Jar-Jar Binks Actor Ahmed Best Explains What Disney’s Iteration Of Star Wars Is Missing
Star Wars actor Ahmed Best, who played Jar-Jar Binks in the prequel trilogy and will play a Jedi Master in the upcoming Jedi Temple Challenge show on Disney Plus, discussed the current struggles of Star Wars and specifically pointed out one of the biggest parts of Star Wars that is missing in Disney’s sequel films.
Best appeared on Jamie Stangroom’s YouTube channel where he discussed the upcoming Jedi Temple Challenge show, his role as Jar-Jar Binks, and even rumors surrounding the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
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When asked about how Jedi Temple Challenge is geared towards introducing kids to the Star Wars universe, Best detailed some of the current struggles of the Star Wars universe.
Best explains, “A big deal for me was to be able to give kids something to, and this is the thing that Star Wars, I think, is falling short of now. There really isn’t very much to believe in anymore.”
He adds, “The lack of faith is really the thing I find to be missing. We don’t talk about the Force anymore in the Star Wars movies. We are really about lineage, and legacy, and lying, and technology.”
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Best continues, “But the thing that makes Star Wars work was the Force. There were two sides the Light Side and the Dark Side. But we all believed in the Force. It’s not this thing that you have to cultivate. It’s not this thing that you have to have faith in and believe in. And that’s what worked in the Lucasverse when it came to Star Wars.”
“So Jedi Temple Challenge it brings back this idea that we all have levels of connection to the Force. And you can actually grow your connection to the Force and it can become stronger through these trials at this temple,” explains Best.
He then points to Empire Strikes Back and Luke’s training with Yoda to deepen his connection with the Force.
“All of those things that Yoda did with Luke Skywalker on Dagobah in the swamp, this is where it was first. You’ve got to get good here. And I dig that. I like that. It’s something that I think would be wonderful for kids because now there is a path to this thing. Now you have a line to get to become a strong Jedi. Now, there are actual steps you can take to being a strong Jedi. It gives you belief and faith.”
Stangroom then adds, “You gotta earn your right, you gotta earn that power to flip a ship in the palm of your hands.”
“You can’t just grab a ship in the sky just cause. You gotta work on that,” responds Best.
His response is an obvious reference to Rey’s advanced Force abilities in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker where she and Kylo Ren battle using the Force over a ship that Rey suspects has captured Chewbacca.
https://youtu.be/ZQaschk1Y08
Best’s description of the Force and how Jedi trained for years to understand it and be able to work with it echoes how George Lucas described it.
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Lucas detailed that anyone was able to hook into the Force, a point made abundantly clear in the first Star Wars film when Obi-Wan Kenobi describes it to Luke Skywalker telling him, “The Force is what gives the Jedi his power. It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, it penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together.”
When asked by Jon Kasdan about the Force and who can hook into it, Lucas stated, “Yes, everybody can do it.”
Kasdan then asked, “Not just the Jedi?” Lucas responded, “It’s just the Jedi who take the time to do it.”
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He then went on to explain, “Like yoga. If you want to take the time to do it, you can do it; but the ones that really want to do it are the ones who are into that kind of thing. Also like karate.”
It’s why Luke needed to train with Yoda on Dagobah before he could face the Emperor. It’s also why he was roundly defeated by Darth Vader in Empire Strikes Back because he had not completed his training.
What do you make of Best’s comments? Do you agree with him?
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