While the “Star Wars” universe has given us countless lovable, memorable, iconic characters, from Han Solo to Yoda to Darth Vader to Chewbacca to Princess Leia to Obi-Wan Kenobi to R2-D2, they haven’t all been so beloved. And some of them have been very specifically not beloved. And one in particular has been viciously maligned from the moment he stepped on screen. That character’s name is Jar Jar Binks.
Since George Lucas was not kind enough to give us a graphic death scene, Jar Jar’s fate following the events of “Revenge of the Sith” or indeed “Return of the Jedi” had been hitherto unknown, leading to wild theories about the Gungan doofus being a Sith Lord or even being the mastermind behind the Empire.
But a new novel in the “Star Wars: Aftermath” series by Chuck Wendig, the trilogy closer “Empire’s End,” has used an interim chapter to explain what happened to Jar Jar after he unwittingly voted Emperor Palpatine into power and allowed the galaxy to fall into turmoil and planets to be destroyed, and debunk these theories.
Third ‘Star Wars: Aftermath’ book gives the details
By the way, a quick warning about spoilers in this article for “Star Wars: Aftermath - Empire’s End,” in case you’re dying to go into the novel completely fresh, even without this little titbit about Jar Jar. In a part of the novel set on Naboo, Jar Jar’s home planet where “The Phantom Menace” was partly set and the entire saga was almost ruined beyond repair.
On Naboo, the Mapo refugee character bumps into a street performer who is entertaining the kids and being cautiously avoided by the grownups.
The lowly street performer tells Mapo his name is Jar Jar Binks and that he’s been shunned from society for helping Palpatine get into power and basically started the road to the Empire’s reign over the galaxy that the Rebel Alliance lost a lot of good guys to undo.
The fact that Jar Jar is avoided by the adults while the kids love him reflects the fact that in real life, the racist, Goofy-like portrayal of Jar Jar is much more popular with kids than adults, as it makes adults uncomfortable and offended.
“Star Wars: Aftermath - Empire’s End,” the third book in Chuck Wendig’s trilogy which bridges the story gap between “Return of the Jedi” and “The Force Awakens,” will be published on 23 February.
