Is based off of an episode of Robot Chicken and Clone Wars.

That being said if Jar Jar was revealed to be the ultimate villain in Awakens then I'd shit my pants.

Even Robot Chicken knew it. When Sidious dies in their Special Star Wars episodes, he calls Jar Jar to apologize and after this, the "favourite" Gungan of the universe is in mode Evil Laugh/Just As Planned.

Episode VII Overlord confirmed.

... why Palpatine was so appallingly bad at choosing apprentices.

I mean, really: the purpose of the Sith Apprentice, under the Rule of Two, is to eventually surpass her* master and become the new Master, maintaining the secret and continuing to increase Sith dominance of the galaxy.

(*Darth Zannah finds your assumption that the Apprentice should be male hilarious. Also you just got lightsaber'd.)

Palpy was a good choice for this - he's a politician, so he can sneak in Sith agendas without anyone noticing. (In the books, Plagueis was a high-profile banker, his master Tenebrous was a famous starship designer, his master seems to have been a prominent scientist... you get the picture). But his apprentices? From the films:

-Darth Maul, a brutal fighter with no sense of subtlety. He's outright eager to reveal the secret the Sith have kept for a millennium.
-Count Dooku, a known fallen Jedi. 'The evil Force user we didn't know about was actually the evil Force user we did know about? How did this happen?!' Yeah, no.
-Anakin 'emotionally-crippled half-cyborg' Skywalker. Admittedly by that time Sidious had decided to become immortal and skip the whole 'decent apprentice' thing, but still!

The books explain Maul as being an illicit 'apprentice' while Plagueis was still alive, but that still doesn't explain Dooku. Palpatine never takes - or even seems to look for - a decent Apprentice, just a series of tools and weapons. The idea that this is because there are already two Sith in play - one a prominent politician on his way to becoming Supreme Chancellor, the other a friend of the Jedi, famous general, and member of the opposition in the Senate (inasmuch as they have one, Padme's group is in it)... yep, that works.

The only question (and one which the theory doesn't actually answer) is the one Yoda and Mace consider at the end of TPM: which one is the Master, and which the Apprentice?

hS

Because I like you all so much, I'll include all of the extended answers I see, with context. I'll even remove swearing, where needed. OP's answers will be in bold, with context above.
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Ghost0fBanquo
Part of me wants to believe this.

Part of me hopes this is true.

Lumpawarroo
You have to admit it might change a lot of people's opinion on the prequels in a fundamental way.

All it would take was a few well-done flashbacks.

And you have to wonder, why didn't the Empire collapse with Palpatine's death like we all assumed would have? That's usually what happens with dictatorships.

And yet 30 years after the good guys "win," we still have TIE fighters and mega-weapons and Star Destroyers and Storm Troopers still Storm-Trooping it up...

Maybe the real dictator didn't die. But it has to be a character we're familiar with; if Snoke is just some unknown dude that appears from out of nowhere, that's pretty lame. Are there just random Sith hanging out beyond the edge of the galaxy, ready to swoop in and claim power every time one is defeated? That's contrived, and make's the whole OT pointless.

To resonate with audiences, it has to be someone we know. It's Jar Jar, manipulating Kylo and company just as he did Anakin and Palpatine.
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originalginger213
So the title of Phantom Menace refers to Jar Jar then? He was the real menace all along?

I can get behind this.

Lumpawarroo
Yeah, Palpatine was never a "Phantom" from the audience's perspective. We all knew who the eventual Emperor was- they didn't even really bother to mask his hologram face.

Jar Jar was the intended villain that was to be "unmasked" and shock everyone, the requisite middle chapter "I am your father" calibre reveal moment.

Sadly, it didn't come to fruition. Not until this December, anyway.
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PWNtimeJamboree
out of curiosity, I don't ever recall this happening, but you've used a lot of actual evidence thus far so I feel I must legitimately question this (sigh): did Jar Jar actually tell 8 yr old Anakin that Padme was "pretty hot"?

