60 acast.com The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks https://audiocollective.ted.com en TED Jar Jar Binks is the most hated character in the Star Wars franchise, but whatever became of the man who played him? Hating Jar Jar Binks sets out to explore the aftermath of a widespread hate campaign that united the internet against a young, talented Black actor getting his big break in a blockbuster franchise long before we spoke of toxic fandoms, cancel culture, and online mobs. On May 19th, 1999 the world was introduced to a goofy CGI sidekick in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Jar Jar Binks was written as comedic relief, but fans of the franchise quickly turned on the character and he soon became the most hated in the Star Wars universe. Legions of fans united in their distaste for this new addition to the canon. Some criticized him for being too annoying, while others cited the offensive ways the role was a Black caricature. As is custom with the internet, all of that hate blended together and was directed at one person: Ahmed Best, the up-and-coming actor who thought he was hitting the big time, but was instead driven to contemplate suicide. Hating Jar Jar Binks goes on a quest to find out what went wrong, how it happened, and where Ahmed Best is today. Framed around interviews with Best, the show is less about finding the actor and more about telling a story that has been, until now, a mere footnote in the preface of Internet Culture. Star Wars creatives, die hard fans, leaders of the anti-Jar Jar campaign, social psychologists, and Best himself will create the quilt of interviews that piece together this missing story. The story of Jar Jar Binks and Ahmed Best should have been a harbinger of things to come, a warning sign, but instead it was treated as an entertaining, perhaps even deserved, reckoning. But this twenty year old story is just as relevant today in an era when the internet seems to produce a new person to hate every day, a new Jar Jar—a digital facade, obscuring the human beneath.

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]]> false TED info+67045a4aaa9d704b1e94f29b@mg-eu.acast.com 67045a4aaa9d704b1e94f29b the-redemption-of-jar-jar-binks serial https://assets.pippa.io/shows/67045a4aaa9d704b1e94f29b/show-cover.png https://audiocollective.ted.com The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks The Moth Podcast: Star Wars The Moth Podcast: Star Wars Mon, 06 May 2024 16:00:00 GMT 39:18 prx_3591_f7e535b8-7011-4a8f-8593-0c2694735c41 false 67045a4cc88f09c3e0161d91 67045a4aaa9d704b1e94f29b prx_3591_f7e535b8-7011-4a8f-8593-0c2694735c41 full

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]]> Episode 6: Redemption Episode 6: Redemption Wed, 02 Aug 2023 04:00:00 GMT 35:15 1000618533959 false https://audiocollective.ted.com 67045a4cc88f09c3e0161d92 67045a4aaa9d704b1e94f29b 1000618533959 Two decades after The Phantom Menace premiered, the world is finally reconsidering how it treated Ahmed Best and the character he brought to life. But back in our galaxy, are we doomed to stay on the dark side of internet culture? Or is it not too late to full 1 6 go.ted.com/jarjar

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]]> Episode 5: The Most Loving Story Episode 5: The Most Loving Story Wed, 26 Jul 2023 04:00:00 GMT 33:01 1000618533745 false https://audiocollective.ted.com 67045a4cc88f09c3e0161d93 67045a4aaa9d704b1e94f29b 1000618533745 In the wake of the anti-Jar Jar backlash, Ahmed begins to rebuild his life. In the meantime, we try to make sense of internet hate by talking to one of the original Jar Jar haters: the person who created The Jar Jar Hate Page. Transcripts for The Redempti full 1 5 go.ted.com/jarjar

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]]> Episode 4: The Hardest Part Episode 4: The Hardest Part Wed, 19 Jul 2023 04:00:00 GMT 37:38 1000618533706 false https://audiocollective.ted.com 67045a4cc88f09c3e0161d94 67045a4aaa9d704b1e94f29b 1000618533706 While Ahmed faces Jar Jar hate websites and death threats, an even more thorny and challenging set of criticisms hits close to home, pushing Ahmed to a breaking point. Transcripts for The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks are available at go.ted.com/jarjar full 1 4 go.ted.com/jarjar

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]]> Episode 3: A Web of Hate Episode 3: A Web of Hate Wed, 12 Jul 2023 04:00:00 GMT 35:34 1000618533729 false https://audiocollective.ted.com 67045a4cc88f09c3e0161d95 67045a4aaa9d704b1e94f29b 1000618533729 The reviews for The Phantom Menace are in. And they’re… not great. Unfortunately, that’s just the beginning. Taking on a life of its own, the anti-Jar Jar backlash bounces from the acid pen of film critics, to the pixelated grain of early websites, to the full 1 3 go.ted.com/jarjar

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]]> Episode 2: Becoming Jar Jar Episode 2: Becoming Jar Jar Wed, 05 Jul 2023 04:00:00 GMT 35:54 1000618533269 false https://audiocollective.ted.com 67045a4cc88f09c3e0161d96 67045a4aaa9d704b1e94f29b 1000618533269 full 1 2 go.ted.com/jarjar

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]]> Episode 1: The Internet’s First Main Character? Episode 1: The Internet’s First Main Character? Wed, 28 Jun 2023 04:00:00 GMT 31:11 1000618532018 false https://audiocollective.ted.com 67045a4cc88f09c3e0161d97 67045a4aaa9d704b1e94f29b tid114930tid It’s 1999, and sixteen years after its original release, a new Star Wars is finally coming. Fans have been camping out in front of theaters across the country just to be the first to see it. The beloved intergalactic saga is set to debut a slew of brand n full 1 1 go.ted.com/jarjar

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]]> Introducing: The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks Introducing: The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks Thu, 04 May 2023 04:00:00 GMT 2:29 1000611665620 false https://www.ted.com/podcasts/the-redemption-of-jar-jar-binks 67045a4cc88f09c3e0161d98 67045a4aaa9d704b1e94f29b tid111512tid As the man behind one of the most divisive characters in cinematic history steps forward to tell his side of the story, host Dylan Marron goes back to reckon with the online hatred Jar Jar inspired, and what we can learn from it today. Coming June 28th fr trailer

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