It’s been 10 years since I publicly revoked my love for a controversial Star Wars character, and now, I’ve completely changed my mind – and I want to formally give that love back to them. I was a child of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, having spent my most formative years watching as two of the three movies were released for the very first time. Much of the earliest parts of my childhood were defined by these movies, which bled into the first video games I played incessantly, and the action figures I borrowed from my brother.

Because I was so surrounded by the Star Wars prequels, with a particular pᴀssion for Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, I loved essentially every aspect of them. The only thing I remember feeling hesitant about at the time was Anakin Skywalker burning on Mustafar, which was difficult to watch at such a young age. Everything else I embraced wholeheartedly, especially characters like Padmé Amidala and the clones. Included in this group was one of the franchise’s most controversial characters, who I became endeared to – and, later, ashamed of.

I Used To Be Ashamed That Jar Jar Binks Was My Favorite Star Wars Character

I Let My Awareness Of Public Opinion Sway Me

There’s no denying just how much I loved Jar Jar Binks as a child, and for a long while, he certainly was my favorite Star Wars character. I used to impersonate his voice all the time, using it as my go-to Rock Band singing voice when playing with my siblings, and I would even borrow my brother’s Jar Jar action figure often to create some comedic scenes on board his Millennium Falcon model. Sadly, that love for Jar Jar didn’t always last, because as I got older, I began to realize just how poorly most Star Wars fans viewed him.

This overall negative perception of Jar Jar bled into me once I had become a teenager, and by 2015, I was fully cringing at my past love for the silly Gungan. Speaking to the Daily Gazette along with the rest of my family for an article about the upcoming movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I admitted that “when I was younger, I liked Jar Jar Binks, which I realize was a mistake.” Because I had grown older and had understood what people thought of those movies and characters like Jar Jar, I became ashamed.

Jar Jar Binks Was A Character Made For Kids Like Me

That’s Why I Resonated With Him So Much

There was, and still is, no reason for me to be ashamed of liking Jar Jar the way I did when I was a child – because that character was made for children like me. George Lucas spoke about this topic recently in light of the 25th anniversary of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, revealing the fact that his target audience in the prequel movies were actually children. Jar Jar was especially a creation geared towards children, which perfectly explains why he specifically was a character I really latched onto and loved at such a young age.

Even then, there’s still no reason why I should be ashamed for loving a character like Jar Jar. Star Wars, at its core, has always been silly goofy. I mean, you cannot convince me that A New Hope isn’t a comedy in many different ways. Nowadays, I absolutely love it when Star Wars content gets a bit unserious, giving audiences silly characters and hilarious moments that leave us all hollering in laughter. There’s certainly a time and place for it, but usually, I eat it up every time Star Wars gets silly – and so does my inner child.

I’m Proud Now To Have Been Raised On The Prequels (& Jar Jar Binks)

The Prequels Have Shaped My Perception Of Star Wars & Storytelling

Now, 10 years after proclaiming my shame for being endeared to Jar Jar Binks and the prequels on the whole, I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of the prequel trilogy generation, and an early member of the Jar Jar fan club. My love for the character was there before the Jar Jar-enaissance, and despite the fact that I was publicly proclaiming shame about it, I know that my pᴀssion for the character has never truly dwindled over the years. The same goes for the source material; the prequels have always had a special place in my heart.

While other Star Wars projects reign supreme in my heart beyond the prequels presently, one of the top two, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, wouldn’t exist without them. I have so much to thank the prequels for, though above all, I have to thank Lucas for making them for children like me at the time they came out. I couldn’t have asked for a better period in Star Wars history to have been raised in, because I love everything about the way those movies made me, and continue to make me, feel – even Jar Jar Binks.