Lumpawarroo
Yup. In TPM, when they initially land on Coruscant, Jar Jar and Anakin leave the landing pad in a little air speeder with the Queen and her handmaidens. When they sit down in the car, Jar Jar comments on how nice the Queen is being to them. Then he pointedly comments, "Pitty hot!"

To me there's no question that he's literally saying that the queen is "hot," as in attractive. He's not commenting on the weather or anything. It's a completely nonsensical and inappropriate thing to say to a little kid, and is totally weird in the movie....unless you realize what is actually happening (that Jar Jar is a bad guy manipulating an impressionable Annie)

Also note that in Attack of the Clones, when they first meet up again, Anakin is forlorn and tells Jar Jar, "She (Padme) has forgotten me completely."

Jar Jar is very quick to buoy his hopes, though, telling Anakin, "No, no she's happy to see you, happier than I've ever seen her!"

See, Jar Jar has a vested interest in Anakin's continued lust for Padme. Because he and Palpatine have already formulated that as the easiest way to undermine Anakin's loyalty to the Jedi.

There's no telling how much Jar Jar has been deviously encouraging Anakin's infatuation in the formative years between TPM and AotC. And we must assume that he has been-- why else would Anakin immediately start talking to Jar Jar about how the queen has forgotten him? It's because Jar Jar has become his confidant/wing man in the matter.

I wouldn't doubt that it was Jar Jar, also, who eventually plants the Padme-death-by-childbirth nightmares in Anakin's dreams. Master of mind control, after all.
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ChibiPatrick
To lend credence to this theory here is the voice actor of jar jar binks making a comment to the effect of George changed some of the story because of the backlash.

Lumpawarroo
Yeah, "huge changes."

Imagine for a moment that Yoda did not reveal himself as the ultimate Jedi master until Return of the Jedi. That Yoda spent all of Empire Strikes Back wobbling along behind Luke like a pet, going "Hee hee, ho ho, whooooa, can I get another yum yum snack bar, yesss?"

Instead of beloved, he'd have been reviled. "How dare Lucas ruin Star Wars with a muppet, for chrissakes???" and the whole triolgy is ruined.

His tragic mistake this time around was letting the "silly facade" of Mystical Alien Character percolate between episodes, and not having the courage to follow through in the face of intense (but misplaced) criticism.
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LawOfMuphry
I don't know what to say other than this is amazing

Lumpawarroo
Thanks. There could have been more, but I was hitting the 15,000 character limit on the post.

I didn't even show Jar Jar using the force to predict the future:

Jar Jar the psychic doorman

... how did he know the Jedi were going to arrive precisely then and there? There was no doorbell. They didn't call ahead of time or anything- otherwise the Queen herself or her security would have been there to greet the distinguished Jedi- and besides, we know they didn't give advanced notice, because after this scene, Jar Jar has to call out to the Queen and tell her who is there. And everyone's surprised.

But not Jar Jar. He sensed them as they were coming up, just like the Jedi sense the intruder assasin bug later that evening.

Note how he slyly checks around every corner as he's walkin there, slinking about like it's only natural for him to be sneaky and stuff... but only dials up the "Gee shucks I'm a goofball!" routine when the elevator doors open.

I'm telling you, watch the prequels and keep an eye on Jar Jar when the other characters aren't looking directly at him.
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ankyle
This seems like it could have been a dissertation for film school

Lumpawarroo
Yall are just lucky there's a character limit on self-posts, otherwise you'd still be reading.

I didn't even mention how it's Jar Jar that sabotages the hyperdrive on the Queen's ship, forcing them to head toward Tatooine (where Jar Jar already knows The Chosen One lives).

Notice that during their escape, Jar Jar is busy suspiciously fiddling around in the back of the ship. R2-D2 notices that this character is doing something suspicious, and gives him a well-deserved smack, and shakes its head as if to say, "Uh uh, don't F with my ship, buddy." Unfortunately, R2 is forced to head elsewhere and deal with outer hull damage, allowing Jar Jar to finish his dirty work.

