Jar Jar Binks has long been the punching bag of the Star Wars fandom, but a long-lost deleted scene from Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith suggests the clumsy Gungan was far more pivotal to the Empire's rise than anyone realized. According to actor Ahmed Best, the scene — which has never been included on any home video release — shows Emperor Palpatine personally thanking Jar Jar for his unwitting help in dismantling the Jedi Order.
Best revealed the details during an interview on the Heroes Journey podcast, explaining that the sequence was set shortly after the Galactic Empire was declared. In it, Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) acknowledges Jar Jar's role in granting him emergency powers — a vote that ultimately led to the creation of the Grand Army of the Republic and the execution of Order 66. While a treasure trove of deleted scenes from the first six Star Wars films was included on a 2012 Blu-ray set, this particular moment was conspicuously absent.
Jar Jar's Unseen Villainous Turn
Though Jar Jar's screen time was drastically reduced after The Phantom Menace — he had only two speaking scenes in Attack of the Clones and a brief cameo in Revenge of the Sith — his political manipulation was always baked into the prequel trilogy's DNA. In Attack of the Clones, Jar Jar is tricked into proposing a vote that gives Supreme Chancellor Palpatine emergency powers, a move that allows him to create the Clone Army. The deleted scene would have made that manipulation explicit, showing Palpatine rewarding Jar Jar for his blind loyalty.
Best's revelation adds a layer of tragedy to the character. Jar Jar, who was friends with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, likely had no idea he was being used. After Order 66, he never reconnected with the Jedi, and it's possible he believed Palpatine's propaganda that the Jedi had tried to overthrow the Republic. Later canon material reveals that Jar Jar was eventually exiled by his own people for his role in the Empire's creation, but the deleted scene suggests he may have had more agency — or at least more awareness — than previously thought.
A Complex Legacy
George Lucas originally planned a larger arc for Jar Jar, but the intense backlash after The Phantom Menace forced a course correction. Still, the character's journey is a fascinating study in how the dark side exploits innocence. Qui-Gon Jinn's kindness turned Jar Jar into a hero on Naboo, but Palpatine weaponized his gullibility to destroy the Republic. In that sense, Jar Jar is a tragic figure — a pawn in a game he never understood.
Fans hoping to see the deleted scene may be waiting a while. Nothing was released during Revenge of the Sith's 20th anniversary in 2025, and Lucasfilm has shown no signs of unearthing it. However, with the prequel trilogy enjoying a renaissance among younger fans, there's renewed interest in Jar Jar's story. Best himself returned to the Star Wars universe in The Mandalorian season 3, playing a new Jedi character. Could a proper resolution for Jar Jar be on the horizon? Only time — and perhaps a future deleted scene release — will tell.
For now, the mystery of Jar Jar Binks' secret Empire connection remains one of Star Wars' most tantalizing what-ifs. It's a reminder that even the most hated characters can have hidden depths — and that sometimes, the most important scenes are the ones we never get to see.
