Cry of the Week: Alas, poor Jar Jar! We weep for Star Wars' most hated character
Welcome to our new weekly series "Cry of the Week," in which we highlight whatever moment made us ugly cry on our couches the most in the past seven days.
If you truly hate Jar Jar Binks, this week's cry may not be for you. For those Star Wars nerds who feel at least some sympathy for the Gungan outcast, read on.
Earlier this week, Mashable reported that the story of Jar Jar Binks -- loved by few, hated by many -- didn't have such a happy ending. As we know, the bumbling Gungan created by George Lucas first appears in The Phantom Menace as comic relief, then has a hand in creating the Empire as an advocate of emergency powers for the duplicitous Palpatine.
By the time Revenge of the Sith arrived, Jar Jar was so hated by fans that he had only two words of dialogue, and was left behind altogether by the time Disney revived the series with The Force Awakens.
But Jar Jar didn't just fade into the mist. No, it's much sadder than that.
In a new book Star Wars Aftermath: Empire's End, author Chuck Wendig reveals that Jar Jar, forever haunted by his many screw-ups, was shunned into a new occupation so pathetic that he may have been better off dead.
Jar Jar Binks, it turns out, becomes a literal clown who performs on the streets for kids -- the only people who will tolerate him, since the adults are still mad about what he did.
If this isn't worthy of your sympathy tears, we don't know what is.
In the book, an orphan kid named Mapo introduces himself to a performing clown who then says "Meesa Jar Jar!"
As Mashable's Chris Taylor described it, "the clown distracts the orphan from his own sadness by popping his eyes and bulging his cheeks, but is hiding a sadness of his own."
So yes, Jar Jar Binks was alwyas a destructively tone deaf buffoon, but does anyone really deserve the fate of a sad street clown?
Star Wars fans had mixed reactions on Twitter. Some called his fate tragic, others called it fitting.
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Saba was a Los Angeles-based reporter who covers all things digital entertainment, including YouTube, streaming services and digital influencers. Prior to that, she spent two years at the Los Angeles Times covering entertainment for the Calendar and Company Town sections. Saba grew up in Santa Monica and graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in journalism and B.A. in political science. When not reporting, she is usually binge watching shows online or looking for new coffee shops to frequent.
