Reflecting on Jar Jar Binks

Oh, yes.

*laughs contentedly and slightly mirthfully like Obi-Wan*

Jar Jar definitely keeps drawing people back -- or the Jedi and Padme, as you say -- on Tatooine. The earlier example is Jar Jar lingering in Watto's junkshop and trying to keep Anakin and Padme together a moment longer. It's like he's a piece of Anakin's psyche. Won't you stay a bit longer, Padme? She is his "angel", after all.

What you said about being "annoying sometimes but they also could be priceless in important situations" is key. Jar Jar is tremendously evocative of the parable of the "Useless Tree":

web.archive.org/web/20150408003950/http://www.spiritual-wholeness.org/mystic/text/wonder2.htm


Note that trees are felled by the cold machines of the invading Trade Federation just seconds before Qui-Gon and Jar Jar encounter one another on Naboo:



In fact, Qui-Gon even appears, from Jar Jar's point of view, to be part of the same evil machine initially -- or perhaps in flight from it (at a moment's glance, it's hard to tell):



Jar Jar instinctively protests that he doesn't want to be become part of the machine -- or flattened onto the forest floor below:



Qui-Gon and Jar Jar, through the Force, "become one" -- AKA Qui-Gon picks up a "useless leaf":




Indeed. That's a very deep and sacred truth we must continually remind ourselves of in this extremely materialistic, fast-paced, and disposable society. Everyone has worth and value. This is the vital lesson of Jar Jar.

I too would like to chime in on the common complaints about Jar Jar and offer my views on the necessity and significance of his role in TPM and the entire PT.

As was said in the Debunking thread, it's important that one first understand the overarching themes of the film, trilogy and saga, and what Lucas was trying to accomplish with Jar Jar, specifically. As Cryogenic mentioned, "You can't just go ripping out the circuit boards" by doing such things as restructuring the movie by reducing Jar Jar's screen time or making him less silly, etc., because those things, as well as the technological breakthroughs involved in bringing him to life, are all intertwined with each other and with the film's structures and themes.

Many here have already stated some of the core themes in the films:
Symbiotic relationships
Living cooperativley with others
Reuniting, splitting apart
You can't measure someone's worth by their demeanor
Seeing the value in everyone, even the misfits
Finding help and hope from the most unlikely sources
The way innocence, exuberance and unconditional acceptance of others fades from the Galaxy as the trilogy progresses.

Which are also motifs in the OT, as these are themes Lucas is constantly trying to communicate.


Now let's consider the idea that Jar Jar should be less silly, clumsy and... annoying.

First let's look at the situation on Naboo at the start of the film. The Gungans and the Naboo are so estranged and split apart from each other that they have their own completely separate societies. The Gungans are proud isolationists, weary of the Naboo and are content in keeping to their own corner of the world. While the Naboo have become so removed from them that some aren't quite sure what a Gungan is.

This accomplishes two major goals in the film. It sets up the eventual reuniting of the two societies, which was necessary in order to win the day. All while making such a reunification so improbable that even, and especially, Palpatine never even thought to take it into account. He sees them as insignificant lower life-forms much like the Ewoks. (Rhyming, echoes, variations on themes).

Now, your regular proud, aloof, socially proper Gungan would never become so friendly and familiar with a Naboo, let alone the Queen, to go so far as to approach her and start a conversation with, "Yousa thinkin' yousa people gonna die?" Which led to Amidala petitioning the Gungans for help and enlisting their grand army to take on the Trade Federation's droid army. It would take a Gungan steeped in naïveté with a lacking of cultural, social etiquette (slurping apples at a dinner table!, etc.) to do such a thing. To not know when to shut up when the Queen is obviously so deep in thought.


Furthermore, the Jedi needed a way to get to Theed, who better to,guide them than an outcast? One exiled from his home by say... being accident prone and annoying.

This is why it's appropriate to establish Jar Jar's unique, quirky carriage as it is. in a world of pretense and façade, he is a walking ball of pure, authentic honesty. We need to see what kind of being he is in contrast to the others of his species and to the society in the PT as a whole. You really have to crank the clumsy misfit factor up to 11.

And why not?
Two of the main protagonists are kids
This film(s) is meant to reach kids
Kids relate to clumsy misfits
Lucasfilms has the freedom and ability to challenge themselves and push the boundaries of cgi technology, so why not see how exuberant you can make the character? To show what's possible? That way, anything else afterwards will be easy.
Why "tone him down"? You don't feature the first fully cgi animated supporting character with new technology just to have him stand around and be normal. Seems like it would be a wasted opportunity. Might as well go all out Goofy/Buster Keaton. In the Making Of footage, we see Lucas instructuing Ahmed Best to always be moving his whole body and to be exaggerated, even swinging his arms while doing something as simple as looking from side to side.

