#jar jar binks i suppose... annoyed a lot of fans... honestly i don't mind him lol

[robotsandramblings]

i just rewatched The Phantom Menace - it's been a very long time since i have - and i almost forgot how good it is?! (esp for a 25 yr old movie!)

admittedly, TPM always been my least favourite of the prequels, and both AotC and RotS get way more rewatches outta me. but this rewatch reminded me of just how good it really is. it's got a nice touch of everything... politics, lightsaber battles, space battles, ground battles, character introductions, etc. I think i need to rewatch it more often! :)

[hircyon]

What drew you to liking Jar Jar as a character? Do you feel like the backlash against him ruined his potential in the story?

I mean, in the very beginning, I was eight and Jar Jar did exactly what he was meant to do--he appealed to me because I was a kid and I liked comedic characters. I also thought he was cute. It wasn't much deeper than that.

Now, I kind of relate to his character, his main traits of trying very hard and not always understanding what his role is. Of being dismissed or overlooked because he's not very impressive or smart on the surface. Being clumsy, being unfortunate. Trying anyway. Believing the best in people. Giving second chances (something I intrinsically struggle with).

I think he's just a genuine and thoughtful guy in way over his head, and for most of his storyline, he doesn't seem to understand the full ramifications of what's going on around him, but he's trying. He's just doing what he thinks is right (and sometimes what he's compelled to do by his need for validation). That's sympathetic and likable, to me. It means more to me than the negative aspects of the character. He's annoying. I find that charming.

I half agree about the backlash. It did some damage to his story potential because in the immediate backlash against Episode I, they cut him almost entirely from the prequels. There were some EU works, but most were centralized around '99 and the assumption that Jar Jar would be a popular character. Content became pretty sparse until TCW and the rush of side-media related to that.

However, I feel like the supposed campaign to redeem his character in TCW did a lot. They really tried to make him understandable and sympathetic, and give him some of the personality he had in Episode I. So ultimately, not ruined, to me. It just took a long time to get around to a group of writers willing to put in the effort to do this silly side project of redeeming Jar Jar Binks.

Majority of fans don't agree, and still openly panned every Jar Jar episode that came out, and that's fine. Most people are ride or die in the kill Jar Jar camp and nothing's going to change their minds. It's not even worth fighting, honestly.

And...I openly despise the Darth Jar Jar thing, so if the going theory is that the backlash ruined the potential for Jar Jar to be an ultimate villain, I could not agree less. We got the Jar Jar redemption timeline and they didn't put his bones in TFA. I couldn't ask for more, except maybe a junior novel.