It’s been 25 years since Star Wars fans were introduced to what is perhaps the most divisive character in the franchise’s storied history, and now Jar Jar Binks is back in the new animated miniseries LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy. To celebrate, actor Ahmed Best took to social media to share some thoughts on the character, whom he has proudly portrayed over the years, starting with Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace back in 1999.
Taking to his Instagram account. Best shared a photo of himself holding up a LEGO figure of Jar Jar Binks, adding a caption that teases there’s perhaps more of Binks to come in future Star Wars projects. “Me and this guy have been through a lot together,” he said. “I really love what we’ve been through, where we are and where we’re going. #starwarslegorebuildthegalaxy is a wonderful #starwars story. Check out #darthjarjar on @disneyplus available now.”
Darth Jar Jar is, of course, a reference to the long-held belief that Binks is actually a Sith Lord, a theory that began to gain traction shortly after the release of The Phantom Menace. The new Star Wars series is leaning into the conspiracy as a tip of the cap to the fans that have kept the assumption alive for the last two decades, which has – inadvertently or not – also kept the character alive as well. The Gungan hasn’t been seen on screen since 2014 when he last appeared in Season 6 of The Clone Wars, yet he’s still managed to be a topic of conversation among fans, and has made appearances in novels and video games.
The Jar Jar Binks Project That Never Saw the Light of Day
Prior to his appearance in The Clone Wars, Binks was set to appear in the animated comedy series Star Wars Detours, which offered a humorous look at what happened in the time between Episodes III and IV, Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Footage of the series was shown in 2012 shortly before Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm, and despite there being 39 episodes of the show already produced, it’s never been released to the public.
Produced by Lucasfilm Animation along with Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, Star Wars Detours had an all-star lineup of actors on board to voice its character, including Best’s return as Jar Jar Binks, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, Seth Green as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian, “Weird Al” Yankovic as 4-LOM, and Seth MacFarlane as Emperor Palpatine. The project would have broken new ground for the franchise, as Star Wars has yet to add a straight-up comedy series to its canon. Perhaps the success of Star Trek: Lower Decks will eventually convince Kathleen Kennedy and Dave Filoni that a comedic take on the saga could work, but we won’t hold our breath on that one.
In the meantime, you can catch the return of Jar Jar Binks in the four-part animated miniseries LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy streaming now on Disney+.