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 *

People & Blogs

The U.S. workforce was not built for the AI disruption, but there’s still time to prepare #TEDTalks

The United States is on track to win the AI race — and hollow itself out in the process, says Gina Raimondo, former Governor of Rhode Island and US Secretary of Commerce. In this unflinching look at the threat of AI-induced economic disruption and social unrest, she offers a concrete blueprint to prepare workers for…

Published

on

The United States is on track to win the AI race — and hollow itself out in the process, says Gina Raimondo, former Governor of Rhode Island and US Secretary of Commerce. In this unflinching look at the threat of AI-induced economic disruption and social unrest, she offers a concrete blueprint to prepare workers for what’s coming next. “AI is a 100-year technology and needs a 100-year response,” she says. Is America up to the challenge?

Continue Reading

Science & Technology

The Nurse Who Can Smell Parkinson’s | Joy Milne | TED

What does Parkinson’s smell like? Ask nurse Joy Milne. Born with a hypersensitive nose, she spent a lifetime learning to recognize diseases through their scents. When she smelled Parkinson’s on her husband years before his diagnosis, she decided to put her gift to the test. Today, her extraordinary nose has been translated into a non-invasive…

Published

on

What does Parkinson’s smell like? Ask nurse Joy Milne. Born with a hypersensitive nose, she spent a lifetime learning to recognize diseases through their scents. When she smelled Parkinson’s on her husband years before his diagnosis, she decided to put her gift to the test. Today, her extraordinary nose has been translated into a non-invasive test — helping researchers diagnose what was right under their noses all along. (Recorded at TEDxManchester on March 4, 2023)

Join us in person at a TED conference:
Become a TED Member to support our mission:
Subscribe to a TED newsletter:

Follow TED!
Instagram:
LinkedIn:
TikTok:
Facebook:
X:

The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less) — plus originals, podcasts and exclusive content. Look for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design as well as science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit for our entire library, transcripts, translations and personalized recommendations.

Watch more:

TED videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with the TED Talks Usage Policy: . For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), submit a request at

#TED #TEDTalks #Health

Continue Reading

CNET

This Robot Looks Right Out of Star Wars

The $25,000 Tron 1 from LimX Dynamics looks like a mini AT-ST from Star Wars: here’s what it actually can do. 00:00 – Introducing the Star Wars-inspired Tron 00:11 – Durability and Speed Testing 00:34 – Real-World Applications: Deliveries and Inspections 01:15 – Autonomous Tours and Human Interaction 01:32 – Photobot: Autonomous Photography 01:55 –…

Published

on

The $25,000 Tron 1 from LimX Dynamics looks like a mini AT-ST from Star Wars: here’s what it actually can do.

00:00 – Introducing the Star Wars-inspired Tron
00:11 – Durability and Speed Testing
00:34 – Real-World Applications: Deliveries and Inspections
01:15 – Autonomous Tours and Human Interaction
01:32 – Photobot: Autonomous Photography
01:55 – Pricing and Future Outlook

Add CNET as a trusted news source
Never miss a deal again! See CNET’s browser extension 👉
Check out CNET’s Amazon Storefront:
Subscribe to CNET on YouTube:
Follow us on TikTok:
Follow us on Instagram:
Follow us on Bluesky:
Like us on Facebook:
CNET’s AI Atlas:
Follow us on X:
Visit CNET.com:

Continue Reading

Trending