Jar Jar Binks Fate Revealed

By Reggie's Take on February 18, 2017 • ( 1 )

The Gungan who has become a joke or even hated in the Star Wars universe ever since The Phantom Menace has his fate officially determined.

Star Wars fans were first introduced to the Gungan named Jar Jar Binks when Qui-Gon Jinn tackled him on Naboo in Episode I. From that point on he was appointed as a military officer and then became a politician where he unknowingly granted Chancellor Palpatine emergency powers he would use to become the Emperor.

In The Phantom Menace we got a lot of Jar Jar, in Attack of the Clones his role was cut in half and Revenge of the Sith his time on screen amounted to nothing more then a cameo in Padme’s funeral procession. So what became of Jar Jar after those events, besides the butt of everyone’s joke?

A new novel from Chuck Wendig “Star Wars Aftermath: Empire’s End”, due on book store shelves this coming Tuesday (February 21, 2017) is the concluding novel in Wendig’s trilogy. “Aftermath” takes places between Jedi and The Force Awakens and will reveal what has become of Jar Jar Binks after all those years.

If you prefer to read for yourself what happens to Jar Jar when the book comes out then you may want to stop and consider this a spoiler warning if you proceed any further.

In the book a young boy walks the streets of a city and comes across an aging Gungan who is performing. The boy introduces himself to the Gungan who responds back with “Meesa Jar Jar” now a street performer.

Since children started coming in by the shipload as refugees, the Gungan has served them, performing for the kids once or twice a day. He does tricks. He juggles. He falls over and shakes his head as his eyes roll around inside their fleshy stalks. He makes goofy sounds and does strange little dances. Sometimes it’s the same performance, repeated. Sometimes the Gungan does different things, things you’ve never seen, thing’s you’ll never see again. Just a few days ago, he splashed into the fountain’s center, then pretended to have the streams shoot him way up in the air. He leapt straight up, then back down with a splash. And he leapt from compass point to compass point, back and forth, before finally conking his head on the edge and plopping down on his butt. Shaking his head. Tongue wagging. All the kids laughed. Then the Gungan laughed, too.

The clown, they called him “Bring the clown. We want to see the clown. We like it how he juggles glombo shells, or spits fish up in the air and catches them, or how he dances around and falls on his butt.”

The adults, though. They don’t say much about him. Or to him. And no other Gungans come to see him, either. Nobody even says his name.

The boy then asks him why that is. Why doesn’t anyone talk to him? Jar Jar responds:

“My no so sure.” The Gungan makes a hmm sound. “Mesa thinks it cause-o Jar Jar makin some uh-oh mistakens. Big mistakens. Der Gunga bosses banished me longo ago. Mesa no been to hom in for-ebbers. And desa hisen Naboo tink I help the uh-oh Empire.”

This may or may not be the final chapter with Jar Jar in the Star Wars universe, but if it is will this be a satisfying conclusion for those fans that have come to hate the Gungan?

My initial thought while reading about Jar Jar’s fate made me feel sad for him. I realize Jar Jar is a fictional character set in the Star Wars universe, but who in this world would want to live a good majority of his life being shunned by all those who know you and even those who don’t.

Do you like Jar Jar’s fate or do you hate it and want something worse to happen to him?