Scandale du Jour
JordanStaal#1Fan
I will never look at Wicket the same way again.
A lot of us who grew up with the Ewoks felt the same way. We couldn't understand why some people didn't like them. It wasn't until TPM came out, when I was an adult, that I could finally sort of relate to how adults when RotJ was released might've felt. That said, at the risk of speaking for others, I don't think that you'll find many of us who have soured on the Ewoks since becoming adults. We may see now that they were partly designed to market to children, but we still like them. I'm not sure that Jar Jar receives the same sentiment from those who liked or didn't mind him as kids. It doesn't seem like he has (m)any defenders nowadays.
The Ewoks had a real purpose in RotJ as a primitive race that the arrogant Empire disregarded and that the Rebels needed help from, because they were stretched thin. Also, the fact that they captured and were about to eat the good guys, fought and killed many stormtroopers and one even died sadly all "subverted expectations" (our favorite phrase) that they would just be cute teddy bears. Jar Jar, on the other hand, was clearly just there for comic relief and was shoehorned in as the jedis' "guide" so that he could be around all film long to provide it. There were some amusing scenes with the Ewoks, but nothing close to over the top like most of Jar Jar's scenes. My point is that, while there may be some similarities, the Ewoks and Jar Jar are far from being equal transgressions, IMO. The Ewoks get merely poo-pooed by some, while Jar Jar is straight up universally hated.
Jar Jar had a purpose in the story and the premise of an outcast finding his place was good, especially with Jedis as mentors. He was just badly executed and made into a joke. The "numbs his tongue in the stream" scene is the most cringe-worthy scene ever. And his clumsiness on the battlefield, ewwwwwwwww. Basically, they took a good idea and made it terrible by concentrating WAY TOO MUCH on the BAD humor. Outside of George Lucas, the only person that would find that kind of stuff funny is Vince McMahon.