So yes, it's exactly because of his clumsy, "annoying" traits that he serves many vital roles in the story.
Keeps the viewers engaged during the functional scenes
Keeps things light during the tense scenes
Serves as the mediator between the Naboo and the Gungans
And stands in stark contrast to the grace, elegance, confidence, wisdom and rugged charm of his new life-debt master, Qui-Gon, as his perfect foil - thus enhancing Qui-Gon's characteristics all the more.



There's also the notion that he should have less screen time. Some say he does not even need to be with Qui-Gon and Padmé on Tatooine. But the crucial roles he plays in the Second Act cannot be emphasized enough.

For one, it is Jar Jar's antics in the junk shop that provide Anakin and Padmé with their first bonding moment. (A Skype discussion of which gave us Bo Dong).
Laughing together at his clumsiness is what first brought them together, much like he would later bring the Naboo and the Gungans together.


And Qui-Gon grabbing Jar Jar's tongue after mentioning Jedi reflexes is what prompted Anakin to ask Qui-Gon if he himself was a Jedi. Which then led to the conversation of Anakin helping them obtain the parts they need.


R2 or 3P0 couldn't really have served these functions. And besides, why not try something different for the new trilogy?

And as mentioned, yes, he also reunited Anakin with Qui-Gon in the marketplace.


Jar Jar is the energy binder of Episode I...

Through his clumsiness, which is important. It's an integral part of the themes at play.

Which brings us to another point, which tonyg has stated: clumsy misfits can have value and be heroes, too.

If R2 and 3P0 were to serve these functions, this theme would be lost. In service to the intended overarching themes, it had to be Jar Jar. And there's no reason to continually pass the baton between R2 and Jar Jar for comic releif, might as well stay consistent.
(Also, R2 doesn't "spek". Which seems to also be a running theme, what with so much attention to Jar Jar's mouth and tongue).


So, he has to be "annoying" and he has to have adequate screen time. I'm sure people would be complaining about how it's wonky to have it be the character who suggests the idea that saves the day be the one who had disappeared for half the movie only to show up at the convenient moment he needed to. And how it's incongruent for a normal acting character to suddenly be so oblivious to social cues as to even broach the topic to the Queen. (Or at least, I think they should).

He needs to be weird!



Jar Jar has no inhibitions and he's impulsive. He's awkward but authentic. He also has a heart for helping those in need. He's an innocent creature living an uneventful life who gets swept up in a grand adventure of galactic importance. In other words, he's a lot like Anakin. And I don't think the trilogy would function properly, the way Lucas intended, without him in it just the way he is. You could even say that Qui-Gon finding Jar Jar was also "the will of the Force".

Additionally, it's poignant that Jar Jar and Anakin become corrupted at the same time in Episode II. Anakin massacres the Tuskens just as Jar Jar is inadvertently helping Palpatine split the Galaxy in two.

Nor is it an accident that Jar Jar's presence diminishes as the trilogy rolls along. It's not in response to backlash, the innocence, honesty and exuberance Jar Jar personifies slowly ebb away as the Galaxy falls under Palpatine's dark influence until he finally crushes it completely, making it into his military/industrial complex. As Cryogenic says, Jar Jar, and TPM as a whole, amplify the significance of where the PT ends up. And many people, even PT detractors, seem very adoring of it's final destination. But in order to see its true depth and dark majesty, you need TPM -- and Jar Jar.

Or, as Joseph Campbell states
Comedy and Tragedy comprise two equal parts of a whole, which is the experience of life, much like the yin/yang. Myths, as guides, help us to purge the sorrow, and to rejoice in the joys, of our own lives. Jar Jar serves as a leavening balance to the tragedy in TPM, and to the trilogy at large. Just as TPM also serves as a balancing counterpoint to the rest of the trilogy. Together, the three films make a whole. Much like together the two trilogies make a whole.



It's also interesting to note that the only characters who accepted Jar Jar unconditionally were Anakin and Padmé. They were patient and not negatively affected by his demeanor. Anakin in turn received the most hate from the viewers while Padmé was the most ignored. Maybe we could actually learn something from these two. After all, compassion and helping others are the major themes in the film.

