Fans hated Ahmed Best’s Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Best received death threats from angry fans after his controversial portrayal of the character. Best withdrew from the spotlight after this negative response affected his mental health. Best struggled with depression and feelings of worthlessness for years after this negative response. In 2019, Best told Wired that Jar Jar Binks’ backlash made him consider suicide.
Jar Jar Binks plays a minor but significant role in the events that lead up to the Clone Wars, as shown in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Jar Jar Binks meets Padmé Amidala and Obi-Wan Kenobi while he serves as Naboo’s representative in the Galactic Senate in Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones.
In a later scene, Jar Jar suggests that the Senate give Chancellor Palpatine emergency powers so that he can create an army to fight the Separatist menace. Palpatine’s plan to use emergency powers to create the Clone Army and employ it against the Separatists is greeted with some resistance, but it is ultimately approved.
Hence, while Jar Jar Binks didn’t directly spark the Clone Wars, he did play a significant role in setting the stage by suggesting the emergency powers. That’s why some blame him for kicking off the Clone Wars.
Best has since accepted his past and moved on. Best also hosted Jedi Temple Challenge, a Star Wars game show, and voiced a character in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
These projects have helped Best reconnect with the Star Wars community and show his fans that he is more than just Jar Jar Binks. His return to the franchise has been well-received, and many are excited to see what he brings to the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
Ahmed Best was finally prepared to reenter the larger Star Wars world after months of discussion, reflection, and planning. The executive producers of The Mandalorian—Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, and Rick Famuyiwa—asked him to play Kelleran Beq, the Jedi who rescues Grogu during the Order 66 attack on the Jedi Temple. But there was a turning point when it all became real.
To quote Best, “Oh, I’m in this” as soon as he put on the robes for his first costume test, and walked on to get approval from Jon and Dave and they handed him a lightsaber. Then, all of a sudden, Kelleran Beq was awake.
Long had the Disney+ show hinted at the identity of the person who saved Grogu from the Jedi purge. The truth hinted at in hazy flashbacks and discussion throughout the show, was revealed in this week’s “Chapter 20: The Foundling” when Best’s Jedi saves Grogu from an assault by clone troopers, transports him away in a speeder chase, and then flees to the stars with the young being. This is a thrilling scene, and for Star Wars fans familiar with Best’s complicated history with the saga, it carries special emotional weight.
That’s not all, though. The news that Best would be returning to his role as Jar Jar Binks in the upcoming Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi series. The series will mark Best’s triumphant return to the Star Wars canon, taking place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.
In the Obi-Wan Kenobi TV show, Ahmed Best will portray Jar Jar Binks. Although his precise part in the show has yet to be revealed, Best will play a crucial one. Set between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope, the series features Ewan McGregor’s comeback as Obi-Wan Kenobi. The plot supposedly centers on Obi-Wan Kenobi’s time on Tatooine, when he tries to shield a young Luke Skywalker from the evil Empire. Fans will be excited to see Jar Jar Binks again, although it is unknown what role he will play.