Published Feb 14, 2026, 7:00 PM EST
Since 2019, Kevin Erdmann has been one of Screen Rant's Senior Staff Writers, covering all kinds of Superhero and Star Wars media with Easter egg breakdowns, theory pieces, breaking news, and more. A huge Star Wars & MCU fan, Kevin also loves Batman (because he's Batman), but could talk for hours about why Nightwing is DC's greatest hero.
With 8 years of total experience covering entertainment and pop culture, Kevin has gotten the chance to interview top creatives and talent, and has also attended major media events like Disney's D23 convention.
Majoring in Cinema Studies with a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife, adorable dog, and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise.
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Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: Jar Jar #1
For years, Jar Jar Binks had long been the punchline of the Star Wars saga. Beyond serving as controversial comic relief in The Phantom Menace, Jar Jar was also manipulated into helping Palpatine's rise to power. However, a brand-new and canonical Star Wars story reveals just how pivotal Jar Jar was to the foundations of the Rebel Alliance.
In an all-new story written in part by Jar Jar Binks and Kelleran Beq actor Ahmed Best, Star Wars: Jar Jar #1 gives Binks what is easily his finest hour in the Star Wars galaxy. Not only did Jar Jar ensure the survival of the Jedi, but he also kick-started a crucial element that led to the creation of the Rebellion itself.
Star Wars Reveals Jar Jar's Secret Role In The Rebellion's Origins
After Jar Jar proposed granting Palpatine emergency powers in Attack of the Clones, mining operations on Urubai expanded with little oversight, massively destabilizing the planet. That crisis led Jedi Master Kelleran Beq to recruit Jar Jar as a representative to help address the fallout in Jar Jar #1.
However, the stakes further pick up following the reveal that a rare crystal was discovered with the potential to serve as the basis for a secure and private communications network, one beyond the Republic or Separatists' surveillance (including the future Empire). After learning that bounty hunters had been hired to take out the woman behind the new network, Beq and Jar Jar worked together to save her life.
In the aftermath, Jar Jar met with Palpatine on behalf of Urubai. Following their tense meeting, Jar Jar committed to establishing not only a secret radio network, but also working with Beq to create a network of unseen agents across the galaxy to oppose either the Separatists or for when the Republic fully oversteps its bounds (which of course, it does).
As a result, the exciting implication is clear: Jar Jar Binks played a founding role in the crucial galaxy-wide intelligence web later used by figures like Andor's Luthen Rael and early Rebel cells that eventually became the Rebel Alliance.
Without Jar Jar Binks, The Future Of The Jedi Would Have Been Different, Too
The major reveals don't stop there. After all, the rescued engineer is revealed to be Mira Bridger, mother of future Jedi Ezra Bridger, who we already knew broadcast illegal anti-Imperial messages with her husband before their deaths.
Likewise, Ezra himself would become instrumental in solidifying the early Alliance while also removing Grand Admiral Thrawn as a major Imperial threat just before the original trilogy (though Ezra and Thrawn have both recently returned to the Star Wars galaxy during the New Republic Era, as seen in 2023's Ahsoka).
As if that wasn't enough, this new Star Wars issue also confirms it was indeed Jar Jar’s Naboo cruiser that allowed Kelleran Beq and Grogu to escape Coruscant during Order 66, confirming several Mandalorian season 3 theories.
Without Jar Jar’s ship, Grogu may not have survived the Jedi Purge. Without Jar Jar securing the private communications network, the Rebellion might never have unified. Without Jar Jar saving Mira, Ezra Bridger would have never existed. For a character who's long been mocked, this issue is without a doubt Jar Jar Binks' finest hour, and who better to help tell that story than Ahmed Best himself.
Star Wars: Jar Jar #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.
Movie(s) Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order
Character(s) Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Rey Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Inquisitor, Reva (The Third Sister), The Fifth Brother, The Seventh Sister, The Eighth Brother, Yoda, Din Djarin, Grogu, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
English (US) ·