Are Star Wars’ Most Annoying Characters More Fun In The Comics?
The Star Wars comics placed their own spin on annoying characters like Jar Jar Binks and C-3PO, creating interesting versions in the process.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, the Lucasfilm franchise introduced the most annoying Star Wars character Jar Jar Binks. In Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, the clumsy outcast Gungan from Naboo made his comical debut in the first Star Wars prequel. Some fans laughed with him, but most fans lovingly laughed at him. Whether wonderfully weird, humanoid, or of Jedi descent, creator George Lucas cultivated iconic Star Wars characters who leaped from the movie screens into the hearts of fans worldwide.
Cuddly Ewoks, Kowakian monkey-lizards, and loyal Rebel astromech droids captivated audiences in 1977 when the first Star Wars movie premiered. Before Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, popular science fiction characters included the Thing, Godzilla, and the Blob. They lacked the intelligence, depth, and sentiment Star Wars characters introduced to audiences. The beloved Space Opera characters evoked emotional responses of love, hatred, and mild annoyance. Fans hated Darth Vader but loved Princess Leia Organa. Characters like Jabba the Hutt disgusted audiences, and characters like the protocol droid C-3PO mildly annoyed them. Time has proven that these characters are as legendary as the film score and storylines. Star Wars characters are annoying as much as they’re adored in the films, which begs the question whether they’re the same in the world of comic books.
Published by Marvel Comics in 1977 after the successful release of A New Hope,Star Wars the comic book adapted the film in the first six issues of the series. In Star Wars #1, written by Roy Thomas and illustrated by Howard Chaykin, a brave underground rebel alliance fights the Galactic Empire and attempts to destroy their battle station. The comic book’s plotline is a hodgepodge of the film’s major plot points. The focus bounces between the droid’s escape, Luke back on Tatooine, Darth Vader strangling rebel pilots, and Han Solo losing the millennium falcon to a crafty space pirate named Crimson Jack. Classic film characters, like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, appear in the first few pages, as well as Princess Leia and her helpful droids C-3PO and R2-D2. As they escape the death grips of an Imperial Starfleet down the ship’s corridor, C-3PO exclaims “I should have known better than to trust the logic of a half-sized thermo-capsullary dehousing assister!”
C-3PO in the comics is equally chatty, self-important, and troubled by R2-D2 as he is in the movies. He is referred to as Threepio and functions as a protocol droid fluent in Boccee and the binary language of moisture vaparators. Initially envisioned as an American “con-man,” Threepio’s persona changed when creator George Lucas heard actor Anthony Daniels audition for the role and thus the prim and proper British humanoid was born. Though often witty and endearing, C-3PO can also be a bit overbearing and antagonizing. He is annoying to where Princess Leia turns him off mid-sentence. In fact, multiple characters like Luke, Han, and Uncle Ben tell him to shut up. In the comic books, both droids end up in Luke’s possession similar to the film. They escape an Imperial Starfleet on an emergency lifepod and land in the deserts of Tatooine. Uncle Ben buys the droids from desert-scrounging Jawas and the two find a new home on the Skywalker farm.
In Star Wars Episode IV – “A New Hope” and Star Wars #1 the comic book, C-3PO is well versed in etiquette and equally annoying. However, this isn’t the case for all versions of the character in the comic books. Threepio’s evil counterpart, O-O-O also known as Triple Zero, is all but annoying as he is deadly. In the Marvel Star Wars: Darth Vader and Doctor Aphra series, Triple Zero is a protocol droid turn assassin specializing in translation and torture. Triple Zero’s personality matrix/coding caused the evil droid to murder the engineers attempting to place him back in quarantine, shoot a hole in his head, and rampage the galaxy for three years. This disturbing behavior is quite the opposite of Threepio’s comical persona in the movies.
C-3PO, human-cyborg relations, isn’t the only irritating character in the Star Wars universe. Characters like young Anakin Skywalker and Jar Jar Binks in the film Star Wars Episode I – The Phantom Menace, are bothersome as well. Despite Jake Matthew Lloyd’s adorable smile and superb portrayal of Anakin Skywalker, it’s hard to imagine the small gifted pilot as the future husband to Queen Amidala and the prophesied: “Chosen One.” The character comes across as a little kid toying with cars more than an enslaved engineer destined to restore balance to the Force. Movie critics praised the special effects but chastised characters like Jar Jar Binks. Despite being heavily populated with stock characters, the long-awaited prequel received below-average ratings.
Based initially on the Disney character Goofy, Jar Jar Binks was intended to provide comic relief and act as Jedi Qui-Gon’s guide in the prequel The Phantom Menace. While he successfully accomplished the latter, Jar Jar failed to make fans laugh and even scared a few kids along the way. Jar Jar Binks, the first fully computer-generated supporting character in a live-action film, is often difficult to listen to and watch in the movie. The Gungan outcast from Naboo rightfully received an overwhelming amount of dislike among fans and critics, but was he equally annoying in the comic books?
Dark Horse’s Star Wars Tales #20, is a collection of various Star Wars-themed stories outside the cannon. “George R. Binks” by Tony Millionaire and Jim Campbell tell the tale of Jar Jar’s father. The issue also includes “Failing Up With Jar Jar” by Peter Bagge other funny stories like Wampa “Hunger Pains” by Campbell. The tale of George R. Binks is both satirical and saddening. George is a renowned whaler, hoping to one-day hand the family business to his son Jar Jar. However, much to his disappointment, Jar Jar is too incompetent and sinks the family whaling ship. Jar Jar may be very naïve and too young to take over the family business, but he surprisingly isn’t as annoying in this comic book story.
“Failing Up With Jar Jar,” tells a much different tale. Jar Jar is neither fun nor funny in this comic, but rather exasperating since he sings throughout the entire story. “Me like-y, sing-y song,” Jar Jar replies as members of the senate urge him to vote on taxes. Instead of making crucial decisions as a Gungan Representative in the Galactic Senate, Jar Jar simply continues to sing. A surprise ending turns the singing Representative to the dark side. Binks is later depicted bossing around Palpatine. Aside from this twist, Jar Jar proves no different from his annoying movie counterpart.
In the end, whether the Star Wars comics improved the franchise’s annoying characters depends on the story people read. Each comic — especially the non-canon ones — puts their own spin on characters like C-3PO and Jar Jar Binks. Sometimes they turn out better, and other times they turn out just as annoying as before. Luckily for Star Wars fans, there’s no shortage of excellent characters to make of for the franchise’s weaker additions.
