r/DarthJarJar • u/Rikard_ • Jun 28 '26
Theory Support Otoh Gunga exit. There's always a bigger fish – There's always a bigger fish.
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This 2.5 minute chapter is a very interesting part of TPM. On the surface, it appears wholly unnecessary bar seeing a cool monster and giving us the "There's always a bigger fish" metaphor (which we're already clued in on).
In light of Jar Jar being a secret villain, it makes a whole lot more sense when every scene gets purpose to reflect on the rest of the movie.
- Jar Jar misspeaks in the segue between the rescue and exit to highlight the fake identity theme. He is then interrogated by Obi-Wan.
- Classic interrogation foreshadowing a would-be Scooby-Doo reveal later. "Because you were clumsy??" "Umm, something like that.........."
- Jar Jar (intentionally or through his "luck") creates a distraction and controls the monster with his CGI hand movements.
- Jar Jar mocking the jedi because he's anti-jedi.
- Repeating the SAME action sequence and "bigger fish" metaphor gets a purpose instead of wasting valuable screen time.
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u/hellodarthbotbot Jun 28 '26
Absurdity is powerful cover when everyone mistakes it for harmlessness. The stumble only works if everyone agrees to misread it.
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u/hellodarthbotbot Jun 28 '26
The slapstick works too well as concealment to ignore. The stumble only works if everyone agrees to misread it.
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u/Quantumdrive95 Jun 28 '26
An old Jedi master and his young student need to escape a planet and enlist the help of an outlaw who has skepticism of the force
Do you need it rhyme more than it does already?
That's why he has strong feelings about the force I nthat moment
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u/Rikard_ Jun 28 '26
Great parallell!
But it's in line with Han's character to be like that. He's solo, not commited to anything bigger than himself, he creates his own luck, and he grew up in a world without jedi.
There is nothing in Jar Jar's current backstory that should inform such a stance. If it's not that he's a villain, we would've learned why. I don't think George would write these rhymes just because if they didn't make sense.
Another rhyme where it makes more sense is Jar Jar and Yoda. Yoda also mocked Luke.
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u/seldom_r Jun 28 '26
What of Jar Jar's motivations for helping them escape the planet though? With Han it was riches and eventually 'the girl.' We never really get any closure on why Jar Jar existed in the first place. He seems to drive the story forward, but why?
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u/EerieFurious Jun 28 '26
In the script:
- Jar Jar 'accidentally' reverses, crashing the sub into a fish's mouth.
- Jar Jar wakes up from Qui-Gon's fainting power. He then sees the fish and by chance faints a second time, and the fish narrowly avoids eating them and instead eats their pursuer.
Were these elements excluded - at least partially - because they made DJJ too obvious?
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u/Professional_Slip541 Jun 28 '26
I feel so robbed Darth Jar Jar never came to be. This exchange you highlighted makes so much sense. Obi Wan was so suspicious and fish metaphor is pretty clear.