The real reason Jar Jar Binks sucks as a character

[ronindave]

I don't care if you are a Prequel lover or hater. Either way Jar Jar Binks as he exists in the present films is a worthless character because he never was given anything of significance to do, not because he talked like a moron.

For the most part as much as I don't like Jar Jar, I don't care to shoot fish in a barrel by disparaging him for the obvious reasons. Jar Jar haters repeatedly lump hate on him endlessly usually about his talking and walking to the bit of being just as annoying as he is themselves; plus it's a simpleton's gripe that gets old quick.

Anyway, recently, I've been going over clips of Phantom Menace both the actual movie and the Rifftraxs and Red Letter Media's review clips, and one of the things I've come to discover is the real reason JAr Jar Binks sucked as a character.

Sure his way of talking was annoying and his clumsiness was bad Vaudeville but I think the real reason he sucked was that he never really did anything to redeem himself or truly contribute to the storyline. The only thing he did was kind of help the Jedi get a ship to go to the other side of the planet and he kind of got the Gungan to join the Naboo though really it was Padme (woodenly) pleading Boss Nass that made him change his mind.

Let's compare him with other minor characters in the old trilogy and their contributions. First the two droids who bumbled around like pre-Jar Jars. R2D2 carried both the message to Obiwan and the plans of the Death Star while C3PO was needed to give the audience more than just beep beep plus he convinced Luke and his Uncle to buy R2D2 thus setting things in motion. In Empire he was plugged into the Falcon to help it fly but it was in Jedi when he truly saved the day by communicating with the Ewoks and getting their help to take the Imperials by surprise. Both of them were necessary at certain points to move both the plot along and save the day. Without the droids much of the story never would have happened.

Chewbacca was good at playing the prisoner in New Hope and Jedi and he served as Solo's conscience. Plus Chewbacca is just cool nuff said.

Lando a traitor against his will at first turned against the Empire and helped the team rescue Solo. Later he was instrumental in the space fight against the Empire by telling everyone to pull up before they smashed into the Death Star's shield. He helped Wedge take out the 2nd Death Star.

Wedge Antilles, a very minor reoccurring character, saved Luke in New Hope, found Solo and Luke before they froze to death in Empire and/or took out an AT-AT, and helped to destroy the second Death Star with Lando in Jedi.

Now to the most controversial of minor characters - the Ewoks. Say what you will about these plush marketing tools but they at least contributed in the fight against the Empire and some of them even had the decency to die. One of them caused a needed diversion with a bit of speed bike antics. The main thing was that they launched a surprise attack on the unsuspecting Imperials and sowed confusion in their ranks. The problem was that Lucas went overboard and had them getting away with impossible crap. All they needed to do was surprise the Imperials long enough for the Rebels to get free and turn the tables on Imperials. We didn't need to see crack troops getting knocked down by swinging teddy bears or walkers being smashed by logs (when did they have the time to put those up there?) Now using logs to cause them to lose their footing is a bit more believable but hoisting huge tree trunks up in the air without anyone noticing or that they wouldn't have bounced off the metal hulls is just ridiculous. Still without them the Rebels would have been f*cked. The shield would have remained up, the Alliance ships would have been eventually destroyed, and even if the Emperor was killed, there wouldn't have been enough of a Rebellion left to matter.

Now compared with Jar Jar, what exactly did he do to help anyone? This is where Lucas screwed up with this character. He could have had Jar Jar redeem himself in some way by him taking out a main enemy or saving someone's life. In the battle scene, it's just him doing bad slapstick that doesn't change the course of the battle. He even causes the other Gungan general to get captured because of his clumsiness and he himself cowardly surrenders. Had Jar Jar captured an enemy general or rallied the Gungan to charge the droids, that would have been something. Instead the whole Gungan army basically failed and had to wait till Anakin luckily blew up the droid command ship.

