Darth Jar Jar

A summary of one of the most ridiculous (yet plausible) Star Wars fan theories

Jar Jar Binks. Just the mere name sparks hatred into most, if not all, Star Wars fans.

However, could the annoying Gungan actually be a Sith? A new fan theory thinks so, and it has gathered much attention. Even Jar Jar’s voice actor and JJ Abram have responded to the theory.

The new theory was posted to Reddit by user Lumpawarroo, and it has become one of the most upvoted posts of all time.

However, this isn’t the first time that fans suspected Jar Jar of being a Sith. Theories began showing up as early as after the release of the first movie, mostly on Star Wars fansites.

Lumpawarroo gives a strong argument, with pictures and movie clips to support his claims. A video over 8 minutes long has been uploaded to YouTube, and gives a summary of Lumpawarroo’s findings.

However, what solid evidence does Lumpawarroo give? Surprisingly, there’s a wealth of ideas presented that make his argument a solid one.

First, Jar Jar is a lot more physical than the typical person. When Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon Jinn first meet Jar Jar, he is able to jump nearly 20 feet into the air and dive into water. The only other living being in Star Wars with the agility like that are Jedi’s and Sith. However, the audience is convinced that Jar Jar is nothing but stupid.

Now, when Jar Jar does see combat, it seems as if he is clumsy, and any fighting he does is pure luck. But, as Obi-Wan once said, “There is no such thing as luck.”

Lumpawaroo argues that Jar Jar is not mindlessly fumbling around, and actually  uses a type of fighting style called Zui Quan, also known as Drunken Fist wushu.

Drunken Fist combat relies on mimicking the movement of a clumsy drunk. Fighters rely on random movements and self momentum to overpower and confuse enemies.

Jar Jar uses a Zui Quan move called a leg sweep. During a fight on Naboo, Binks has a droid blaster stuck on his ankle. He sweeps his foot and stomps it,causing the blaster to fire, hitting a droid. (It’s also important to note that Jar Jar seems to sense a droid sneaking up behind him, and jumps down and hits the droid with the blaster on his ankle)

Before Jar Jar executes his 20 foot jump, he stretches his arms forward and touches his hands. In the world of Zui Quan, this is called centering yourself, and is done before a physical move.

Now, how about evidence that Jar Jar could be a force user? In a scene in the Queens Palace on Naboo, Jar Jar and the two Jedis jump over a ledge to fight some droids. Jar Jar trips and grabs a hold of the far right side of the ledge. However, in the next scene, Jar Jar jumps down from the left side of the ledge.

This isn’t an error that they left in the movie. It’s actually intentional. In the scene after the failed jump, the droids are looking and shooting at the right side, where Jar Jar was before. However they stop and turn to fire at Jar Jar who is now on the left side of the ledge. No living thing can quickly transition between the ledge without help of the force.

An example of a jump like this is the scene in Return of the Jedi where Luke is being escorted to jump into the Sarlacc Pit. Instead, he jumps down onto a board and somersaults over a group of people.

One of the more prominent Jedi powers includes the famous “Jedi Mind Trick.” “These are not the droids you’re looking for” is the most famous scene. A quick hand gesture such as a wave and a command can trick someone into believing what you say.

Lumpawaroo points out that major things happen to Jar Jar when he speaks and waves his hand. Some notable examples include waving his hand as he speaks to get promoted into the Galactic Senate, as well as getting the entire Galactic Senate to abandon democracy and make Palpatine the new chancellor. How could a “stupid” Gungan convince an entire Senate to give up their power?

During a documentary, George Lucas said: “Yoda really comes from a tradition in mythological storytelling- fairy tales- of the hero finding a little creature on the side of the road that seems very insignificant and not very important, but who turns out to be the master wizard, or the master thing…”

What George Lucas did in the prequels was mirror events that happened in the original trilogy. A good example is Obi Wan witnessing his mentor, Qui-gon Jinn, be killed by a Sith. Luke also sees his mentor, Obi Wan, get struck down by a Sith.

Could Jar Jar of possibly mirror Yoda? When the audience first met Yoda, he seems like an annoying character that was not important to the plot in any way. He seems to be there just to annoy Luke. However we soon find out that Yoda is a Jedi Master. Can the same thing be with Jar Jar?

When we first saw Jar Jar, it seems that he is there for just comedic relief. His bumbling accent and annoying voice does nothing but get on our nerves. However, was there supposed to be a big reveal just like Luke found out with Yoda?

Lumpawaroo believes so, however the reveal did not happen for a reason.

He concludes his theory by stating that Jar Jar was supposed to be a Sith Lord, but George Lucas saw the negativity towards the character and decided to “chicken out.” He believes Count Dooku was thrown in last minute to fill Jar Jar’s space.

As one Reddit user states: “So the title of Phantom Menace refers to Jar Jar then? He was the real menace all along? I can get behind this.”