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[Dalek]

The New Star Wars: Aftermath Novel Reveals the Pitiful Fate of Jar Jar Binks

the debate can finally be laid to rest. We're about to finally know what happened to Jar Jar Binks after Revenge of the Sith, and what he's been doing since Return of the Jedi.

The answers will be revealed in Star Wars Aftermath: Empire's End, the third part of Chuck Wendig's canon trilogy or novels about what happened in the Star Wars galaxy after Return of the Jedi, due out next week. The previous two books have revealed a lot of things about what major characters were up to prior to The Force Awakens, but nothing prepared us for this.

If you haven't read the books (they're good), in addition to the main story, Wendig does ”Interlude" chapters to show what's happening in other corners of the galaxy after the fall of Darth Vader and the Empire. On page 92 of Empire's End there's an interlude called ”Theed, Naboo" referring to the capital of the lush planet where Jar Jar had his first adventures with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn.

In the chapter, a young boy is walking around the city and runs into an old Gungan who is performing on the streets. The boy introduces himself to the creature and the creature responds ”Meesa Jar Jar." Jar Jar Binks has become a street performer.

Talking to the boy, Jar Jar explains that he's ”makin some uh-oh mistakens" in the past that led him here; mistakes that the world has harshly judged him for. (You know, like giving Supreme Chancellor Palpatine emergency orders without consulting his Senator which pretty much was the second rung on Palpatine's rise to ultimate power.)

Here's how Wendig sets it up before giving you the reveal of who the character is. It may be a satisfying closure for the hordes of people who have grown up hating the character, but it's also truly sad:

Since children started coming in by the shipload as refugees, the Gungan has served them, performing for the kids once or twice a day. He does tricks. He juggles. He falls over and shakes his head as his eyes roll around inside their fleshy stalks. He makes goofy sounds and does strange little dances. Sometimes it's the same performance, repeated. Sometimes the Gungan does different things, things you've never seen, thing's you'll never see again. Just a few days ago, he splashed into the fountain's center, then pretended to have the streams shoot him way up in the air. He leapt straight up, then back down with a splash. And he leapt from compass point to compass point, back and forth, before finally conking his head on the edge and plopping down on his butt. Shaking his head. Tongue wagging. All the kids laughed. Then the Gungan laughed, too.

The clown, they called him ”Bring the clown. We want to see the clown. We like it how he juggles glombo shells, or spits fish up in the air and catches them, or how he dances around and falls on his butt."

The adults, though. They don't say much about him. Or to him. And no other Gungans come to see him, either. Nobody even says his name.

The boy then asks him why that is. Why doesn't anyone talk to him? Jar Jar responds:

”My no so sure." The Gungan makes a hmm sound. ”Mesa thinks it cause-o Jar Jar makin some uh-oh mistakens. Big mistakens. Der Gunga bosses banished me longo ago. Mesa no been to hom in for-ebbers. And desa hisen Naboo tink I help the uh-oh Empire."

 

[6.8]

That buskering is just a front for darth Jar Jar

 

[ryutaro's mama]

You never want punch downward, hey, lulz, right?

:|

 

[RareFantasy64]

I really like the idea of Darth Jar Jar

 

[civilstrife]

That...that's actually pretty good.

 

[sphagnum]

It's a nice ending for him. He gets an apprentice of sorts and finds redemption for what he helped bring about in a way.

 

[opoth]

Is this really happening? Yikes.

 

[Sectorseven]

I thought the first book was awful and I never realized the second one had even released.

 

[jwk94]

That's kinda sad =/

 

[Secret Fawful]

"The Gungan then cracked his tooth open. A white foam began to materialize around his lips, and his eyes darkened. With one final, horrible groan he exclaimed, "Hail the Empire!"

 

[ryutaro's mama]

Is this really happening? Yikes.

Exactly.

 

[Trouble]

It's a nice ending for him. He gets an apprentice of sorts and finds redemption for what he helped bring about in a way.

Always two there are, no more, no less.

 

[MMarston]

It's a nice ending for him. He gets an apprentice of sorts and finds redemption for what he helped bring about in a way.

