10 Events That Changed Star Wars Forever

Concluding his bumbling debut appearance with a starring role in the gungans' attempts to help Queen Amidala and the gang conquer the Trade Federation on Naboo, General Jar Jar Binks somehow found a way to live to fire his tongue at food another day.

Binks would survive nearly being run over by big boomers and seemingly outnumbered by relentless battle droids during the Battle of Naboo, of course. And the Gungans were ultimately saved from the clutches of the droids thanks to Anakin Skywalker's sharpshooting in space.

It was that particularly fortunate turn of events, however, that eventually led to Binks turning his attention to the world of politics. Before long, the same dude who couldn't go ten minutes without nearly being run over was sitting as a Junior Representative in the Galactic Senate.

And by the time Attack of the Clones came around, the easily manipulated Gungan had stepped in for Amidala after she went into hiding; a move that would directly lead to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine being given the emergency powers he needed to unleash a Grand Army of the Republic.

Simply put, had Jar Jar not been able to luck his way through the battlefield one film earlier, then Palps would've likely been without a innocent soul to manipulate into kicking off the first phase of his masterful plan to take over the galaxy...