How wude, indeed. See, Jar Jar hates droids, and they hate Jar Jar. They are immune to his Mind Control powers and thus immediately recognize him as a foul threat. You see this throughout the movie (example: in Watto's shop, awakened Pit Droid immediately kicks Jar Jar in his Jar Jars)
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Orcaboros
So... Literally some of the first lines of The Phantom Menace, by Obi-Wan no less, are "I have a bad feeling about this. ... It's not about the mission master, it's about something...elsewhere. Elusive." and then, after Qui-Gon tells him to focus on the here-and-now, Obi-Wan says that Yoda has told him to be mindful of the future.

So... looking forward vague foreshadowing of something dark and elusive to be found in the near future, something that Qui-Gon would overlook? Jar Jar, maybe?

Lumpawarroo
Jar Jar is probably already on the ship with them, or on one of the other Trade Federation vessels, tracking their movements. It's how he is right there to literally pounce on Qui-Gon planetside- he follows them down.

At that point in the story, his immediate goals would be:

>Somehow insert himself into the Jedi party
>Lead them to The Chosen One
>Orchestrate events so that Qui-Gon insists on training the boy

Palp/Jar Jar want the Jedi to find and adopt this new Force anomaly (Anakin) so that he can help them destroy the Jedi from within.
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1pt21jiggawatts 9 points 4 days ago

I just wanted to add something to your theory of Jar Jar being a master of mind manipulation.

I rewatched episode 1 last and there's a scene where Qui-gon and Obi-Wan are speaking to the head Gungan, Rugor Nass. After a few words are exchanged between Qui-gon and the king there's a quick cut to Jar Jar in cuffs. He does a little hand wave maneuver and right after that the conversation becomes more hostile.

The king pretty much kicks them all out the city after that. Just wanted to see your take on it.

I tried uploading the gif but couldn't. I'll add it later if I can get it working

permalinkembedparent

Lumpawarroo

Here you go, I had already created a gif of that scene. Was originally going to include it, but I had to draw the line somewhere (there's just so much)

Jar Jar telepathically juggling Boss Nass like a marionette

Look at poor Boss Nass struggle ineffectually against the terrible psychic intrusion as Jar Jar just smiles to himself.... such a menace.

My take is this: Right before we see Jar Jar doing this, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are attempting to convince Boss Nass that they must prepare for the coming droid invasion, and warn the human Nabooians.

Jar Jar doesn't want to allow a possible gungan/human coalition to form this early (he needs to kidnap the queen and Anakin, first, before any decisive battle resolves the conflict). So he's elevating Boss Nass' racism and bitterness towards humans to the point where even two experienced Jedi negotiators have no hope of leading him along the wise course.

Remember, Qui-Gon is a professional diplomat, a Jedi consular. It's like his dang job to be able to pull this kind of thing off. It should be a cake walk for him. But Jar Jar's mojo is just too strong.

Jar Jar has so stirred up Boss Nass against any concession to the Jedi that Qui-Gon (the universe's most qualified diplomat, according to the Jedi Council itself) has to feebly resort to a Mind Trick of his own just to get Boss Nass to let him borrow a used car and slink out of town.
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And, finally, two images that help further the point.

Jar Jar has Sith eyes.

Hasbro did not get the memo about the story change.

D&D is clear, Jar Jar is a hero and a genius, although I must admit he's Force sensitive, given the fact he used Summon a Bigger Fish.

(Now that would have been something interesting to see, and this is a really nice headcanon, and would effectivly do for better movies.)

That is a very well-constructed theory. It doesn't quite ring true for me, but damn, the prequels would have been much more interesting if they had been written like this. I especially like the parallel some commenters draw between Jar Jar and the Mule from the Foundation series. We've already got Coruscant Trantor and the evil trade federation, so why not?

~Neshomeh