Jar Jar Binks’ secret identity as a Sith Lord is grounded in the fact that he and Emperor Palpatine are from the same planet, raising the possibility they knew one another before the events of “Episode I.” A secret collaboration between the two could explain both Jar Jar helping elect Palpatine to his leadership position and the fact that Palpatine still hangs out with Jar Jar after he becomes the leader of the Galactic Senate.
Also supporting this theory is the notion that George Lucas wanted the prequel trilogy to mirror the original trilogy and may have set up the Gungan to be a reverse Yoda. Of course, Yoda appears to be a bumbling eccentric when Luke (Mark Hamill) first meets him, paving the way for Jar Jar to hide unexpected depths similar to Yoda’s. The backlash against Jar Jar caused George Lucas to back out of his initial plan to reveal Jar Jar’s evil powers, the theory goes on to argue.
This argument continues to inspire online discussion years after it first hit the internet. In fact, Ahmed Best himself has touched on the theory in multiple interviews. While he doesn’t think Disney will ever canonize Darth Jar Jar, he hinted that there were once greater plans for his character, lending some credence to the theory without quite confirming specifics.