In Red Letter Media's last review he showed a behind-the-scenes clip where Lucas said "Jar Jar is the key to all this..." uh, in what way? He didn't really do anything that significant. The only thing he did do was basically screw the whole galaxy by convincing the Senate to give Palpatine emergency powers so he could approve the use of clones; the same clones he later used to wipe out the Jedi and take complete power. That was the only significant thing Jar Jar did in the entire series. He basically helped pave the way for the Jedi to get slaughtered and Palpatine to become the Emperor. Was he on Palpatine's payroll the whole time? Is Jar Jar the Kaiser Soze of the Star Wars universe?

This is the real reason Jar Jar sucks. He didn't really do anything of any real significance. Had he stopped a major enemy or saved a character's life even thru slapstick, he might be redeemable. At least the Ewoks actually helped in defeating the Empire. Jar Jar's contributions where very insignificant except for the one that totally screwed everyone. Gee, thanks, Jar Jar! I hope you got blown up on the first Death Star where you were cleaning the toilets.

[Havok]

Isn't Jar Jar the reason that the the Queen was able to come to terms with the Gungans and therefore able to defeat the Trade Federation? That seems like something pretty significant to do. He also lead the the army on the battlefield, no matter how ineptly he did so, that was pretty significant. He lead the Jedi to Gungan city. He lead them to the hidden place to appeal to the Gungan leader. He lead them through the planet's core.

He is at least as significant as Anakin was, who never was given anything significant to do other than the podrace.

[ronindave]

Isn't Jar Jar the reason that the the Queen was able to come to terms with the Gungans and therefore able to defeat the Trade Federation?

She asked him to but in the end she was the one who begged Boss Nass without Jar Jar saying anything.

He also lead the the army on the battlefield, no matter how ineptly he did so, that was pretty significant.

Not really. He gave one command that was something like "steady." The Gungans got their butts whupped and had to wait till Anakin blew up the Droid ship. Had the droids actually followed Sidious's original instructions of wipe them all out they'd been screwed. Most of the battle was him flailing about.

He lead the Jedi to Gungan city

.

True. That was one of the few things he did. He just helped the Jedi get to the Naboo a little quicker

He lead them through the planet's core.

Not really. He isn't shown saying anything resembling a direction and Qui-Gon says something about the Force will be their guide.

He is at least as significant as Anakin was, who never was given anything significant to do other than the podrace.

Not really. Anakin blew up the droid ship even though it was completely contrived thus saving the Gungans who had lost

[Havok]

Isn't Jar Jar the reason that the the Queen was able to come to terms with the Gungans and therefore able to defeat the Trade Federation?

She asked him to but in the end she was the one who begged Boss Nass without Jar Jar saying anything.

Why would Jar Jar say anything? He isn't in a position to bargain, deal or strike treaties on the behalf of the Naboo.

He also lead the the army on the battlefield, no matter how ineptly he did so, that was pretty significant.

Not really. He gave one command that was something like "steady." The Gungans got their butts whupped and had to wait till Anakin blew up the Droid ship. Had the droids actually followed Sidious's original instructions of wipe them all out they'd been screwed. Most of the battle was him flailing about.

Jar Jar's ineptness isn't in question. It was what he was tasked with doing, as I already said. I'll address your first point here in a minute.

He lead the Jedi to Gungan city

.

True. That was one of the few things he did. He just helped the Jedi get to the Naboo a little quicker

Which may have been valuable time that the Jedi needed to accomplish their goals. That he may not have been needed is not in question. It is what he did. Someone would have discovered America eventually, but Columbus actually did it. That is what matters. (Yes, I know about the Vikings and other arguments, I'm making a point.)

He lead them through the planet's core.

Not really. He isn't shown saying anything resembling a direction and Qui-Gon says something about the Force will be their guide.

We don't see the Force guiding them either.

He is at least as significant as Anakin was, who never was given anything significant to do other than the podrace.

Not really. Anakin blew up the droid ship even though it was completely contrived thus saving the Gungans who had lost

Oh, so what you accidentally do, makes you significant. Thanks for just invalidating your whole argument.

And the Gungans weren't supposed to fucking win. Jeezus, if you are going to go on diatribes like this, please at least pay attention to the movie.

