Last year marked the surprise return of Ahmed Best to the galaxy far, far away. Only, instead of playing Jar Jar Binks again, his kid’s game host Jedi Kelleran Beq became a canonical part of the franchise. A big canonical part, in fact. The Mandalorian revealed Beq was the hero who saved Grogu from the Jedi Temple during Order 66. It was a glorious moment for a lot of reasons. But just because he’s now an official Jedi doesn’t mean Best has forgotten about his original role. In a new interview he pointed out that without the technologically-advanced Jar Jar our own galaxy might never have seen Gollum, Thanos, or the Na’vi on the big screen.
In an interview with The New York Times, Best made the (100% correct) case for Jar Jar’s lasting legacy in motion picture history. Because while his goofy Gungan was much reviled during the prequel era, Best’s first-of-its-kind motion-capture performance changed Hollywood forever. Star Wars and Best created a new CGI template that has become a major tool in the industry.
“Jar Jar represents the possibility that whatever you got in your head, creatively, we can invent a future where this thing exists,” said Best. “Just because no one has done it before, doesn’t mean it can’t be done.” And to highlight what can be done Best highlighted the many iconic characters who have followed in his oversized shoes. He cited characters like the MCU’s Thanos and Hulk, The Lord of the Rings‘ Gollum, and Avatar‘s Na’vi.
“I was the signal for the rest of this art form,” said Best. That’s why even though Jar Jar resulted in Best taking some awful abuse, he is “proud of Jar Jar” and “proud to be a part of that.”
Star Wars fans, whether they love the character or not, should also be proud of his Gungan. He was more than a clumsy mess. He was also a pioneer.