Everyone has their issues with the George Lucas‘ Star Wars prequel trilogy; the director received a huge critical backlash after the 1999 release of The Phantom Menace. For me, the films openly disregarded central elements of the Jedi ethos; if a Jedi seeks not adventure, why was everyone bouncing up and down through cityscapes in fast paced action sequences? The hyper-kinetic fight scenes lacked any sense of gravity or suspense – where did the samurai influenced lightsaber battles go? And why were this peaceful, enlightened beings so ready to manipulate and wage war across planets?
But all of these criticisms pale in comparison to the entrance of Jar Jar Binks, the thinly veiled racial stereotype with a mock-Jamaican accent and an unexplainable ability to survive dangerous situations. Introduced as the comic relief of the trilogy in The Phantom Menace, the character’s role was cut down dramatically after everyone above the age of 10 realised that he was destroying the legacy of something the world held sacred.
With the upcoming release of J. J. Abrams Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the question that has been bandied around the internet has been, will we be seeing more of Jar Jar?
Kathleen Kennedy, producer of The Force Awakens and Star Wars brand manager over at Disney, announced at a press conference yesterday, that we will not face that trauma again. The statement “Jar Jar is definitely not in the movie“, was met with a ruckus of applause – and rightly so. With Disney’s acquisition of Star Wars, intentions of beginning a popular and successful franchise will depend on jettisoning Lucas‘ mistakes.
However, recently the internet has lit up with chatter about Jar Jar Binks and the original intentions behind his character. Youtube user Vincent H. Valentine has composited all the information available on a new theory that the unfortunate creature was actually a Sith Master, influencing Anakin’s development and shaping the Star Wars universe. Check out the video below:
Star Wars: The Force Awakens will open in UK cinemas on December 17.
#Peace.Love.StarWars