The Gungans were just a distraction to get the focus away from the pilots so they could get to their ships. It was the job of the fighter pilots to save the Gungan's asses by destroying the control ship.

And saying Anakin blew up the droid ship is great, but it does nothing to back up your point of 'significance'. He did that on accident, after being told specifically NOT to do anything of significance "Stay in that cockpit!". Like I said, your argument doesn't hold any water.

[ronindave]

Why would Jar Jar say anything? He isn't in a position to bargain, deal or strike treaties on the behalf of the Naboo.

Well, you said Jar Jar was the reason the Naboo and the Gungans were able to come together but he didn't say anything nor did he even suggest it. It would have made sense to have Jar Jar make the initial appeal to Boss Nass and while Nass was thinking to have the Queen make the final appeal to ultimately sway him or even vice versa. At least it would have given his character more significance.

We don't see the Force guiding them either.

Well technically you can't see the Force but Qui-Gon does say the Force would be their guide thus minimizing Jar JAr's usefulness. I got the idea Qui-Gon took Jar Jar with him was he felt sorry for him since Jar JAr wasn't welcomed by his own people.

Oh, so what you accidentally do, makes you significant. Thanks for just invalidating your whole argument.

No it's only invalid in your mind. The action of taking out the droid ship regardless if it was an accident or not was significant because it rendered the TF droid army powerless. In sports even if a player scores a goal by accident as long as it is legal, it counts and could win the game. The problem with the scene is not the significance of the action but with Anakin's characterization but that's another issue entirely.

And the Gungans weren't supposed to fucking win. Jeezus, if you are going to go on diatribes like this, please at least pay attention to the movie.

And they weren't suppose to lose either. They were a distraction to occupy the army not cannon fodder but the point is that this is where Lucas could have redeemed Jar Jar by having him do something significant even by accident. Instead he just fumbled around for some bad Vaudeville comedy.

There were many chances were Jar Jar could have been better utilized and had more impact on the storyline. He could have been the one to suggest the Gungans and Naboo work together. He could have been the one to talk to Boss Nass and convince him thru his experiences with the Naboo that they aren't so bad. He could have given his Gungan army advice about the droids that he had already encountered. He could have led a charge or told them take out some main gun or something. He could have saved one of the main characters or even Boss Nass or the other Gungan general thus proving his worth and courage. But the fact is he did none of these things. I don't blame Jar Jar the character himself. What I blame is the writer for failing to provide the character with more opportunities to contribute.

Like I said, your argument doesn't hold any water.

[Knife]

Wedge Antilles, a very minor reoccurring character, saved Luke in New Hope, found Solo and Luke before they froze to death in Empire and/or took out an AT-AT, and helped to destroy the second Death Star with Lando in Jedi.

Actually, Antilles wasn't Rogue 2 on Hoth, Zev Senesca was the one who found Luke and Han on Hoth and was shot down during the Battle of Hoth. Even if you don't like the EU, it is clearly different actors, one who identified himself as Rogue 2 and found Luke and Han and later was identified as Rogue 2 again during the battle and got shot down right after Luke lost his tail gunner and ordered Rogue 2 into the frey.

[Knife]

While I don't particularly like the character, he isn't as useless as you suggest. Granted, his primary role was that of comedic relief but...

His introduction with the Jedi at the beginning of the film goes toward the character development of both Qui Gon and Obi Wan. It establishes that Qui Gon is at heart a kind and loving person who generally does care about what happens to all the parts and pieces of the galaxy; while Obi Wan cares about the big picture, the grand and epic problems. Not that Qui Gon dismisses the big picture, rather he cares about the consequences of his and others action to those around them.

His role with the group on Tatooine was more the 3rd person narrator, someone 'common' who was there to see remarkable and history changing events.

On Corruscant, with the Queen, he serves the role, again, as the commoner with whom Amadala needs to secure her position as leader and break out of her role as scared child to confident hero. To do that, she needs followers, people who believe in the actions and results she wants. Jar Jar represents the 'common' folk of the galaxy who would follow her simple and noble quest, and on Naboo Jar Jar's people do as such.

