What Eventually Happened to Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars?

Everyone knows who Jar Jar Binks is, even if you’ve never actually watched him in either of the first two Star Wars prequels. But where did he go after that? Here’s the grim truth about what eventually happened to Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars.

What Eventually Happened to Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars?

Jar Jar Binks ultimately ended up as a sad street performer back on Naboo, shunned by most of the adult populace. No, I’m not making that up. As revealed in the book Star Wars: Aftermath – Empire’s End, Binks’ fan hatred translated into him being absolutely hated in actual canon. 

Jar Jar Binks was introduced in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace as a comedic character who tagged along with the two lead Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn. But the franchise’s more vocal fans did not take to his antics. It got to the point where actor Ahmed Best’s mental health suffered.

I suspect George Lucas figured that the character would be great for merchandising, and, to be fair, he did give us the wonderfully cursed Jar Jar Binks lollipop, tested here by Stuart Ashens. But overall, he was not well received.

Jar Jar returned in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones in a reduced role as a representative for his home planet Naboo. Not much opportunity for wacky shenanigans there, you might think. But it was much worse.

Jar Jar, now Representative Binks, spoke to the Senate, persuading them to grant emergency powers to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Those were granted, all but sealing the fate of the galaxy. Could another representative have spoken to the Senate? Absolutely. But it became another reason to hate Jar Jar. He had a couple of lines in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, but it’s his actions in Attack that come back to haunt him in Star Wars: Aftermath – Empire’s End. 

Related: Star Wars: How Old Is Padmé Amidala in The Phantom Menace?

What Happens to Jar Jar in Star Wars: Aftermath – Empire’s End?

In Star Wars Aftermath: Empire’s End (written by Chuck Wendig), we meet Jar Jar when he’s performing on the streets of Naboo. A young refugee, Mapo, encounters him and, not knowing his history, treats him with respect, enough for Jar Jar to tell him a little of his story.

The kids just refer to him as “the clown” and laugh at his antics. It’s not clear whether he’s performing for coins or if he’s doing it because, unlike the adults, the children actually pay attention to him. The latter explanation is more heartbreaking.

“Jar Jar makin some uh-oh mistakens. Big mistakens. Der Gunga bosses banished me longo ago. Mesa no been to home in for-ebbers. And desa hinsen Naboo tink I help the uh-oh Empire,” he tells Mapo.

The scene ends with Mapo, who is an orphan, asking Jar-Jar to teach him to clown, and that’s the last we see of the pair. Maybe it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship, but it’s unlikely it undid the galaxy’s collective hatred. And that’s the sad story of what eventually happened to Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars.