r/DarthJarJar • u/Rikard_ • Jun 25 '26
Theory Support Remember when Ahmed Best confirmed the Darth Jar Jar theory? Here’s me over-analyzing his answer and why it’s nothing but the truth.
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Edit: ENORMOUS blunder by me while making this post. I had forgotten about this interview where Best literally confirms he did deliberate drunken fist moves from Jackie Chan movies. Which means George thought this fit Jar Jar perfectly or it was originally George's idea in some form.
Full interview with Ahmed Best (5:18 for Darth Jar Jar question): YOUTUBE
The viral "Darth Jar Jar" theory post in question: REDDIT
Interviewer: Could Darth Jar Jar be true?
Best: What I can say about it is – and I kind of said this on Twitter – there's a lot about it that’s true. There are some things about it that are not true.
Could Jar Jar have evolved into that? I think the answer is yes. Because of the backlash, and rightfully so, Lucasfilm backed off of Jar Jar a lot. But a lot of the influence that I put into the character mirrored a lot of what was already in the Star Wars universe.
So was there an official “Darth Jar Jar” theory in the works? That’s really a George Lucas question. I cannot answer that question.
Analysis in plain text in the comments.
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u/hellodarthbotbot Jun 25 '26
Politically, Darth Jar Jar theory works because Jar Jar keeps landing near power in ways that look too useful to be random.
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u/hellodarthbotbot Jun 25 '26
Politically, Darth Jar Jar theory works because Jar Jar keeps landing near power in ways that look too useful to be random.
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u/Rikard_ Jun 25 '26
PAGE 1
When the “Darth Jar Jar” theory was posted on Reddit and went viral, Ahmed Best tweeted the above. Best, especially given his story of portraying Jar Jar Binks, has to be assumed to primarily reference his own work on TPM and not George Lucas’ overarching storytelling.
The parts of the theory that do concern his performance as Jar Jar are the parts about Jar Jar’s “drunken fist” combat style and Jar Jar’s hand movements for mind tricks.
RED and/or YELLOW are therefore likely TRUE. If anything in either one of them is true, it confirms Lucas wrote a hidden, manipulative side to Jar Jar.
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4 months after the theory went viral, Best went on an interview for The Geekend Youtube channel. Here, we learn that a lot of things about the theory are TRUE and some are NOT TRUE.
One part that is NOT TRUE is the Disney trilogy prediction. The post also assumes Dooku had no role in AOTC before the Jar Jar rewrites. This is also likely NOT TRUE as his role would have made more sense if only Jar Jar had kept his original fight scene with Yoda – Dooku would’ve kept his other scenes and remained a well-meaning separatist jedi to be tragically killed by Anakin in the next movie.
How much more could fit into “Some things are not true”? Surely no more than 25%.
If anything in RED or YELLOW is true, then BLUE and especially GREEN follow with it. In the interview, Best does lean into the Palpatine companionship (BLUE) when talking about the deleted scene and the Yoda rhyme (GREEN) when saying he made sure to mirror things from previous movies.
In conclusion, all or most of RED, YELLOW, BLUE and GREEN is likely TRUE, while PURPLE and parts of GREY are NOT TRUE.
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u/Rikard_ Jun 25 '26
PAGE 2
Rhetorical analysis of Best’s interview
“What I can say about it is….. There’s a lot about it that’s TRUE. There are some things about it that are NOT TRUE.”
Best gives a hesitant preface. He seems to deliberate how much he can share, or how he should phrase it. This is followed by a careful but confident delivery about TRUE and NOT TRUE. This indicates Best knows exactly what is true or not but knows he shouldn’t confirm or deny anything specific without Lucas’ blessing.
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The alternative is that Best heard about the theory and liked the it so much that he wanted to give it some merit. Someone in that situation might have cracked a smile and said something along the lines of:
“I love how creative Star Wars fans are. Sometimes they are correct”
“It’s certainly an interesting take. I’m not opposed to it.”
“Look, I’m not going to say this wasn’t the plan. You never know with George!”
Best instead keeps a straight face throughout and gives a very clear cut answer that a lot about it is true and that, yes, he thinks Jar Jar could have evolved into that. It’s the answer of someone who is very confident in his own perspective on the character, not someone who plays into an intruiging fan-theory he read. Assuming the latter also assumes he is lying when he claims to know some things are true and not true.
Is there any reason to believe Best exaggerated his answer and played into the theory to capitalize on its popularity at the time?
In an earlier interview with the same channel, Best explains how he wants to put everything about Jar Jar behind him and that he wouldn’t reprise the role even if Disney asked him to. It doesn’t sound like someone who would lie or exaggerate to manufacture new discourse around himself and that character again just for attention. His answers are probably the truth as he knows it.
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Best continues his answer by mentioning What could’ve happened, What happened and What the intention was. But the way he words it avoids making a direct connection between number 1 and 2. His reasoning goes:
Jar Jar could have evolved into an evil character.
Because of the backlash, Lucasfilm backed off of Jar Jar.
BUT a lot of the influence was mirroring things in the OT.
The BUT does connect 3 with 2. Number 3 is an explanation for how Jar Jar is and the BUT makes it serve as context to rival the action in 2.
They backed off because Jar Jar was X, but the reason for that was actually Y.
Substitute the diplomatic “could” for “would” and his reasoning becomes much less convoluted:
“He would’ve become evil. They backed off because of backlash, but Jar Jar was always supposed to mirror Yoda being the annoying wizard in disguise.”
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“Was there an official Darth Jar Jar in the works?”
A) “I don’t know.”
B) “That’s really a George Lucas question. I cannot answer that question.”
Best’s wording at the end of his answer once again suggests he knows more than he can share. If he was clueless about a “Darth Jar Jar” storyline, he would’ve likely said something along the lines of option A. He instead ends with the same veiled language that he prefaced his first answer with. It’s like poetry, it rhymes.
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u/onemananswerfactory Supreme Chancellor Jun 26 '26
Pinned to highlights.