed it all to Binks, much to the latter's embarrassment. As a "reward", Nass appointed Binks as joint commander of the Gungan Grand Army, giving him the rank of Bombad General. Shortly after the promotion, Amidala revealed her plan: The Gungan Grand Army would draw OOM-9's army out of Theed, leaving the capital relatively unprotected. She and her task-force, along with the Jedi, would first liberate the Theed Hangar, allowing pilots to take their starfighters and attack the Droid Control Ship, hopefully deactivating all of the droids. Then, her task force would enter the Palace and capture the Federation Viceroy, Nute Gunray.



Binks led the army out to the Great Grass Plains, where, on General Ceel's order, they would wait for OOM-9. The battle droid commander did not disappoint, and attacked the Gungans. They held up a solid defense against the mechanized army, but sheer numbers overwhelmed them, forcing Ceel to call for a retreat. During the chaos, Binks accidentally sent a cascading wave of energy balls into a pack of B1 battle droids and Armored Assault Tanks, which slowed the Federation advance for a while and allowed some Gungans to escape. However, Binks and his old friend, Tarpals were rounded up and captured. Shortly after their capture, however, young Anakin Skywalker, who had accompanied them from Tatooine, destroyed the Droid Control Ship, and deactivated all of the droids. The Gungans rejoiced, knocking over the limp droids and celebrating.

However, the victory was not without bitter loss. Qui-Gon, Binks' savior and friend, had died at the hands of the Sith Lord Darth Maul, releasing Binks from his life debt and many Gungans had fallen at Grassy Plains. But their deaths were not in vain. Amidala had succeeded in her mission, and had successfully re-taken Naboo. Binks joined in the celebrations, and looked forward to a new era of peace.

Clone Wars
"Dellow felegates! In response to this direct threat to the Republic, mesa propose, that the Senate give immediately emergency powers to the Supreme Chancellor!"

- Representative Jar Jar Binks



Following the Battle of Naboo, the new alliance between the Naboo and Gungans expanded to include a Gungan Representative to support the Senator for Naboo in the Galactic Senate. Jar Jar served as Gungan Representative in 22 BBY before the outbreak of the Clone Wars, along with now-Senator Amidala.

Jar Jar was elected on a "no new taxes" platform.

When Amidala was forced to go into hiding following a series of assassination attempts, Representative Binks stood in for her in the Senate. In her absence, however, Binks was easily manipulated by more experienced politicians, and as they preyed on his innocence, they convinced him that the creation of an army for the Republic was a course of action that Amidala would have taken. In fact, the creation of an army was exactly what Amidala had been fighting against. Feeling that it was his duty to act in her stead, he suggested that the Senate give Supreme Chancellor Palpatine the emergency powers required to create a Grand Army of the Republic. The motion passed, and the Clone Wars began.

During the Clone Wars, Jar Jar was re-elected with wide popular approval, despite the fact that his opponent (another Gungan) brought up his record of clumsiness, political errors, and service in 'war.' His aides tried to convince him to run for President, and he may have been contacted by Darth Sidious.



Jar Jar Binks continued to represent the Gungans in Naboo's senatorial delegation throughout the Clone Wars, though his accomplishments in politics were never as significant as his vote on the Military Creation Act. He had also apparently learned to keep his mouth shut after the "Emergency Powers" debacle, learning from his substantial mistake that had lead to one of the bloodiest wars in galactic history. After the death of his friend and colleague Padmé Amidala, he was one of the chief mourners at her funeral on Naboo, and succeeded her as Senator of the Chommell Sector in 19 BBY.

Galactic Empire
After the formation of the New Order, Binks was considered an ally of the new Emperor, and an Imperial Holovision report shortly after the end of the Clone Wars mentioned that the he had personally sent Senator Binks to an undisclosed location.

During his time in the Imperial Senate, "Senator Jar Jar Binks Commemorative Drinking Cups with Flexible Straws and 'Talking Action'" were produced, and were even available on worlds as distant as Tatooine.

After Jar Jar's retirement, he found a wife and the two had a son who they named Abso Bar Binks. He was a kind father and always tried to bring presents home to both his wife and children, but the presents were always confiscated by the Empire at checkpoints. This led his son to join the growing Rebellion, and join the crew of the Tantive V.

