There are few, if any, Star Wars characters people love to hate more than Jar Jar Binks. The clumsy Gungan was one of the leads in The Phantom Menace, but the widely negative response to the character led to his screen-time being heavily reduced in the next two Star Wars prequel films. Years later, the canon novel Star Wars Aftermath: Empire's End revealed his tragic fate in what could best be described as a meta-commentary on the public's feelings towards him.

Published from 2015 to 2017, Chuck Wendig's Star Wars Aftermath books explore what happened in a galaxy far, far away between Emperor Palpatine's death in Return of the Jedi and the events of The Force Awakens. The third and final novel in the series, Empire's End, features a chapter where a young Naboo boy named Mapo meets a street performer who turns out to be Jar Jar. As the Gungan explains to the boy, his role in Palpatine's ascent to power led to him being ostracized by his people and losing his position as a delegate to the Galactic Senate. He now makes a living entertaining kids with his clownish antics, much to the silent disapproval of the adults around them.

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Jar Jar binks from Star Wars The Phantom Menace

Jar Jars' situation in Empire's End is clearly a meta-nod to his reception after The Phantom Menace came out. The character mostly succeeded in amusing little children, as he was meant to do, but it seemed like just about everyone older than that found him to be unnecessary comic relief in a space opera about trade blockades and political subterfuge. After that, Attack of the Clones explored the darker side of Jar Jars' clownery by making him an unwitting pawn in Palpatine's scheme to take control of the galaxy. Of course, that did little to win over those who were irritated by the character from the get-go -- something that may explain why Jar Jar barely appears in Revenge of the Sith, outside of a silent cameo during Padmé's funeral walk at the end.

The decision to paint Jar Jar in a more sympathetic light in Empire's End is a reflection of the way many Star Wars fans have softened their stance towards the character in the years since the Prequel Trilogy wrapped up. People like The Phantom Menace star Liam Neeson have defended Ahmed Best's acting in the film, which others have come to recognize the aloof Gungan's significance in the history of motion-capture CGI. Best has also received an outpouring of fan support since he revealed the initial response to his part made him contemplate suicide and has since played the canon Jedi Master Kelleran Beq on the game show Star Was: Jedi Temple Challenge. The actor has even said he's willing to reprise Jar Jar, but only if the story is right.

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While Empire End leaves the door open for Jar Jar to appear in a future Star Wars film or TV show, there's not really an obvious place for him to return right now. There was a rumor earlier this year that Jar Jar would appear in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney+, but it never made much sense and has since been debunked by Best. A role on The Mandalorian seems equally unlikely as well, if only because the show takes place far away from where Jar Jar would've been on Naboo five years after Palpatine's downfall. It would also risk coming across as a forced attempt to bring the cartoony character into Din Djarin's small corner of the Star Wars galaxy.

Beyond that, it's worth mentioning that Star Wars fans aren't really begging for more Jar Jar, even if they've made their peace with him and the place he holds in the franchise's history. Once again, their relationship to him parallels that between the character and the people of Naboo in Empire's End: the older ones have accepted he still exists and their kids find him amusing, but that doesn't stop them from ignoring him or looking the other way whenever they pass him by.

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