Jar Jar Binks' Dad Has A Messed Up Backstory

thegamer.com:

Jar Jar is… well, not exactly a beloved Star Wars character, but one that the series had a habit of returning to in unexpected ways. Outside of the prequel series, Jar Jar appeared in 13 episodes of The Clone Wars TV show, several Star Wars novels, and even appeared in 2008's Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, where we learn Jar Jar was at one point frozen in carbonite by an Imperial officer.

He would also appear in several comic strips, one of which revealed Jar Jar’s terrible family life before he became a revered senator. Star Wars Tales’ June 2004 issue told the tale of George R. Binks, Jar Jar’s unhappy father who at one point was brought so low by his son’s clumsiness that he even attempted suicide.

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In the comic strip, Jar Jar, George, and Jar Jar’s mother (who remains completely unnamed) go on a whaling expedition. Thanks to a series of navigational errors, Jar Jar steers the ship into a whale, wrecking the ship and stranding the whole family on a deserted island for over a month. After spending a month on an island with Jar Jar, George took out his blaster and aimed it at his own head.

George’s wife (whose only relevance to the plot is this one scene) begs him to reconsider, reminding him of everything he has to live for. As soon as she mentions Jar Jar as one of these things, George pulls the trigger. Perhaps exposing a genetic lineage to Jar Jar’s clumsiness, George’s shot only grazes his skull, knocking him unconscious.

If you’re thinking that George is meant to be a sympathetic character, don’t. The comic also reveals George as an unkind man who leaves his first wife, Sheebla (who is apparently important enough to have a name), after finding out