8 Things Learned From Re-Watching Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

8. Jar Jar Binks Is As Bad As You Remember

Surely one of the most ill-conceived major characters in any movie ever, Jar Jar Binks represents for many the nadir of the whole Star Wars franchise, let alone the prequels. Comic fodder of the lowest common denominator, it beggars belief that Lucas would grant such a pivotal part to a catchphrase spouting fool, and while it's probably a stretch to say that Binks is eminently hateable, you'd be hard-pressed to find a fan who would keep him in the franchise if the opportunity so arose to oust him. What's bizarre is not only that Jar Jar sets in motion much of what will transpire in The Phantom Menace, but also that key scenes cut to his slapdash antics like we care - the end battle on Naboo for instance, which shows us a whole segment of the character accidentally killing droids by being a totally incompetent idiot. There's a new theory going around, started by this in-depth article which did the proverbial rounds on reddit, that Jar Jar Binks is actually a genius Sith collaborator. While it's an interesting and well developed take, it's also a pointless one; hipster fanboy-ism created only to arouse controversy. Make no mistake, Jar Jar Binks is a pop-culture disaster.