During AotC, he serves the role as trusting dupe who gets conned one more time by the elite politicians, again reinforcing the meme of Jar Jar being the 'common man' of the galaxy being pushed around by forces far greater then he is, by people swept up by power and destiny changing his world and his life around him and how he copes.

Now, you can argue about how well, as a character, he was represented; however, those are really simple themes you can pull out of the story line about Jar Jar Binks. To say he did nothing in the story is silly. Again, you can argue how well he pulled those roles and themes off, or how well he was written, or how well the actor did with the material, but the character did have an important 'part' in the story line. He really is the 'common' narrator of the story that R2D2 and CP3O were in the first trilogy. I don't think he was as well done as the droids originally were, but that's different than saying he served no purpose.

[ronindave]

Actually, Antilles wasn't Rogue 2 on Hoth, Zev Senesca was the one who found Luke and Han on Hoth and was shot down during the Battle of Hoth. Even if you don't like the EU, it is clearly different actors, one who identified himself as Rogue 2 and found Luke and Han and later was identified as Rogue 2 again during the battle and got shot down right after Luke lost his tail gunner and ordered Rogue 2 into the frey.

Doesn't matter really to my point. The point is that Wedge though a minor character did have moments of contribution that his absence would have had somewhat major consequences.

The reason I compared Jar Jar to the above character was to show how better written those characters were in terms of their significance and contribution to the storyline and characterization.

The amount of screen time Jar Jar had you would expect more contribution. Comic relief is fine but even comic relief should come thru and show their worth even by accident.

He really is the 'common' narrator of the story that R2D2 and CP3O were in the first trilogy.

Our common narrator was Luke because he asked the questions that allowed for us the audience to learn about the universe the story was set in. Jar Jar on Tatooine is far in the background except when the time for comic relief comes to relieve the tediousness of non-action till the pod-racing scene.

Again Jar Jar could have been given more opportunities to be useful. It's a failure of writing not his character

[ronindave]

To say he did nothing in the story is silly.

Well thank goodness I never said that. What I said was that he didn't really do anything of significance and then I compared him and his actions with similar characters of the original trilogy with the same or less screen time most notably the Ewoks.

[Knife]

lol, I give you 4 examples of his significance in the story line and you pull out two sentences, one of which is a simple refutation of your over all notion, to rebut? Hahahahahaha.

If you want to split hairs, the difference between 'did nothing in the story' and 'didn't really do anything of significance' as if they are different, go for it. I won't get caught up in such silly nonsense though. Jar Jar does many things of consequence in the story, not so much as in actual plot line, but in thematic issues. There are more parts to a story than main characters and plot man. Jar Jar serves as the narrator, he is with the main characters when they are doing life change, history altering things.

BTW, Luke isn't the narrator of original trilogy, he is the protagonist, the main character. The droids are the narrators, they are present in almost all the action, all the life changing events when all the hero's are split up and in different places. They are our witness to history, not Luke. Luke wasn't there when the Tantive was attacked by a SD, Luke wasn't there when Han was fleeting from SD's at Hoth, Luke wasn't there when Han was frozen in Carbonite, wasn't there when Leia freed him, nor was Luke there on the ground when Han and Leia fought the ground battle of Hoth. The Droids where there. Luke is the main hero so we follow him, most of the time there is a droid there with him to witness his history, the other droid is usually with the other hero's to witness their history.

Like wise, Jar Jar is witness to the invasion of Naboo, witness to the finding of Anakin Skywalker, witness to the fall of the TF on Naboo, witness to the rekindling of feelings of Anakin and Padme 10 years later, instrumental in the creation of the Grand Army of the Republic and the consequences there of. He is our guide as a viewer, our representative as a normal every day folk during these great changes in history.

Again, you can bitch about how well it was done it you want, I think it was lacking a bit and really don't like the character, but to say he does nothing of significance, is silly.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Incidentally, I think a decent case can be made that Jar Jar did indeed lead to Amidala going to the Gungans. There is a scene in TPM where she is staring mournfully into the middle distance wonderinf how the hell she is going to accomplish her grand plan, and Jar Jar points out that his people have a grand and powerful army that (he thinks) is the reason the Naboo don't like them much. My impression was that everybody, including Amidala, had overlooked this idea, as evidenced when neither Panaka nor the Jedi suggest it.

