Jar Jar Binks
From Ewokpedia
Jar Jar Binks was the first African American Gungan to appear on screen and the first Gungan to represent his people in the Galactic Senate, first serving as a Junior Representative along with Senator Padmé Amidala, and then, after her death, serving as full Senator himself. Like most Gungans, Jar Jar was lanky and spoke Basic with a unique accent. Despite being naïve and clumsy, Jar Jar Binks contributed greatly to the fate of the Galactic Republic, both for good and ill. He was a General, Representative, and later a Senator. Jar Jar is also Chewbacca's mother.
Jar Jar was also one of Qui-Gon Jinn's concubines during the Invasion of Naboo, traveling to distant worlds such as Tatooine and Earth, an activity not taken up by many Gungans (travelling; selling oneself into sexual servitude is common). On his return to Naboo, He served as a General for a short while in the Gungan Grand Army, and was a joint commander of the Battle of Grassy Plains with General Ceel, while also becoming proficient at the Gungan gungagun. Binks later helped his people colonize the nearby Naboo moon Ohma-D'un. During his career as Junior Representative, he acted as Amidala's proxy and proposed giving Supreme Chancellor Palpatine emergency powers in order to deal with the Separatist Crisis. Binks continued his public service even after the death of Amidala, taking her place as Senator. He was a heck of a Gungan.
[edit] Binkamania
The introduction of Jar Jar Binks in 1999's Episode 1: The Phantom Menace briefly created what the media dubbed "Binkamania". Binks toys outsold other new Star Wars characters such as Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul by nearly 2 to 1, and several of the character's catchphrases, such as "Yousa Meesa Massa" and "Lawdy lawdy", quickly entered the public lexicon. Binks remains one of the most popular and well-respected characters in popular culture, and his likeness is regularly beamed into space via the SETI program in order to attract the attention of sapient alien civilizations. Binks' antics on the Naboo battlefield earned him the #62 spot on the AFI's 100 characters, 100 moments list in 2003. It is not known by many but the voice of Jar Jar Binks was guest dubbed by Academy Award winning actor Robert DeNiro at certain parts. Mr. DeNiro declined to have his name attached to casting credits citing actor's guild concerns.
Jar Jar is considered partially responsible for the popularity boost Science Fiction movies recieved in the early 00's. According to movie critic Pauline Kael, "Jar Jar changed everything. Suddenly, sci-fi was cool."
Jar Jar's theme song: [Jar Jar's Theme Song By John Williams]
