Origin of Darth Jar Jar

Question

I've seen numerous theories and fan posters of Darth Jar Jar i.e the sith form of Jar Jar Binks.

Now was Darth Jar Jar actually real? I mean was it something that the people at LucasFilms actually thought of or was it just another fan made theory.

Answer 1

It's purely a fan theory.

The theory that Jar Jar Binks is a powerful dark side user originated in a 2015 post by Reddit user Lumpawarroo. I expect other people joked about it before then but the modern "Darth Jar Jar" idea all tracks back to that post. It compiles "evidence" that Jar Jar was a Sith lord working with Palpatine and that his slapstick comedy antics were, in fact, deliberate and subtle machinations to bring about the rise of the Empire.

They suggest that Lucas originally planned to reveal Jar Jar as a villain in Episode II or III but that the backlash to the character made him change his mind and invent Count Dooku instead. They speculate (since this was just before the release of The Force Awakens) that the new creative team would revive this supposed plan and that Supreme Leader Snoke was actually Jar Jar Binks.

Snoke obviously didn't turn out to be Jar Jar but there's also no real evidence that the theory is, or was ever intended to be, true. Everything in the Reddit post is circumstantial and presented somewhat tongue-in-cheek, which is how the majority of the fandom took it.

We know a lot of behind-the-scenes information about the production of the prequels and both Lucas and actor Ahmed Best have spoken candidly about the character and the response to him in recent years. While later appearances have added depth and even some tragedy to him, nothing and no one connected to the film has ever seriously suggested that Jar Jar was intended to be any more than the comic relief he appears to be.

Answer 2

Darth Jar Jar was simply a fan theory for fun in the wake of The Force Awakens. It was however very meticulously researched and based on a few interesting pieces of evidence.

Fighting Style

While Jar Jar seemed to be a clumsy idiot, he proved quite effective in the Battle of Naboo. Many compared his "fighting" style to the 'Drunken Boxing' or 'Drunken Fist' style of martial arts, causing some to say he was a very experience fighter and warrior, masquerading as a clumsy fool.

Lucas' Plans

In a video recorded during the making of The Phantom Mencace George Lucas was recorded saying:

"Jar Jar's the key to all this, if we get Jar Jar working...”

He was referring to him not only being a full CGI character, but also him being much gooffier than any previous Star Wars character. Some fans used this as proof showing that he was hinging the whole trilogy on Jar Jar being the primary antagonist, and only changed after the character was poorly received.

This theory has never been confirmed by anyone at Lucasfilm but it is funny to see how much 'evidence' has been built up around this theory.