Last year marked the surprise return of Ahmed Best to the galaxy far, far away. Only, instead of playing Jar Jar Binks again, his the host of the children's game Jedi Kelleran Beq became a canonical part of the franchise. A large canon part, indeed. The Mandalorian revealed Beq was the hero who saved Grogu from the Jedi Temple during Order 66. It was a glorious time for many reasons. But just because he's now an official Jedi doesn't mean Best has been forgotten its original role. In a new interview, he noted that without the technologically advanced Jar Jar, our own galaxy may never have seen Gollum, Thanos or the Na'vi on the big screen.
In an interview with The New York Times, Millor made the (100% correct) case for Jar Jar's lasting legacy in film history. Because while his goofy Gungan was widely reviled during the prequel era, Best's first motion-capture performance changed Hollywood forever. War of the galaxies and Best created a new CGI template that has become an important tool in the industry.
“Jar Jar represents the possibility that whatever you put in your mind, creatively, we can invent a future where that thing exists,” Best said. “Just because no one has done it before, doesn't mean it can't be done.” And to highlight what can be done Best highlighted the many iconic characters who have followed in their oversized shoes. He cited characters like Thanos and Hulk from the MCU, The Lord of the Rings'Gollum, i Avatarit's Navi
“I was the signal for the rest of this art form,” Best said. Because of this, even though Jar Jar caused Best to suffer horrible abuse, he is “proud of Jar Jar” and “proud to be a part of it.”
War of the galaxies fans, whether they love the character or not, should also be proud of their Gungan. It was more than a clumsy mess. He was also a pioneer.