So, Jar Jar did bring the two together. Which is significant I think.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Also, in TPM at least, Jar Jar is responsible for moving the action along at many points. He meets the Jedi and takes them to the gungan city, sparking their journey to Theed in the Bongo.

Lster on Tatooine he gets attacked by Sebulba and saved by Anakin, intriducing the boy to the Jedi and leading them all to trusting Anakin to win the podrace and get the parts.

As I said above, he reminds Amidala of the gungan army, giving the Queen another option. He then goes to the city to find it abandoned, and tells them where to find the Gungans.

So is is responsible for moving the action along and providing at least a plausible explanation for all the stunning coincidence on Tatooine.

I'd say that's very significant.

[Galvatron]

I've long believed that Jar Jar only sucks because he was so overused. Imagine if Sy Snootles tagged along with the main characters for the remainder of ROTJ...

[Havok]

Look, the plain and simple fact is that Lucas liked Jar Jar and nobody else did. It was a miss. Fuck, even Babe Ruth struck out.

As Knife has shown, he is certainly significant thematically. As I, and now Eternal_Freedom have pointed out, he carries out actions of great significance to the saga. If you don't like him, fine, but don't come blasting in here trying to find new make believe reasons to do so. Just say you hate him because you felt he was too silly and be done with it.

My complaint with Jar Jar's usage was that he didn't get killed by Anakin. In the fall of the hero, the way Lucas does it, that should have been a key moment in his turn to the Dark Side. The hero in his fall, kills his best friend. Jar Jar should have and could have easily been shown to have aged and matured and along with Palpatine, remained one of Anakin's confidants. This is the one time when Lucas listened to the whiners and of course, it backfired. Had he not listened, and followed the true heroes path with Anakin, Jar Jar haters would have been far more satisfied with his death, then just with him barely being in ROTS. We also may have ended up with a far more sympathetic character in Jar Jar, instead of one that was just swept to the side.

[Purple]

Look, the plain and simple fact is that Lucas liked Jar Jar and nobody else did.

Erhm... I liked him.

He was kind of neat. Just like that paper clip that used to come with office.
And I am dead serious. I even stuck with 2003 without updating so I would be sure nothing removed the little guy.

Jar Jar just feels the same way. Kind of annoying at times but all in all pleasant and fun.

[Havok]

It's just a generalization. I liked him too. I could see the purpose he was serving (acting as the droids, Anakins friend for his fall) and I just liked how they made him. Going back and watching it again, he isn't half as annoying as people make him out to be.

Also say what you want, but the character held his own with Liam Nieson and Ewan McGregor. Natale Portman barely could do that in the prequels. Certainly Hayden Christianson didn't.

[ronindave]

Keep in mind I don't hate Jar Jar. What I hate is that he could have been made to do or say things that would have made his presence more significant and thus defendable. Instead he was mainly used just to be (bad) comic relief for kids in a film oddly enough where one character (Darth Maul) got cut completely in half.

I compare him with the Ewoks because there are a number of people who hate them because they are cute and cuddly. I don't hate them and I defend them by pointing out that at least the script gives their presence some merit from creating a diversion to taking Imperial troops by surprise thus helping to destroy the power generator which led to the destruction of the the 2nd Death Star. Jar Jar's contributions pale in comparison but they didn't have to.

Supposedly in the original drafts of the Phantom Menace, Jar Jar contributed more to the story especially with the original idea that the Naboo were racist against the Gungans. Plus Jar Jar was more heroic in the final battle. Apparently in the rewrites, Lucas reduced Jar Jar's significant contributions but not his screen time which became all the more irritating because he was just doing slapstick most of that time and adding very little to the story.
http://secrethistoryofstarwars.com/thebeginning.html

[aussiemuscle308]

If you compare jar jar to another bumbling idiot, homer simpson, you don't see jar jar getting homer's occasional flashes of brilliance. he's dumb most of the time, but sometimes has snappy comebacks.

when he helps mr burns escape from the govt goons by pulling the carpet from under them, they then hit their heads on the doorway.