Speaking of which, the extreme negative reaction to Jar Jar and actor Ahmed Best has been disheartening to observe. In some ways, I tend to see him as a litmus test. To quote Cryo once more, with Jar Jar, George Lucas exposes an awesome and formidable hole in the heart of humanity.

It's fine if Jar Jar doesn't meet one's tastes, but at least try to look at the big picture before poodooing things.


And hopefully more folks will begin to see why Jar Jar is the key to all of this.

Among representing many things, I feel it's fitting to also equate Jar Jar with the fans' shadow side - in the Jungian sense. (Whether intentional or not).

According to Jung, the shadow not only harbors the negative aspects of one's personality, but also the positive and neutral aspects that are simply deemed by society as unacceptable as the negative ones. And Jar Jar's personality, a clumsy annoying misfit etc., is basically an amalgamation of all the more innocent things society peer pressures into suppression.

Added to the fact that he lives underwater, which is a classic symbol of the subconscious.

No wonder, the "Darth Jar Jar" theory is so captivating for some folks. Especially to those who may resemble Jar Jar more than they're willing to admit.

Subtext Mining

The Jungian in me shakes my head at the fact that Jar Jar as an example of the shadow has been so long overlooked. Hahaha. Good to see someone else noticed.

Excellent posts, Subtext. I'm humbled that you quote or paraphrase me several times in your lengthy analysis of Jar Jar's role(s) and function(s). Anyway, I couldn't help but notice the repetition of the word "exuberant" (and/or "exuberance"), first in your own reply, and then in this GL quote you provided. Weird, because, a couple of days ago, I was re-reading this interview with Lucas for American Cinematographer in 2002, and he happens to use it on the page I alighted on via a Google search (and his use of it already stood out to me for some reason):

theasc.com/magazine/sep02/exploring/page3.html


Is it just me, or does Lucas sound like he's describing his own use of digital technology and strong embrace of colour there -- and, especially, Jar Jar? Even in his description of his former mentor Francis Ford Coppola capturing "wide shots of cities with incredible detail at magic hour", I'm made to think of Coruscant in TPM and all the sunset/twilight imagery in AOTC. With Jar Jar, it's like Lucas is boasting that he got there first. Even looking beyond some of the technical achievements that inspired Jar Jar (e.g., ILM's CG dinosaurs in "Jurassic Park"), it seems Lucas wanted to be the first to imbue a CG character with sapience, have that character play a key role in the plot, and be memorable.

Jar Jar's name and entire essence and being all combine, to riff on Pyrogenic's last post above, to suggest the many new doors of creativity that digital technology stands poised to unlock -- hinting at a vast transfiguration of human consciousness itself.

This makes it all the more ironic that most characters in TPM are quick to dismiss or disparage Jar Jar in some fashion, when they are basically avatars of human ignorance, sneering at the diversity of life and the vast future that awaits them (or all the real humans they represent). In a way, their self-awareness is so low, they are basically complaining about being in a space opera. Even Han, as cynical as he is toward the Force in ANH, is well-travelled enough to say he's "seen a lot of strange stuff." Jar Jar could therefore be considered an emblem of the collective unconscious and an emissary of futurism. I believe, a few years ago, Ahmed Best was actually keen to start up a podcast based around the concept of Afrofuturism (or was -- or is -- planning to call himself The Afrofuturist and helm a podcast with that name). There, then, indirectly, is another string to Lucas' bow.

Thought you guys might like this interview of Ahmed Best from Celebration Chicago: www.youtube.com/watch?v=uesz2nChlWI&ab_channel=StarWars

It is so awesome to see people embrace this character after so many years of hating on him. And folks, say it with me, as always:

"George was right."

What are your favorite memories of Jar Jar? Mine was getting to see Ahmed talk like about the character at The Phantom Menace 20th Anniversary Panel in Chicago.

My father's reaction to Jar Jar when taking me to see TPM was amusing. He loved Jar Jar and laughed like a kid during the funny parts. He asked me if Jar Jar was a man in a suit. I think sometimes we forget just how good the graphics in TPM were for the time.
He also asked me if Jar Jar knew the Force. I scoffed and rolled my eyes and said no, After all, Jar Jar says as much in the bongo. But really, if you're paying attention to the movie, it's a fair question.

Cryogenic
www.youtube.com/watch?v=39HBTxQAMdQ

Yeah i like that Connor channel. Nice little GL bites. I saw that interview too. And I feel like George Lucas doesn't curse, ever. The words "fat bastard" did not come out naturally.