The debate of who the greatest Star Wars character is is one that fans will never be able to agree on. Is it Han Solo? Is it Leia? Is it Luke? Or how about Darth Vader himself? Well, maybe the opinion of the saga’s creator George Lucas will be able to provide a definitive answer. After all, he knows that galaxy far, far away better than anyone, right? So whoever he picks as the franchise’s best character makes it basically official, correct?
Well, don’t be too sure on that. While appearing at this weekend’s Star Wars Celebration, Lucas named his personal favorite SW character, and it’s one that practically no one else would agree one. Yup, Lucas’ pick was Jar Jar Binks. The writer/director made the revelation at the special Phantom Menace 20th anniversary panel as well as saying that Episode I remains one of his favorite entries in the saga.
You know that phrase “a face only a mother could love?” Well, it seems Jar Jar’s a character only a creator could love. For the past 20 years, the goofy Gungan has been the subject of derision and hatred from all quarters of the SW fandom. Some simply see him as an irritation, while others accuse him of being an offensive racial stereotype. Plus, he’s also kind of responsible for the fall of the Galactic Republic as he was so easily manipulated by Palpatine.
Still, it’s about time that someone gave Jar Jar some love. We got horrible news last year when actor Ahmed Best revealed that he considered suicide after the intense backlash against his character. Thankfully, fans soon flocked to support Best and he then shared how overwhelmed he was by “all the love and kindness ” he was receiving on social media.
Hopefully, he’ll be buoyed to know that Lucas still holds his performance in such high regard to this day. At Celebration, the filmmaker even said that Best “did a fantastic job” and that his work “was very, very hard.” He’s right, too, as it’s worth remembering that Best’s portrayal of Jar Jar was a pioneering example of motion capture technology.
What do you make of this, though? Has your hatred of Jar Jar mellowed over time, Star Wars fans? Join in on the conversation in the comments section below.