The Disturbing Fate Of Jar Jar Binks Post Prequels
It wasn't all smiles and meesa's for the Gungan post-Revenge of the Sith.
These days, there’s finally some love being shown for Jar Jar Binks and, more importantly, Ahmed Best – the man behind this most opinion-splitting of Star Wars characters.
After decades of hate and vitriol being thrown Best’s way, the actor is at a point where he’s being embraced by Star Wars fandom. But while we know Ahmed Best’s story and its happy ending, are you aware of the post-Revenge of the Sith story of Jar Jar Binks?
If you remember, Jar Jar was largely responsible for handing over control of the Galactic Senate to Palpatine in the prequel trilogy. And from there, Palpatine obviously used his position to decimate and dominate the galaxy as he spun the Galactic Senate into the Galactic Empire – complete with Darth Vader at his side.
Not only is Binks seen as a major turn-off of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, but his actions are also regrettable in a narrative sense. If it wasn’t for Jar Jar Binks, would Palpatine have ever been able to rule the galaxy with a Dark Side-infused fist? If it wasn’t for Jar Jar Binks, would Anakin have been swayed by the lure of the Dark Side? If it wasn’t for Jar Jar Binks, would Ani, Padme, Luke, and Leia all have settled down on Tatooine to play happy families?
For those wondering how Jar Jar himself dealt with the grief and trauma caused by his actions, Chuck Wendig’s Star Wars: Aftermath trilogy of novels has the answer. More specifically, Wendig’s 2017 Aftermath: Empire’s End tale reveals that the Gungan became a lonely sole who was shunned by the masses due to his political blunders.
Set between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, Empire’s End explains that Binks isolated himself on Naboo. Haunted and tormented by his own guilt, Jar Jar is described in the book as a sad clown-like figure who, despite his best attempts to be all smiles on the outside, is riddled with grief and inner suffering.
Elsewhere, the majority of his own Gungan people believe that Binks knowingly assisted Palpatine and the Empire. An unwanted presence in his own homeland, the Aftermath trilogy paints a truly tragic picture where the fate of Jar Jar Binks is concerned.