Personality and traits
Binks was an extremely clumsy Gungan &mdash; he would often break or destroy whatever he came into contact with, a trait that would eventually lead to his exile from Otoh Gunga. He had no concept of manners &mdash; he would often lash out with his long tongue and grab food with it, much to the embarrassment of his companions. His basic accent was even more accentuated than most Gungans, which, in many cases, made him difficult to interpret.

He also held a certain irreverence for his superiors &mdash; often making faces behind their backs, but he would grudgingly obey their orders. He would also be constantly trying to make new friends &mdash; usually unsuccessfully. He had some aptitude mechanically; he was able to perform maintenance on Anakin Skywalker's pod. He also had some skill as a diplomat, helping to bring the Gungans and the Naboo together in an alliance.

His battlefield prowess, however, left something to be desired. At the Battle of Grassy Plains, he first fell of his mount, hit himself with a booma, accidentally unleashed a whole wave of large boomas on the enemy, and dismounted Captain Tarpals, resulting in both his and Tarpals' capture.

As a politician, he successfully represented the Gungans for several years, but when he had to take the role of senator, he was easily manipulated by Palpatine's cronies, though Binks did not realize it at the time.

Behind the scenes
Jar Jar Binks was an entirely computer-generated character, voiced by Ahmed Best, who also provided the voice for the games Star Wars: Super Bombad Racing and Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds. During the filming of the prequel trilogy, Best appeared on set in costume to provide a reference point for the other actors. Jar Jar's name came from Jett Lucas, son of George Lucas. The character's silly nature, even during tense battle scenes or when talking to Jedi and other more dignified characters, earned him the ire of many Star Wars fans. Jar Jar's mannerisms and "regional accent" also offended some viewers, who found them reminiscent of "Stepin Fetchit" characters, Minstrel show characters, and other outdated and offensive stereotypes of black people. Many fans pinned their disappointments with The Phantom Menace on Jar Jar. Possibly as a result to fan hostility, Jar Jar's role in Attack of the Clones made him a pivotal part of the story, as the one who inadvertently helped Palpatine lay the foundations of the Galactic Empire, while minimizing his screen time. However, it should be noted that without the help of Jar Jar, the clones would have never gone to Geonosis and the Jedi there would have been killed. His role in Revenge of the Sith was further reduced to two scenes and only one line, although Ahmed Best was still prominently placed in the end credits.

Jar Jar has become one of the most hated characters in all of Star Wars, prompting the creation of fan films such as "Jar Jar's Walking Papers", which depicts the much desired death of Jar Jar.

The Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace game says that Jar Jar was imprisoned upon his return to Otoh Gunga and Obi-Wan Kenobi rescued him before leaving together for Theed. This plot was invented to give an additional action in the Otoh Gunga mission, but the movie doesn't show that this event occurred, so this event is non-canon.

He has also appeared as frozen in carbonite at least one of the Star Wars conventions. In spite of this fact, there are many fans who still love him.

Possible family
According to an ambiguously-canon Star Wars Tales comic, George R. Binks, Jar Jar's father was a proud whaler named George R. Binks. Jar Jar's father, in contrast to his son, is shown in this story to be a dignified, intelligent character, who despairs at Jar Jar's foolish antics.

Jar Jar's fate
Recently, many fans have developed an erroneous belief that Jar Jar moved to Alderaan after the events of Revenge of the Sith, and was killed when the Death Star destroyed that planet. It is not clear where this bit of fanon came from, though it probably came from wishful thinking on the part of fans who wanted Jar Jar to be killed in a violent fashion. In fact, Jar Jar Binks's ultimate fate has not yet been revealed in any Expanded Universe stories.

The Liberation of Coruscant mission of the Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds: Clone Campaigns game, features a sprite identified as Jar Jar among the skyscrapers of Coruscant, seen only if the player decides to explore the whole game map with an air unit or by using cheat codes. This is a superficially canonical indication that Jar Jar was alive and well, and living on Coruscant, during the New Republic era. It may also be only an "easter egg" like many featured in the game, and thus dubiously canonical. (For example, Clone Campaigns features sprites of C-3PO and R2-D2 appear near a crashed escape pod on Tatooine during a Clone Wars-era mission.)

