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If a prize existed for “most-hated Star Wars character,” Jar Jar Binks would probably win. Added to George Lucas’ prequel movies as a form of comic relief, every aspect of the alien sidekick seemed designed to annoy fans. From his mannerisms to his observations, Jar Jar was over-the-top and silly, undermining any serious aspects of Jedi politics. The Gungan was hated almost immediately from his first cinematic appearance in 1999’s The Phantom Menace, failing to charm the public enough to turn annoyance into goodwill. It never got better.
Jar Jar was unfunny. Jar Jar was offensive. Jar Jar was laughable. He was the poster child of everything wrong with the new movies, a symbol of what fans hated about the direction of Star Wars in general. And though it seemed harmless on the surface, as Jar Jar’s final design was rendered almost entirely by computer, everyone’s collective loathing was affecting someone very real: The actor who portrayed him. Now, Ahmed Best has returned to the franchise once again — this time with a lightsaber — and proven he’s more than just the legacy of his character.
The Beginnings of Jar Jar Hatred
First introduced in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Jar Jar is presented as an alien too incompetent to live with his own people. (He’s been banished for being too clumsy by his fellow Gungans.) When his life is saved by Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), he indebts himself to the man — and so ends up accompanying Jinn and his padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) on their journeys. That doesn’t sound so bad on the surface. Once it becomes clear that Jar Jar will be in the entire movie, however, a sense of growing impatience descends on the audience: Like being around a small and energetic child, Jar Jar is simply too much. His comments are constant and inane. He does reckless things simply for kinetic movement on-screen or cheap laughs — things like getting his tongue stuck in machinery, being farted on by a camel-like alien, and falling over.
Jar Jar was everything fans didn’t like about the series’ new direction. Fears about Lucas catering too much to kids were represented by long sequences of Jar Jar’s slapstick antics. (George Lucas even admitted Jar Jar’s character was inspired by Disney’s Goofy.) Criticism regarding the increasing reliance on CGI over practical effects was obvious when considering his design — because Jar Jar was a motion capture character, the use of CGI meant he often felt removed from other live-action characters, especially Anakin (Jake Lloyd). And then there were the more serious critiques — was Jar Jar a racist caricature? George Lucas had a spotty track record with cultural sensitivity, endowing his aliens with Earthly accents and mannerisms, and Jar Jar’s voice seemed to some to be an exaggeration of the language patterns of some Jamaican people. (This was refuted by both Lucas and Best.) Legal scholar Patricia J. Williams referred to Jar Jar as “a black man in frog face,” arguing in The Nation that the character utilized aspects of minstrel shows. It seemed as if Jar Jar was hated from all angles: Critical, academic, and cultural. What could one actor do?
The Man Behind the Gungan
The vitriol for Jar Jar ran so deep that he’s still a joke in pop culture today. (In a Season 3 episode of the popular comedy show What We Do in the Shadows, for example, energy vampire Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) attempts to use a Jar Jar impression to annoy his prey.) For Ahmed Best, it was almost unbearable. He’d worked for Lucas as the motion capture actor for Jar Jar at only 25, and it was his first big film role. Lucas wanted someone with athleticism for the part, and as a former cast member of Stomp, Best could do flips.
In a way, the role was the most high-profile of Best’s career — Phantom Menace was hugely promoted. When the hate started coming, it felt like an end. In a 2017 Wired profile, Best recalled what it felt like to see the negative fan reaction: “You feel like a success and a failure at the exact same time,” Best told Wired. “I was staring at the end of my career before it started.” This was made more complicated by Jar Jar’s CGI face — both famous and unrecognizable, Best struggled to balance his emotions around the role. (He did have a cameo role in Attack of the Clones, but it was minimal.) Eventually, he considered taking his own life. Thankfully, the artist was able to keep creating — but it seemed as if his time in the stars had ended.
‘Jedi Temple Challenge’ and ‘The Mandalorian’
Thankfully, second chances often happen when we least expect them. For Ahmed Best, that chance came nearly 20 years later, in 2020, when he began hosting the Star Wars game show Jedi Temple Challenge. In a new role, as Jedi Master Kelleran Beq, Best’s natural charisma shone through. When we’re able to see his face, Best’s acting is more layered, his passion for Star Wars evident throughout his performance. Unfortunately, the show only lasted for one season. Fans wanted Best’s new character, who they felt better represented him as an actor, to return to the franchise — but until recently this was only an item of speculation. Now, as part of the cast of The Mandalorian Season 3, Best has reprised the role of Beq — and proven himself a worthy Jedi Master.
Best’s screen presence is great, and his inclusion helps legitimize the content of Jedi Temple Challenge. Best imbues the character of Beq with an almost paternal presence, so it’s not surprising that The Mandalorian expands upon that trait. In the episode “Chapter 20: The Foundling,” we learn that Beq was the Jedi who saved Grogu from being killed during the execution of Order 66. That’s right: Beq saved baby Yoda. He’s now an integral part of Star Wars lore. It’s the best kind of comeback for someone once forced to the sidelines. In a way, we have Jar Jar Binks to thank. After all, in his 2017 profile, Beck still seems to like Jar Jar — despite all the pain he’s been through. “There is a heart to Jar Jar that people don’t really get,” he told Wired. “He is the most loyal character in Star Wars ever.” Finally, fans have an Ahmed Best performance they can be loyal to — but they should have been loyal to Best himself all along.