Agreed. I think it's a little sweet.

 

[Living the Dream]

That's kinda sad =/

The whole story of Jar Jar is sad.

 

[Boem]

It's all a smoke screen. Don't believe his lies.

 

[Buckle]

Almost sad and then I remember the way he talks still makes me want to punch him in the throat.

 

[opoth]

I thought the first book was awful and I never realized the second one had even released.

It was okay. Definitely a nice break in style from the late EU Denning-verse type stuff, you have to give it that at least.

 

[Ashby]

A little on the nose, no?

 

[daveo42]

Oh, and here I thought Jar Jar was dead. Darth Jar Jar still a possibility.

 

[8bit]

Well Annie, Jar-Jar went to live on a moisture farm upstate where he can play all day with the other Gungans.

 

[Sephzilla]

That's.... surprisingly sad, actually. He helped save Naboo and eventually gets exiled because he got coerced into giving The Emperor his dictatorship powers.

 

[Nokagi]

Trying to make me feel bad for Jar Jar. I won't have it. I must resist!

 

[Hickbilly Deluxe]

He's so stupid he doesn't even realize why everyone hates his guts....

That doofus helped set up the murder of billions (trillions?) of people across the galaxy, the destruction of an ancient religious order, and helped plunge the galaxy into a civil war that lasted decades in the new Cannon, and over 150 years in the old EU.

How can one being be that stupid, and still manage to remember how to swallow their food?

Spoiler

To be fair, in the old EU the Emperor knew the Vong were coming and the Republic would have stood no chance while a military dictatorship would have so his forming the Empire was both a power grab and a galaxy saving initiative since he was eventually proven to be completely correct. So at least there Jar Jar backhandedly saved the galaxy.

 

[Log4Girlz]

He juggled the objects with his mind. You know what's up.

 

[Bane]

Nice commentary on the reaction to him.

 

[Boem]

He's so stupid he doesn't even realize why everyone hates his guts....

That doofus helped set up the murder of billions (trillions?) of people across the galaxy, the destruction of an ancient religious order, and helped plunge the galaxy into a civil war that lasted decades in the new Cannon, and over 150 years in the old EU.

How can one being be that stupid, and still manage to remember how to swallow their food?

His excuse is actually "Wir haben es nicht gewußt". So yeah, one of those guys. No sympathy.

Edit: Apparently that phrase isn't really known outside of the Netherlands and Germany. It's famous for being a (possibly never actually used) lame excuse used by former nazi's after the war.

 

[sphagnum]

I hope Pablo's idea for Jar Jar's whereabouts during the Imperial period becomes canon though:

 

[Sephzilla]

Spoiler

To be fair, in the old EU the Emperor knew the Vong were coming and the Republic would have stood no chance while a military dictatorship would have so his forming the Empire was both a power grab and a galaxy saving initiative since he was eventually proven to be completely correct. So at least there Jar Jar backhandedly saved the galaxy.

*Sigh*

I actually kind of hated that because it ultimately tries to paint the Emperor as a hero

 

[JTripper]

That doofus helped set up the murder of billions (trillions?) of people across the galaxy, the destruction of an ancient religious order, and helped plunge the galaxy into a civil war that lasted decades in the new Cannon, and over 150 years in the old EU.

Sounds like a great origin story for the greatest villain in the galaxy

 

[Ashby]

*Sigh*

I actually kind of hated that because it ultimately tries to paint the Emperor as a hero

Yeah, I'm surprised Lucas signed off on that.

 

[IlGialloMondadori]

This just seems super dumb. Like really bad fan fiction garbage.

 

[TCRS]

Man I really need to get back into star wars books. TFA a shit but maybe the books can save this brave new EU world.

 

[Sephzilla]

Yeah, I'm surprised Lucas signed off on that.

I don't think Lucas really cared that much about what the EU did, especially at that point. I mean, shit, there was some book where the Emperor came back post ROTJ and Luke turned to the Dark Side and basically took away all of the importance of ROTJ's ending.

 

[sphagnum]

Yeah, I'm surprised Lucas signed off on that.

