In the late ’90s, the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy and in particular, the first installment, The Phantom Menace, were among the most anticipated events in all of entertainment. But after Episode I hit theaters in 1999, the constant political jargon and whimsical tone of the pic found it heavily criticized and the butt of many jokes.
Of course, to this day, one of the biggest issues people have with the blockbuster is Jar Jar Binks, the amphibious Gungan played by Ahmed Best via motion capture. Leaving a sour taste in people’s mouths for many reasons, Binks is often regarded as one of the franchise’s all-time worst and most irritating characters, so it comes as a pretty big surprise that we’re now hearing he may return in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi show headed to Disney Plus.
At least, that’s according to the folks over at Making Star Wars, who’ve reported the following today:
“I’m told “Ben” Kenobi crosses paths with his old friend from Naboo, Jar Jar Binks. Early work has been conducted for the CGI Gungan’s return to Star Wars. Jar Jar has a beard to reflect where he’s been and what his life has been like since they were all deceived by a great lie that ushered in the first Galactic Empire. Kenobi will not be the only bearded character this time.”
Now, the outlet notes that this is only being treated as a rumor for the time being, but given their solid track record, there’s good reason to believe that they could be right about Jar Jar making a return in the near future. After all, though he’s still widely ridiculed amongst fans, the public perception of him is beginning to change. Especially ever since Best opened up about how his career and mental health greatly suffered after The Phantom Menace’s release.
Still, we wouldn’t exactly say people are fond of Jar Jar Binks now, but at the very least, they do seem to be more open to perhaps re-evaluating his place in the franchise and considering if he was really that damaging to it and if maybe they were too tough on the poor guy upon his debut. Whatever the case, it’d certainly be interesting to see how Lucasfilm handles his return and once we hear more on his potential role in the Obi-Wan Kenobi show, we’ll be sure to let you know.
