Fans and critics of the iconic Star Wars franchise can be vicious. Kellly Tran, who played Rose Tico in Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi was the first Asian American with a major role in the franchise, experienced so much racist hate from fans that she left social media. However, when  back in the late 1990s, a Black actor from the franchise nearly killed himself after backlash from his character.

In 1999, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace opened in theaters and was met with mixed reviews, but some of the harsher critiques were to Jar Jar Binks, whcih was voiced by Ahmed Best. The character was nearly universally hated and even  so-called scientist below created a video of why people hate Jar Jar, see below:

The backlash had a huge effect on the actor was voiced Jar Jar Binks. Ahmed Best wrote on Twitter that he nearly committed suicide, “20 years next year I faced a media backlash that still affects my career today. This was the place I almost ended my life. It’s still hard to talk about. I survived and now this little guy is my gift for survival. Would this be a good story for my solo show? Lemme know.”

This time, Best didn't recieve tons of backlash. Star Wars fans showered him with love, Best showed some love back, writing, "Thank you all for your love and kindness. Its been overwhelming. I’m gonna start writing this show. Gonna need help cause I’ve never done this before. I will be trying stuff out and posting it here. Let folks know. Thanks for all your support. It means so very much to me."
Thankfully, Ahmad Best and despite the haters, he is still part of Star Wars history.
May the force be with you, Ahmad.