In the Naboo celebration scene inserted into the end of the 2004-version of Return of the Jedi, several Gungans are seen taking part of the celebrations. One Gungan voice, which sounds strikingly similar to Jar Jar's voice can be heard chanting "Wesa free!". Some fans speculate that this is Jar Jar who has returned to Naboo to assist his people in the battle against the Empire.

Criticism
Jar Jar Binks's character has been criticized arguably more than any other character or element of the Star Wars films, and has become one of the primary reasons that fans of the original trilogy disapprove of The Phantom Menace. Jar Jar is a common subject in Lucas bashing. Some have gone to such extremes as to edit pictures of the character and add gory articulation, and/or add hateful captions (i.e. "mesa like a good beating"). Jar Jar non-fans have also spawned web sites dedicated to disparaging the character.

One of the main criticisms regarding Jar Jar Binks revolves around the character being a marketing tool. George Lucas is often accused of using "cute" characters such as Jar Jar and the Ewoks to better market his movies toward children.

The Phantom Edit, a fan edit of the movie The Phantom Menace, had most of the Jar Jar scenes edited out.

Alleged racism
Another common criticism regards Jar Jar as a racist black stereotype. This criticism typically draws connections between Jar Jar's broken English and Jamaican English. Gungans have also been compared to Jamaicans and Rastafarians for various reasons, including their self-proclamation as "warriors", their hatred of the Naboo (similar to the Rastas' rebellion against Caucasians), and Jar Jar's pronunciation of his name, which draws parallels to Jah (or "Jah Jah"), which is a common name among Rastas for their god Haile Selassie I. (The name "Jah" has also become a popular name for the Judeo-Christian God among Jamaican Christians.) Lucas has denied any connection between Jar Jar Binks and black people, stating that "Jar Jar was not drawn from a Jamaican, from any stretch of the imagination."

Despite this, Jar Jar's dialect is similar to many pidgin dialects. Pidgin English is used all over the world, especially in Insular Asia. For example, his combination of words is similar to Papua New Guinean English where the phrase "hittendemroad" means "wander the streets". For this reason, it is unreasonable to assume Jar Jar is a racial stereotype of Jamaicans. It makes more sense to assume that the language of the Gungans is mean to reflect that they speak a creole variety of Galactic Basic, indicating that in the past they had close relations to a Basic-speaking community, possibly the Naboo (as indicated by Obi-Wan's remark that the Naboo and the Gungans form a symbiosis), and developed a Basic-Gunganese pidgin, which eventually became a creole as the Gungans started adopting it as a native language. This process is common when two peoples meet and establish trade connections, and has been witnessed several times throughout the history of mankind involving ethnic groups of all kinds.

Since Jar Jar was portrayed by an African-American who speaks a variety of English spoken by many other African-Americans, it is reasonable to expect traits from this variety are found in Jar Jar's speech as well. Furthermore, it is important to note that Ahmed Best greatly enjoyed playing Jar Jar Binks and put his heart into the performance.

The spoof novel Star Bores makes reference to the alleged racial parallel between Gungans and ethnic groups associated with African origins by calling Har Har Jinx's (their parody of Jar Jar Binks) people Gangstas.

Appearances

 * George R. Binks
 * The Death of Captain Tarpals
 * Episode I Adventures 9: Rescue in the Core
 * Episode I Adventures 10: Festival of Warriors
 * Episode I Adventures 11: Pirates from Beyond the Sea
 * Episode I Adventures 12: The Bongo Rally
 * Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * Episode I: Anakin Skywalker
 * Episode I: Queen Amidala
 * Episode I: Qui-Gon Jinn
 * Episode I: The Phantom Menace ½
 * Episode I: Obi-Wan Kenobi
 * Deep Spoilers


 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds: Clone Campaigns
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Evasive Action: Prey
 * Melvin Fett
 * Star Wars Manga 1

Non-canon appearances

 * Force Fiction
 * Failing Up With Jar Jar Binks
 * Tag & Bink: Revenge of the Clone Menace
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game
 * The Colbert Report