Connect with us

25 Years after Phantom Menace, Jar Jar Binks Actor Ahmed Best Reflects on the Power of Redemption

What does it look like to be a better human on the internet? Explore this question with host Dylan Marron as he revisits the story of Jar Jar Binks — 25 years after the premiere of Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. In this six-part journey through the early internet, he sits down with…

Published

on

What does it look like to be a better human on the internet? Explore this question with host Dylan Marron as he revisits the story of Jar Jar Binks — 25 years after the premiere of Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. In this six-part journey through the early internet, he sits down with actor Ahmed Best to learn more about how the character and the actor who played him became the targets of one of the first-ever online hate campaigns.

You may think you know this story — but there’s way more beneath the surface. Listen to “The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks” wherever you get your podcasts:

Continue Reading
Advertisement
22 Comments

22 Comments

  1. @munashetanguay

    May 3, 2024 at 12:55 pm

    This thread is a testament to the power of dialogue to inspire, educate, and unite.????

  2. @1hjehje

    May 3, 2024 at 1:02 pm

    I liked the Jar Jar Binks character.

    • @cameronvincent

      May 3, 2024 at 5:18 pm

      He was my favourite character as a kid

  3. @pluribus_unum

    May 3, 2024 at 1:05 pm

    What a great perspective. Inspiring, unflinching, a[nd] patriotic all at once. Bravo.

  4. @wireup4321

    May 3, 2024 at 1:11 pm

    Boooooo jar jar ….

  5. @IMP3TIGO

    May 3, 2024 at 1:41 pm

    In retrospect, Jar Jar is the best part of The Phantom Menace.

    • @xensonar9652

      May 3, 2024 at 2:07 pm

      No.

  6. @thinkbeyond3457

    May 3, 2024 at 2:19 pm

    Jar Jar is still super lame, but I don’t blame Ahmed for that at all. At the end of the day it’s George Lucas in creative control.

  7. @galaxy_mosaic3587

    May 3, 2024 at 2:23 pm

    for some reason I had thought Jar Jar had been CGI… but the actor is thoughtful and his facial characteristics do look like Jar Jar… I guess it was a well designed costume

  8. @KuroGR

    May 3, 2024 at 3:48 pm

    This short shows that it takes a really intelligent man to deliver a really Great simple minded being act❤

  9. @stevejamson

    May 3, 2024 at 8:03 pm

    The only thing I cannot get past is that this black actor must have read the script and the words he had to deliver, “meesah this, meesah that”. Did he not realise at the time that this was a racist parody of black slaves? This was a despicable caricature of that. And i’m a white guy from Britain who had the sense to realise this. So why did he take the part? Out of blind ignorance?

  10. @zoo-xibbitjayne2081

    May 3, 2024 at 9:04 pm

    Wonder why they bring in two star wars actors? Hmmm… Who are the ‘mord sith’ going to try to redeem? Biden? Trump? Net the yahoo? Chessmen, ten moves ahead….

  11. @thomasw4422

    May 4, 2024 at 2:25 am

    Darth Jar Jar would have been the best twist i still believe this

  12. @Be.Sm_art

    May 4, 2024 at 3:03 am

    Interesting poin ????

  13. @Glennsharpe0516

    May 4, 2024 at 3:53 am

    25 years?! Twenty five?! I’m getting up there

  14. @jeremymr

    May 4, 2024 at 1:48 pm

    When I was a kid, Jar Jar was my favorite Star Wars character. George Lucas just wanted to make a weird awkward alien like Goofy for a bit of comic relief and specifically making kids laugh. And I was one of those kids who laughed. I had a Jar Jar action figure from Taco Bell I carried with me everywhere for a good chunk of my childhood. To this day my entire perception of Jar Jar is still positive. If you erased him from the prequels, the prequels would have lost something. A little bit of wackiness is part of the DNA of what makes Star Wars what it is. All the allegations about stuff like racial stereotypes is people projecting stuff about earth prejudice onto another galaxy that wasn’t intended by the makers at all. To quote Ahmed Best, “Back in the day, Chewbacca was seen as the Black character… And then Yoda was ridiculed for being an Asian stereotype. Then the Neimoidians were ridiculed for being an Asian stereotype. ‘Star Wars’ has had a history of being a lightning rod. That’s because it’s so successful.” Thank you Ahmed and thank you George.

  15. @SaurabhKumar-hg7uu

    May 6, 2024 at 4:09 am

    Karm करो
    fal ki chinta na karo

  16. @SaurabhKumar-hg7uu

    May 6, 2024 at 4:09 am

    ❤❤❤

  17. @SaurabhKumar-hg7uu

    May 6, 2024 at 4:09 am

    I love @TED❤❤

  18. @shady8479

    May 6, 2024 at 5:34 pm

    I loved JarJar such a sweety nutty creature

  19. @leyubar1

    May 8, 2024 at 7:29 pm

    OMG!!! I still think of those three as the new ones

  20. @InspireTEDOfficial

    May 11, 2024 at 6:12 am

    nice

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Science & Technology

Investors Are Asking AI About Your Startup

What does ChatGPT say about your startup? Dr. Eike Gerhardt explains why founders should think about what LLMs will find when investors use AI to research their companies. Watch the full episode of Build Mode with Eike and Nephrogen founder Demetri Maxim for more advice on building a stronger investor pitch.

