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For a long time,Star Warsfans absolutely hated one character in the prequel trilogy and even launched personal attacks against the actor who played him. Jar Jar Binks, the amphibian-like CGI creature, made his first appearance inThe Phantom Menace. Played by Ahmed Best, the character and actor faced severe backlash from fans. However, the character is getting more love from modern-day fans, who recognize the crucial role of the character in developing modern CGI characters.
Best revealed in an interview, a few days before this year’s Star Wars Day, that the tech behind Jar Jar Binks helped bring several fan-favorite characters onto the screens. For years, Jar Jar took a heavy toll on Best’s life but he is now proud of what the character has achieved for cinema.
Fans Agree That Jar Jar Binks May Be The Most UnderratedStar WarsCharacter
Another Star Wars Day is upon us and it is high time that the fandom considered righting some wrongs.Ahmed Besthas revealed on multiple occasions that the relentless hate from the fans for his character Jar Jar Binks hadleft him feeling depressed. In a recent interview with the NY Times, Best opened up about how the character almost took a mortal toll on him.
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However, Best is in a good place now and fans have come to realize that they had judged Jar Jar too harshly. Best pointed out in the interview that Jar Jar was a character who revolutionized CGI characters in films. He was the predecessor to all the lovable characters, including Gollum fromLord of the Rings, Na’vi fromAvatar, and Thanos and Hulk from the MCU. He shared with theNY Times:
“You can’t have Gollum without Jar Jar. You can’t have the Na’vi in ‘Avatar’ without Jar Jar. You can’t have Thanos or the Hulk without Jar Jar. I was the signal for the rest of this art form, and I’m proud of Jar Jar for that.”
Fans on X agreed with Best’s opinion. One fan shared howGeorge Lucasand Best were“trailblazers”in the field of performance capture. The fan requested theStar Warsfandom to stop erasing Jar Jar Binks’ contribution to modern cinema. Other fans also agreed that the character played a key role in revolutionizing visual effects.
One comment mentioned that after watching the re-release ofThe Phantom Menaceduring its 25th anniversary celebration, it was truly impressive to see a fully CGI character in 1999. Another fan made a call for the fandom to uphold the legacy of Best. Some of the fan reactions read:
Ahmed Best points out how the tech for Jar Jar Binks helped pave the way for many iconic CGI characters.
“you may’t have Gollum without Jar Jar. You can’t have the Na’vi in ‘Avatar’ without Jar Jar. You can’t have Thanos or the Hulk without Jar Jar. I was the signal for the rest…pic.twitter.com/kkaHs6MgCG
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm)August 13, 2025
He is right . George Lucas and Ahmed Best were trailblazers in the fields of performance capture and digital photorealistic characters.
Stop the erasure of Jar Jar’s contribution to modern cinema ✋pic.twitter.com/EE1obNBarJ
— Hector Navarro (@imhectornavarro)July 15, 2025
Jar Jar is the key to all of this.
— 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝕏 (@normposter)August 07, 2025
He’s not wrong. you’re able to hate Jar Jar as a character, but he revolutionized visual effects.
— RJ (@ResonantJustice)August 11, 2025
Having just watched the re-release of this, having a full CG character in 1999 is impressive. But Jar Jar is a truly grating character 😆
— ThisIsAllYourFault (@ASometimesBest)June 04, 2025
Jar Jar is the key to everything, and we’re all should respecting more of Ahmed Best’s legacy. 🙏❤️
— Peter Rabbit’s Award Buzz (@PeterRabbit_4DX)July 20, 2025
It appears that Best fought through all the vitriol from some of the crazy fans over the years. While the brutal backlash ravaged the 26-year-old Best’s mental health almost to the point of no return, the 50-year-old Best is now a futurist, an educator, a martial artist, and a writer-director. May the Fourth Be With You, Best.
Star WarsPrequel Trilogy Has Fewer Haters Now
Star Warsoriginal trilogy was a phenomenon universally celebrated by fans. However, when George Lucas came up with a prequel trilogy almost two decades later, fans found it weaker than the original films. The films had issues with some poor writing, a few cheesy performances, and the lack of a ‘big reveal’ akin to the original trilogy. Fans couldn’t accept Jar Jar too, who then became the ‘most hated’ character in film history.
However,the children of that era loved these moviesand as they grew up, the prequel trilogy found a new generation of fans who vehemently defended the movies. For years, the fandom focused on the faults in the movie, but these fans began pointing out the admirable aspects, especially Anakin Skywalker’s transformation into Darth Vader. The fight choreography in the films impressed fans and they found Jar Jar Binks to be a funny goofball character.
Star Wars: Tales of the Empire Review: 6 Episodes of Brilliant Animation But Lackluster Stories
During this Star Wars Day, all these fans can enjoy their favoriteStar Warstrilogy on Disney+. They can also enjoy the numerous other Disney+ projects from the space world. The streaming platform has also released an animated series in theStar Warsuniverse,Tales of the Empire,to celebrate the day.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3019
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
