Discuss Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
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Jar Jar Binks was supposed to be a Sith Lord...but George Lucas chickened out
posted by DRDMovieMusingsSTAFFMOD on July 19, 2017 at 11:59 PM
A great place to start on this topic is this insightful article.
That article alone should settle it...but this video goes a little deeper; and, although a bit more of a stretch, this video adds one more layer.
I kinda wish Lucas stuck to it...but then, that story was rather more complex than the OT that managed to be engaging for both adults and kids. The nifty way Yoda was revealed to not be a curmudgeony old elf but a jedi master within a scene could have been the template for revealing Jar Jar, not dragging it out across episodes and then making up Dooku to cover once the Jar Jar ark was abandoned. Atrocious.
Reply by tmdb43737777
on November 11, 2017 at 11:19 AM
I heard that theory before. But he was so ineffectual and clumsy he would give Siths a bad rep. I couldn't imagine him being a threat.
Reply by DRDMovieMusings
on November 11, 2017 at 12:07 PM
That was intentional, to make it appear he couldn't be what he was.
Remember how clownish Yoda was with Luke in Empire Strikes Back, before he was revealed as the Jedi master Luke was seeking? Lucas expanded that device with Jar Jar, setting him up to be the antithesis of Yoda.
And, as for clumsy, again, note how he did back flips and front flips - he was disarmingly powerful, adept and adroit when it suited him to be.
The video showing these snippets of his behaviours and, more importantly, real quotes from George Lucas himself (Jar Jar is the key", etc.) and other Star Wars writers and insiders, are conclusive.
If you want to understand what was really going on, take the time to go through those links I provided above.
Reply by NotoriousRio
on November 11, 2017 at 1:23 PM
I’m a little sceptical that George Lucas intended this but if it were true and Lucas just stuck to his guns and said “You just wait!” Imagine the reveal, it would be genius, a reveal even outranking Vader’s from Empire! And thus making Phantom Menace re watchable and enjoyable, plus Attack of the Clones (When Jar Jar reveals his true self) would have been amazing.
Maybe Jar Jar Binks was the intended Phantom Menace? I’d love to imagine what his serious evil voice would sound like.
Reply by DRDMovieMusings
on November 11, 2017 at 1:53 PM
Dude, it's crazy! That last link I posted above suggests that Jar Jar was the reincarnation of Dath Plagueis, whom Palpatine /Darth Sideous sideways admits he killed! If that is true, then yes, the reveal of Jar Jar would almost have been a bigger shock than Vaders' big reveal in The Empire Strikes Back. (the only reason it may not have been as big is, the story of Plagueis happens so long before episode 1 that we'd have no emotional connection to that period of the Empire...)
At any rate, yeah, Jar Jar was supposed to be a much bigger deal, but Lucas lost his way.
Reply by NotoriousRio
on November 11, 2017 at 2:43 PM
For me there was just too much of Jar Jar in Episode 1, Lucas needed to reduce his screen time a bit, giving Obi-Wan more screen time instead, and that silly voice, if it was different or a language like Jabba’s with subtitles (I’ve seen a fan edit of this) Jar Jar may not of been so hated, its obvious Lucas got carried away with his latest creation and was dumbfounded to find movie goers hating him so much, or maybe he wanted a little Jar Jar hate but not on that level! LOL