Love him or hate him, there’s no denying the impact Jar Jar Binks has had on the Star Wars‘ galaxy. Behind the scenes for Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, director George Lucas famously said, “Jar Jar is the key to all of this,” while also hinting numerous times about the character’s importance. And while Jar Jar may not stand out as a fan favorite, his actions were incredibly impactful. In fact, Jar Jar’s story set in motion the entire formation of the Empire, and it makes him just as (if not more) tragic than most characters from the prequels.
Over more recent years, fans have looked back at the prequel trilogy with fondness. But still, Jar Jar can be difficult to handle. He’s no longer mocked to the extent he used to be, and many people have come to tolerate him, but his over-the-top voice and personality sticks out in every scene he’s in. Yet despite his annoying nature, he’s undoubtedly kind-hearted and simply wants to make friends with the people around him.
Sadly, his good intentions only got him so far, as Jar Jar’s life was tragic right from the get go. When Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan first bump into him, the Trade Federation was invading his planet, and he had just been banished from his own home for accidently crashing Boss Nass’ submarine. With the vast majority of Gungans living in the underwater city, he was left all alone and forced to defend for himself.
Of course, bumping into the Jedi was a stroke of good fortune, but it set in motion the downfall of Jar Jar’s life. He was forced into a battle to protect Naboo and gained huge notoriety with the Gungan people. Because of this, Senator Padmé Amidala believed he could fill the position as Junior Representative for Naboo, as it helped bring together the Gungan and Human relations. But there was a huge downside to this, and it’s that Jar Jar was far from a capable politian. Not only did he lack the intelligence and social skills for the role, he had no idea how the Senate even functioned.
Years later, Padmé became the target of Jango Fett’s assassination attempts, and so was forced into hiding. This placed Jar Jar into a higher role in the Senate, with no close friends to back him up. And with his simple nature of wanting to do good, he was so easily manipulated by Palpatine and tricked into making the biggest mistake of his life. He was made to believe Padmé would want the Clone Army, and gave Palpatine emergency powers over the situation.
Having enabled the Clone Wars, Jar Jar was forced into numerous situations that he had no clue how to handle, including a direct conversation with General Grievous. And during the final days of the Republic, all he could do was sit and watch as Palpatine exploited his powers and built up his grand Empire. Shortly after, Padmé passed away, and it’s known that Jar Jar was removed from power. Then for one final kick while he was already down, the Gungans exiled Jar Jar once again for accidentally helping create the Empire, and he was left to become a jester on the streets.
The prequel trilogy is full to the brim with tragic characters, but for many of them the tragedy came from their own doing. But with Jar Jar, he just had the simple goal of making people happy, and had no clue about the world of politics he was thrust into. And all his happiness was eventually lost, as he became yet another pawn in Palpatine’s game, and set in motion the entire downfall of the Republic.