Lucas didn't care what the EU writers were up to outside of a select few things like "Don't give Yoda's species a name" or "Jacen should be the hero, not Anakin Solo." I think the extent of his involvement with the Vong was telling the writers that it would be cool to have an extragalactic threat be the villains.

I don't think Lucas really cared that much about what the EU did, especially at that point. I mean, shit, there was some book where the Emperor came back post ROTJ and Luke turned to the Dark Side and basically took away all of the importance of ROTJ's ending.

It was a ploy by Luke to bring down Palpatine.

 

[DiipuSurotu]

I thought Jar Jar was in ROTJ SE?

 

[Unknown Soldier]

The old EU was better. Seriously.

Well, not that New Jedi Order shit. That Yuuzhan Vong shit should never have seen the light of day.

 

[Sephzilla]

The old EU was better. Seriously.

It really wasn't. The ratio of good stuff to bad stuff in the old EU was heavily pointed towards the bad.

I actually like some of the base concepts of the Yuuzhan Vong; an extragalactic threat that The Force seemingly has no effect on and is basically foreign in every way to what we know.

 

[Showaddy]

*Sigh*

I actually kind of hated that because it ultimately tries to paint the Emperor as a hero

Yeah the Emperor is enjoyable enough as a villain, there was absolutely no need to ruin him with some half baked 'for the greater good' hero storyline.

 

[Gnome Scat]

Fitting.

 

[sphagnum]

I thought Jar Jar was in ROTJ SE?

That was just some random Gungan IIRC. Even if it was him screaming WEESA FREE, Aftermath takes place after RotJ so it's not like it messes with anything.

Man I really need to get back into star wars books. TFA a shit but maybe the books can save this brave new EU world.

Honestly I think the new canon comics have been overall stronger than most of the books, but there are some pretty good ones. If you're looking for post-RotJ canon novels, the most important ones are the Aftermath trilogy, Lost Stars, and Bloodline.

 

[iddqd]

I can already smell all the DeviantArt "sad clown" Jar Jar drawings.

 

[thebeeks]

If you haven’t read the books (they’re good)

I can't help but feel like the author of the article and I didn't read the same book. Life Debt's okay. Aftermath was a damn slog.

 

[Back-In-Black]

This is dumb simply because even Jar-Jar isn't THAT retarded. He would know exactly know people don't like him after the rise of the Empire. Like, as stupid as he was, he was an actual political representative for a time. He had to have some sense.

 

[Hickbilly Deluxe]

The old EU was better. Seriously.

Well, not that New Jedi Order shit. That Yuuzhan Vong shit should never have seen the light of day.

I enjoyed the Vong arc for the most part. A few ugly parts, but for the most part I thought it was really well done and set the stage for the next few story arcs.

 

[Tetsujin_MK]

Yeah, I'm surprised Lucas signed off on that.

Lucas didn't see the EU as canon.

 

[PSqueak]

I thought Jar Jar was in ROTJ SE?

Not Jar jar, if i recall correctly, just a shot of gungans celebrating in Naboo.

 

[Boem]

This is dumb simply because even Jar-Jar isn't THAT retarded. He would know exactly know people don't like him after the rise of the Empire. Like, as stupid as he was, he was an actual political representative for a time. He had to have some sense.

Ahem..

,

 

[Razmos]

Mesa thinks it cause-o Jar Jar makin some uh-oh mistakens. Big mistakens. Der Gunga bosses banished me longo ago. Mesa no been to hom in for-ebbers. And desa hisen Naboo tink I help the uh-oh Empire.”

What a flaming shit heap of a character, what drugs where they on when they created him

 

[Real Hero]

I hope Pablo's idea for Jar Jar's whereabouts during the Imperial period becomes canon though:

This is way sadder and funnier. Shame this isn't the way they went with it.

 

[DiipuSurotu]

This is dumb simply because even Jar-Jar isn't THAT retarded. He would know exactly know people don't like him after the rise of the Empire. Like, as stupid as he was, he was an actual political representative for a time. He had to have some sense.

He's probably sugarcoating it for that kid.