Published

on

What does ChatGPT say about your startup?

Dr. Eike Gerhardt explains why founders should think about what LLMs will find when investors use AI to research their companies.

Watch the full episode of Build Mode with Eike and Nephrogen founder Demetri Maxim for more advice on building a stronger investor pitch.

Continue Reading

Science & Technology

A PhD in Pitching Breaks Down a Startup Battlefield Pitch l Build Mode

There is no such thing as the perfect pitch. But you can get close by implementing a few research-backed methods to your delivery, deck, and message. In this episode of Build Mode, host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Dr. Eike Gerhardt, who has aPhD in pitching and spent nearly a decade studying the science of…

Published

on

There is no such thing as the perfect pitch. But you can get close by implementing a few research-backed methods to your delivery, deck, and message.

In this episode of Build Mode, host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Dr. Eike Gerhardt, who has aPhD in pitching and spent nearly a decade studying the science of startup pitching before starting Autopoiesis Sciences. And he’s joined by Demetri Maxim, co-founder and CEO of Nephrogen, who came in second at TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 2025.

Together, they break down Demetri’s actual Startup Battlefield pitch to unpack what worked, what could be improved, and what research tells us about how investors respond to founders. Eike explains why credibility signals matter, how technical founders can simplify without oversimplifying, and why Q&A should be treated as a second pitch. Demetri shares how he learned to explain complex biotech to generalist investors, how redesigning his deck changed his confidence onstage, and what he would do differently today.
They also explore how body language and authenticity affect a pitch, how investor questions can reveal bias, and how founders can use AI to prepare for difficult Q&A.

Here are the studies mentioned in the episode:
Kanze, D., Huang, L., Conley, M. A., & Higgins, E. T. (2018). “We Ask Men to Win and Women Not to Lose: Closing the Gender Gap in Startup Funding.” Academy of Management Journal
Figge, P., Graf-Vlachy, L., König, A., Demann, F., & Diessner, M. (2025). “Shades of Grey or Black and White? How Entrepreneurs’ Use of Cognitively Complex Language Affects Investor Funding.” Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice
Clarke, J. S., Cornelissen, J. P., & Healey, M. P. (2019). “Actions Speak Louder than Words: How Figurative Language and Gesturing in Entrepreneurial Pitches Influences Investment Judgments.” Academy of Management Journal
Jiang, L., Yin, D., & Liu, D. (2019). “Can Joy Buy You Money? The Impact of the Strength, Duration, and Phases of an Entrepreneur’s Peak Displayed Joy on Funding Performance.” Academy of Management Journal.
Chen, X.-P., Yao, X., & Kotha, S. (2009). “Entrepreneur Passion and Preparedness in Business Plan Presentations: A Persuasion Analysis of Venture Capitalists’ Funding Decisions.” Academy of Management Journal
Zhu, L. Y., Young, M. J., & Bauman, C. W. (2024). “Linking Anxiety to Passion: Emotion Regulation and Entrepreneurs’ Pitch Performance.” Journal of Business Venturing
Allison, T. H., Davis, B. C., Webb, J. W., & Short, J. C. (2017). “Persuasion in Crowdfunding: An Elaboration Likelihood Model of Crowdfunding Performance.” Journal of Business Venturing
Clark, C. (2008). “The Impact of Entrepreneurs’ Oral ‘Pitch’ Presentation Skills on Business Angels’ Initial Screening Investment Decisions.” Venture Capital

Subscribe to Build Mode:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Wherever you like to listen
New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday.

Continue Reading

Bloomberg Technology

Uber, Wayve Unleash Supervised Robotaxis in London

Uber now lets you book a robotaxi in London — but you’ll still be joined by a human in the front seat. Olivia Solon explains why. ——– Like this video? Subscribe to Bloomberg Technology on YouTube:   Watch the latest full episodes of “Bloomberg Technology” with Caroline Hyde and Ed Ludlow here:   Get the…

Published

on

Uber now lets you book a robotaxi in London — but you’ll still be joined by a human in the front seat.

Olivia Solon explains why.
——–
Like this video? Subscribe to Bloomberg Technology on YouTube:

 
Watch the latest full episodes of “Bloomberg Technology” with Caroline Hyde and Ed Ludlow here:

 
Get the latest in tech from Silicon Valley and around the world here:

Connect with us on…
X:
Facebook:
Instagram:
 
Follow Ed Ludlow on X here:
Follow Caroline Hyde on X here:
 
Listen to the daily Bloomberg Technology podcast here:

 
More from Bloomberg Business
Connect with us on…
X:
Facebook:
Instagram:
LinkedIn:
TikTok:

Continue Reading

Trending