I've Become Very Thankful For Jar Jar Binks

When I grew up, I liked Jar Jar. Now, as an adult fan, I think he's too slapstick and messes with the tone of The Phantom Menace. However, I just watched TPM again and realised just how important he is to the Star Wars universe (and I'm not talking about the sith lord theory).George Lucas says that Star Wars has always been for kids. But I think a more accurate statement is that Star Wars is for families. Some themes are for kids. For example, listening to your moral compass and letting it guide you (Han in ANH). Or choosing the right way to fight (Luke in the OT). But some themes seem more so designed for the older viewers. For example, how attachment leads to fear and suffering (Anakin). Or knowing when it is right to sacrifice and give yourself to a greater cause (Cassian Andor).Much of the world building in the prequels is tied to galactic politics. The kind of stuff kids don't get and would find boring. But the stuff which I as an adult love, because it makes the galaxy feel real. Star Wars becomes a mirror of real life events.Enter Jar Jar Binks. The first hour of TPM was super political. Great for adults, but it still feels watchable for a kid because in every other scene, we get a Jar Jar gag. Everyone is pleased.And of course Star Wars has to work for kids (in the main series movies at least). Jar Jar is a sort of chaperone for the kids in the movie. He distracts the kids enough for George Lucas to establish the political context needed for the sequels on the big screen. And as a result the world feels bigger over the course of the prequels. Both kids and adults win.So perhaps without Jar Jar, we wouldn't have the richness to the Star Wars universe that we currently have. Could you imagine if George cut Jar Jar out and instead wrote a less slapstick script, but one that was not as contextually rich? If Jar Jar is the trade-off for a huge universe where I can enjoy these stories, I am happy to take it. I salute you for your service, General Binks 🫡 via /r/StarWars https://ift.tt/vBfJO45