9 Years Ago, Star Wars Revealed Its Most Hated Character’s Fate (and It’s Heartbreaking)

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When audiences first saw Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, they already knew the general destinies of iconic characters like Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Yoda. While the prequel movies introduced many new characters with unknown futures, most viewers likely predicted sad endings for figures like Qui-Gon Jinn and Padmé Amidala. By the end of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, fans understood what happened to most of these new characters, but one remained an exception. Jar Jar Binks never had his story properly concluded in the prequel trilogy, largely because the character became less important after strong negative reactions from fans.

For a long time, fans wondered what happened to Jar Jar Binks. Lucasfilm finally provided an answer within the official Star Wars story. The novel Aftermath: Empire’s End, released on February 21, 2017, reveals that Jar Jar lives a quiet, somewhat lonely life performing as a clown for children on Naboo. He was largely rejected by society after the Empire rose to power, as many blamed him for giving Palpatine emergency powers during the Clone Wars – a decision that ultimately led to the Empire’s creation. In the book, Jar Jar shares his story with a young boy named Mapo, who wants to learn from him, and Jar Jar welcomes the companionship.

Jar Jar’s Heartbreaking Fate is Star Wars at Its Most Meta

The short scene feels like author Chuck Wendig addressing the negative reaction to the prequel films. The parallels to real-world fan responses are clear: just like many older Star Wars fans blamed Jar Jar Binks for the prequels’ perceived flaws, the characters in this scene also blame him for the rise of the Empire. Interestingly, the children in the story love Jar Jar, mirroring how younger audiences actually enjoyed his comedic role. While the message isn’t hidden, it’s delivered effectively and makes its point clearly.

It’s truly sad to see Jar Jar Binks go from being a celebrated hero and senator to a struggling performer. He doesn’t really deserve such a downfall. While he did propose giving Palpatine extra powers, he wasn’t solely to blame for the Republic’s collapse. Many other issues were at play, and some were far more significant. The Jedi’s failure to recognize the growing darkness, for example, actually contributed more to the rise of the Empire than Jar Jar’s actions. By the time Jar Jar spoke up, Palpatine was already well on his way to taking control, and he likely would have succeeded even without Jar Jar’s help. Jar Jar simply made things easier for Palpatine by being someone easily manipulated.

The story segment featuring Jar Jar in Empire’s End created a lot of empathy for the character, and the timing was ideal. Had this story appeared right after the prequel films came out, it likely wouldn’t have had the same impact. By the late 2010s, enough time had passed for people to revisit and appreciate the prequels more. While Jar Jar remains a controversial figure, readers were more willing to look back at the prequel events with fresh perspective, especially those who grew up with those films. This generation of fans always held a soft spot for Jar Jar, making his story in Empire’s End particularly touching.

The brief scene doesn’t reveal much about Jar Jar’s life beyond his current job as a street performer. However, it’s safe to say things were difficult for him after the Republic fell. In a way, this part of the story highlights Jar Jar’s incredible resilience and strength. Even though he was likely mistreated and felt guilty about his part in the Empire’s rise, he still managed to bring joy to others and offer hope. He could have easily given up after losing everything, but he persevered and even found a new friend in Mapo. Hopefully, Jar Jar found some peace and happiness during the New Republic.

Will Jar Jar Binks Ever Be Redeemed On Screen?

Although Jar Jar Binks has been referenced in official Star Wars stories, he hasn’t appeared on screen since a 2014 episode of The Clone Wars. Gungans, his species, haven’t been featured much either, sometimes only used for quick jokes, like in the first season of The Mandalorian. This makes sense, though. Even though opinions of the prequel films have improved, Jar Jar remains a controversial character. When Disney first took over Star Wars, Lucasfilm wanted to get fans excited about new projects, and bringing back Jar Jar risked reminding people of things they didn’t like.

With actors like Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen returning to their prequel roles, fans might wonder if Jar Jar Binks could reappear. Lucasfilm is currently focusing on stories set in the New Republic era, and it’s known that Jar Jar is still alive at this time. While a cameo seems unlikely, it’s not impossible. However, bringing back such a controversial character would require a good reason. Simply including Jar Jar for nostalgia wouldn’t be enough. It would be satisfying to see him help defeat the remnants of the Empire – maybe by providing crucial information to the New Republic – but it’s hard to imagine a believable role for him, as he’s no longer connected to any major conflict.

While Jar Jar Binks remains a controversial character, actor Ahmed Best seems to have found redemption through his work in The Mandalorian. Best, who previously shared how the negative reaction to The Phantom Menace affected his mental health, made a powerful return to the Star Wars universe, reprising his role as the Jedi Kelleran Beq (a character he’d also played on the show Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge). A flashback revealed that Kelleran was the one who rescued Grogu from the Jedi Temple during the tragic Order 66. This moment was particularly meaningful for Best, bringing a satisfying conclusion to his Star Wars story. Even though Season 3 of The Mandalorian received mixed reviews, the Kelleran Beq sequence was widely praised by fans.

It’s a shame the negative reaction to Jar Jar Binks became so intensely hateful. The “Empire’s End” story is a clever commentary on those fans, reminding us that Ahmed Best was simply an actor who embraced a fantastic opportunity and did his best. He didn’t deserve the harsh criticism he received, and neither did the character Jar Jar. Hopefully, after reading this story, fans will rethink their feelings about Jar Jar and realize everyone was overly critical.

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2026-02-22 00:43