George Lucas names his “favourite” character from ‘Star Wars’
As the creator of Star Wars, George Lucas has been responsible for conjuring up some of the most significant facets of the science fiction genre. After all, the legendary sci-fi franchise, which began with the first movie in 1977, has gone on to become one of the most memorable pop cultural phenomena of all time.
The original trilogy introduced the world to the battle of the Sith and Jedi and the conflict between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire while the second trilogy of the late 1990s and early 2000s continued the space-faring narrative. Since then, several movies, TV shows, video games and even theme parks have been made with the Star Wars story and ethos at their heart.
Perhaps what’s most important about Star Wars, though, are the characters that occupy its universe and the movie series is absolutely littered with iconic fictional figures, including Han Solo, Chewbacca, Obi Wan Kenobi, Chewbacca, Yoda, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, to mention just a few of the funny space fellows.
Such characters raise the question of just who George Lucas considers his favourite Star Wars character of all time and thankfully, the director once stated a surprising figure who occupies the position closest to his heart. Jar Jar Binks, who first arrived in Episode I – The Phantom Menace is easily considered one of the most hated characters in the entire Star Wars franchise, but Lucas actually considers him as his favourite figure.
Back in 2019, at the 20th-anniversary celebration for The Phantom Menace, Lucas had noted (via Gizmodo), “The Phantom Menace is one of my favourite movies, and of course, Jar Jar is my favourite character.” Lucas went on to add that Ahmed Best, who voiced Jar Jar, did a “fantastic job” in what he felt was a “very, very hard” challenge to stand up to.
Jar Jar was the first completely computer-generated supporting character in a live-action film, and he was largely included in The Phantom Menace to provide comic relief. However, the character was met with widespread criticism, particularly because it was felt that he was a stereotype of black people, something that personally hurt Ahmed Best, who rejected the idea.
Those who had experienced The Phantom Menace and the subsequent prequel movies as children seem to have a different opinion of Jar Jar, just like Lucas does. “It’s funny, I mean, the fans hated it, but the fans hated Jar Jar before the movie even came out, before they even knew what he was,” Lucas had once noted during a conversation with Robin Williams.
According to Lucas, audiences and critics simply don’t like “comic sidekicks”, much in the way that C-3PO and even Yoda were lambasted during the original trilogy’s release. “It’s sort of inevitable that the smallest, goofiest character just gets despised,” Lucas added, showing that he was willing to defend his creation to the death.
So while Jar Jar, and even The Phantom Menace, which itself is considered one of the worst Star Wars movies ever made, Lucas found great pride in the fact that he managed to deliver a completely CGI-designed character for the big screen. In addition, even though Episode I was reviled by many, the film still has its fans, those who stand by its quality even today against the roaring backlash and Lucas was sure to admit his “love” for such champions of it.
