Jar Jar Binks became one of the most polarizing figures in cinematic history when he made his debut in Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace in 1999. He was even named "the most annoying movie character of all time" by Complex Magazine. After the release, Ahmed Best, the man who played Jar Jar, was hit with the full force of the backlash — and it nearly destroyed him. The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks is a six-part journey through the early internet to understand how one of the first-ever online hate campaigns began, and to right what we got so wrong about Jar Jar the first time...
Two decades after The Phantom Menace premiered, the world is finally reconsidering how it treated Ahmed Best and the character he brought to life. But back in our galaxy, are we doomed to stay on the dark side of internet culture? Or is it not too late to redeem ourselves and stop making the same...
Published 08/02/23
In the wake of the anti-Jar Jar backlash, Ahmed begins to rebuild his life. In the meantime, we try to make sense of internet hate by talking to one of the original Jar Jar haters: the person who created The Jar Jar Hate Page. Transcripts for The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks are available at...
Published 07/26/23