Alright, so the last time we see Jar Jar on-screen is during Padmé’s funeral. But what happens after that? Turns out, he ends up as a street performer on Naboo. Yep, the guy who gave Palpatine emergency powers—the one move that led to the fall of the Republic—is doing clown shows in Theed.
There’s more to this story, though. Let me break it down for you, including how he got exiled and his unexpected redemption arc.
Let’s get into it.
Why Jar Jar Binks Faced Exile
Here’s where it all starts: Jar Jar’s mistake. If you’re not familiar with the details, here’s a quick recap.
During the Clone Wars, Jar Jar was manipulated by Palpatine into proposing emergency executive powers in the Senate. This move let Palpatine create the Grand Army of the Republic and, well, eventually turn into Emperor Palpatine.
It didn’t take long for the galaxy to figure this out, and Jar Jar became public enemy #1. Everyone blamed him for the Empire’s rise. His career? Over. His reputation? Shredded.
Want the full backstory? This video covers it:
A Performer in Exile
After Padmé’s funeral, things went from bad to worse for Jar Jar. People on Naboo blamed him for everything that went wrong. It didn’t matter that he became Senator of Naboo—he was still hated.
Eventually, they exiled him and replaced him with Pooja Naberrie (Padmé’s niece). Fast forward to after the Battle of Endor, and Jar Jar’s back on Naboo, but not in politics. Instead, he’s doing street performances in Theed.
Kids loved his silly, clumsy antics, but the adults? Not so much. Both Gungans and the people of Naboo couldn’t forget what he’d done. They wouldn’t even say his name. Imagine being that infamous.
Jar Jar and Mapo: A Redemption Arc?
After the Empire’s rise, Jar Jar Binks became a public outcast. His role in helping give emergency powers to Palpatine wasn’t forgotten. Most people saw him as a joke at best, a traitor at worst. By the time we see him again—in the novel Empire’s End: Aftermath—he’s no longer a senator. He’s performing tricks on the streets of Naboo.
That’s where he meets Mapo, a disfigured, war-scarred orphan who feels like he doesn’t belong anywhere. And in a way, Jar Jar relates to that. They’re both outsiders, both marked by the war in different ways. When Mapo tells Jar Jar that no one wants to talk to him, Jar Jar doesn’t try to explain it away. He just listens. And then, he offers to teach the kid how to clown.
It’s not redemption. There’s no grand speech or applause. But for the first time in a long while, Jar Jar finds someone who sees him as more than a failure. And in turn, he gives that kid a reason to smile again.
So that’s where Jar Jar ends up: not a hero, not a villain—just a broken soul trying to bring joy to someone even more lost than he is. From Gungan general to Galactic Senator to street clown, it’s a tragic ending. But not without a little hope.
A Gungan Skull in Andor Raises Questions About Jar Jar’s Final Fate
In Andor Season 2, we catch a glimpse of something strange in Luthen Rael’s shop—a Gungan skull, mounted and marked with a Sith emblem carved into the bone. It’s easy to miss, but once we spot it, we can’t help but wonder what it means. There’s no name, no context—but knowing Jar Jar’s history, it’s hard not to connect the dots.
By this point in the timeline, 0 BBY, Jar Jar would be old or dead. Empire’s End places him on Naboo shortly after the fall of the Empire, but Andor takes place years earlier. If this skull is more than just decoration, it raises an unsettling possibility: could this be Jar Jar himself?
It could also be symbolic. Maybe it’s not Jar Jar. Maybe it’s just a Gungan. But the presence of the Sith marking suggests someone viewed this creature as connected to the fall of the Republic—a reminder, a warning, or something more personal.
Nothing in canon confirms it. But in a show as heavy as Andor, a quiet death offscreen might be the most Star Wars thing that ever happened to him.