# [Homer and Bart get into an "unlicensed taxi" in Brazil]
Cabby : Americans! I'm afraid this is a kidnapping.
Homer : Ooh! then I don't have to pay the fare!
...
Cabby: They'll have to pay to see you again.
Homer: I don't know. They've been seeing a lot of me for free.

Homer: You know, boys, a nuclear reactor is a lot like a woman. You just have to read the manual and press the right buttons.

[PainRack]

Actually, I thought the theme of Jar Jar was... quite nice as seen by ROTS. He was established as the naive, well-doer who had been mistreated by life and propelled by forces more powerful than he could possibly imagine. Yet, in small, immeasurable ways, he had a role to play that was significant to the big picture.

If we ignore the....... movie direction which didn't play up this theme but consider Jar Jar role in the form of thematics solely, he represents the "general populace". The us who attempts to do good, bumped by life and moved by forces too powerful.

And ultimately, his decision to cast emergency powers to Senator Palpatine reflects the same portion of the population who was moved to trust in Palpy.

[Baffalo]

Actually, I thought the theme of Jar Jar was... quite nice as seen by ROTS. He was established as the naive, well-doer who had been mistreated by life and propelled by forces more powerful than he could possibly imagine. Yet, in small, immeasurable ways, he had a role to play that was significant to the big picture.

If we ignore the....... movie direction which didn't play up this theme but consider Jar Jar role in the form of thematics solely, he represents the "general populace". The us who attempts to do good, bumped by life and moved by forces too powerful.

And ultimately, his decision to cast emergency powers to Senator Palpatine reflects the same portion of the population who was moved to trust in Palpy.

I used to hate Jar-Jar, and now I just kinda think it's sad. He was meant for so much more, yet because he was cast so poorly in the first movie, it came back to haunt the character. I think that, in terms of personality, Jar-Jar and Anakin were switched around. Jar-Jar should've been a little more mature, like Anakin was portrayed, while Anakin needed the personality of Jar-Jar to seem more like a kid. And if you watch Jar-Jar throughout the films, you see that Anakin should've had Jar-Jar's personality, because in Episode II he was very much more in control and mature about his actions. He went about granting the emergency powers, not because he was in league with Palpatine, but because it looked to be the best solution at the time. And in Episode III, he says absolutely nothing (That I remember), which would've been so much better than a whiny Anakin.

[Elfdart]

Look, the plain and simple fact is that Lucas liked Jar Jar and nobody else did. It was a miss. Fuck, even Babe Ruth struck out.

As Knife has shown, he is certainly significant thematically. As I, and now Eternal_Freedom have pointed out, he carries out actions of great significance to the saga. If you don't like him, fine, but don't come blasting in here trying to find new make believe reasons to do so. Just say you hate him because you felt he was too silly and be done with it.

My complaint with Jar Jar's usage was that he didn't get killed by Anakin. In the fall of the hero, the way Lucas does it, that should have been a key moment in his turn to the Dark Side. The hero in his fall, kills his best friend. Jar Jar should have and could have easily been shown to have aged and matured and along with Palpatine, remained one of Anakin's confidants. This is the one time when Lucas listened to the whiners and of course, it backfired. Had he not listened, and followed the true heroes path with Anakin, Jar Jar haters would have been far more satisfied with his death, then just with him barely being in ROTS. We also may have ended up with a far more sympathetic character in Jar Jar, instead of one that was just swept to the side.

You're probably right, and while we're on the subject of things Lucas was going to do but for some reason changed his mind or got talked out of doing, I think he should have stuck with the idea of using Jennifer Tilly's voice for Jar Jar so it would sound more like babytalk and emphasize that he's just a big dorky kid. I've always thought that much of the hate shown to Jar Jar has to do with the actor's voice, which is like chewing on foil when you have fillings -only not as pleasant. Clearly he's supposed to be like Leo Getz in the Lethal Weapon movies, but Joe Pesci's voice and mannerisms were funny while Ahmed Best's were just irritating.

