Darth Jar Jar: The Wildest 'Star Wars' Theory Finally Makes Sense

For decades, Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best) has been one of Star Wars' most divisive characters. Making his debut in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Jar Jar is depicted as a clumsy, bumbling Gungan, cast out by his tribe for his penchant for accidents and only narrowly saved by Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson). Unfortunately, viewers didn’t appreciate his comic relief, with critics and audiences singling him out for criticism.

However, over the years, viewers’ perception of Jar Jar has shifted dramatically. Rather than viewing him as one of Star Wars’ biggest mistakes, many are convinced he’s secretly a powerful Sith Lord.

Jar Jar Binks Sith Lord Fan Theory, Explained

The theory that Jar Jar is secretly a Sith Lord in Star Wars began with Robot Chicken, the adult animation show known for pulling off outlandish parodies of pop culture phenomena. The show produced multiple Star Wars parodies, including the 2010 episode, “Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III.” In the episode, Jar Jar reveals that he’s a Sith Lord and has been secretly manipulating events in the Star Wars universe, including intentionally granting Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) emergency powers in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.

Although the episode is a parody, Star Wars fans took the Darth Jar Jar idea to heart. In 2015, Reddit user Lumpawarroo posted a formal fan theory regarding Jar Jar’s Sith Lord ties to the Star Wars subreddit. The user posits that Jar Jar is an influential, manipulative figure who hid his Force powers and Sith associations behind his bumbling act. 

The user suggests that Jar Jar is using a Force-sensitive form of Zui Quan, or Drunken Fist wushu, making his movements appear sloppy and goofy to trick and disorient his opponents, even though his actions are all very intentional. The user takes things a step further to suggest that Jar Jar utilized Force Mind Control to manipulate the Star Wars galaxy.

While the user posits that everything Jar Jar did was intentional, they also suggest it never happened because George Lucas backed out due to the overwhelmingly adverse audience reactions to the character after Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.

The Evidence For The Darth Jar Jar Theory

The Darth Jar Jar theory actually makes a good deal of sense. Given that Star Wars has always relied on the underdog trope, it’s genuinely not as outlandish as it seems at first glance. The “Chosen One” was a boy born into slavery. A farmer boy, Luke Skywalker, was the one to save the galaxy. Yoda, an unassuming member of a small, ancient species, turns out to be one of the greatest Jedi Masters of the Jedi Order. It’s always the most unassuming and most looked down upon by society who turn out to be the most important people, so why wouldn’t the same be true of Jar Jar?

Not only is the theory in line with Star Wars’ trajectory, but there’s a lot of evidence in the prequel trilogy to back it up. As mentioned above, Jar Jar is awfully, physically talented for a supposed klutz. Multiple moments throughout the Star Wars movies see Jar Jar suddenly performing inexplicable physical feats, like a 20-foot somersault or leaping over a balcony in moves resembling Force Jumps. In Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, he leads the Gungan army in the Battle of Naboo, and many of his “accidents” appear intentionally, such as getting a blaster wrapped around his ankle and using it to fire multiple precise and perfect shots at the enemy. 

Meanwhile, his entry into the Senate can be seen as an infiltration, as there’s no way someone of his apparent low intelligence and proneness to chaos would be entrusted as a Senator. Interestingly, immediately before his promotion to Senate and before his speech imploring the assembly to grant Palpatine emergency powers, he’s seen utilizing hand gestures, which are often a tell-tale sign of Sith or Jedi mind tricks and mind control.

One also can’t help but wonder if the fact that Jar Jar and Palpatine hail from the same planet, Naboo, is a coincidence or a nod to their secret collaboration. If Jar Jar truly was manipulating the Jedi and Senate, it’s unlikely he’d fall victim to Palpatine’s manipulation. It would be more plausible that they were partners, especially since Palpatine oddly chooses to keep Jar Jar near even after he’s elected Chancellor. Had Jar Jar been a pawn in Palpatine’s game, he would have disposed of Jar Jar after getting what he wanted. Instead, he keeps him near, as if recognizing Jar Jar’s supreme power.

Is The Darth Jar Jar Theory Accurate?

The Darth Jar Jar theory has never been wholly confirmed. However, George Lucas and Ahmed Best have made statements seemingly in support of the theory. Lucas once claimed Jar Jar was his favorite character in the franchise and an important “key” to the saga. It’s hard to understand his statement if not considered in the Darth Jar Jar theory context. Meanwhile, Best acknowledged the theory and refused to either disprove or confirm it, meaning it remains a possibility.

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