[The Asiduo]

Greetings: I'm new in this forum.

I think the reason Jar Jar Binks sucks it's because it's way TOO obvious he's a comic relief, and tries SO DAMN HARD.

"meesa funny, please, stupid audience, laugh at my memorable hijinks"

I think the massive reaction against this character was because, actually, he was the only thing in that movie RESEMBLING something memorable. It's annoying, but that's pretty much the only thing that has some kind of enduring value in TPM. The rest of the characters are boring, underdeveloped or plain stupid. Jar Jar, annoying as he is, it's the nearest thing in TPM to make a real impact in the movie: the racist comic relief. That's why the first reaction against this movie is to ramble against Jar Jar.

"That fucking Jar Jar character was annoying and stupid".
"Well... and what about the other characters?".
"Oh... well, they didn't left much impression, you know"

Poor Jar Jar. He's only the victim of being in a stupid story.

[PainRack]

Greetings: I'm new in this forum.

I think the reason Jar Jar Binks sucks it's because it's way TOO obvious he's a comic relief, and tries SO DAMN HARD.

"meesa funny, please, stupid audience, laugh at my memorable hijinks"

I think the massive reaction against this character was because, actually, he was the only thing in that movie RESEMBLING something memorable. It's annoying, but that's pretty much the only thing that has some kind of enduring value in TPM. The rest of the characters are boring, underdeveloped or plain stupid. Jar Jar, annoying as he is, it's the nearest thing in TPM to make a real impact in the movie: the racist comic relief. That's why the first reaction against this movie is to ramble against Jar Jar.

"That fucking Jar Jar character was annoying and stupid".
"Well... and what about the other characters?".
"Oh... well, they didn't left much impression, you know"

Poor Jar Jar. He's only the victim of being in a stupid story.

You know..... I never thought of it that way until you said this, but it makes sense.
Obiwan Kenobi, despite Ewan best efforts wasn't well developed in the story.
Darth Maul was.... literally disappointing. The villian had 2 lines and a few fucking minutes in the movie. All the hype for nothing, yes, we got what I thought was the second best lightsabre fight in the PT but seriously........
QuiGon may had been able to leave an impact on the audience, but he died.

That just leaves Jar Jar as the only memorable character in the film.

[Mobius IO]

Greetings: I'm new in this forum.

I think the reason Jar Jar Binks sucks it's because it's way TOO obvious he's a comic relief, and tries SO DAMN HARD.

"meesa funny, please, stupid audience, laugh at my memorable hijinks"

I think the massive reaction against this character was because, actually, he was the only thing in that movie RESEMBLING something memorable. It's annoying, but that's pretty much the only thing that has some kind of enduring value in TPM. The rest of the characters are boring, underdeveloped or plain stupid. Jar Jar, annoying as he is, it's the nearest thing in TPM to make a real impact in the movie: the racist comic relief. That's why the first reaction against this movie is to ramble against Jar Jar.

"That fucking Jar Jar character was annoying and stupid".
"Well... and what about the other characters?".
"Oh... well, they didn't left much impression, you know"

Poor Jar Jar. He's only the victim of being in a stupid story.

I agree with this. If he'd been surrounded by strong characters he would not have been nearly as bad.

[jollyreaper]

y complaint with Jar Jar's usage was that he didn't get killed by Anakin. In the fall of the hero, the way Lucas does it, that should have been a key moment in his turn to the Dark Side. The hero in his fall, kills his best friend. Jar Jar should have and could have easily been shown to have aged and matured and along with Palpatine, remained one of Anakin's confidants.

Something like that would have worked better than the whole "kill the younglings" thing. Unfortunately, given how awful Jar-Jar was, this would have come across more like an act of redemption instead.

Anakin: Look, I flirted with the Dark Side and killed a bunch of people. On the other hand, I also killed Jar Jar.

Yoda: A wash that is.

Obi-Wan: All is forgiven.

Padme: Now I feel safe letting you see the babies.