Over the course of the 16 years since The Phantom Menace’s release in May of 1999, several theories have been strung about the hidden messages and subtle social commentaries inside the beloved Star Wars prequel, specifically regarding one of the movie’s most endearing characters: Jar-Jar Binks. One of the most recent theories is that Binks was in fact the real puppet-master behind the series’ entire scheme, not just Palpatine.

According to the ambitious author behind the conspiracy, writing under the Reddit username Lumpawaroo (apparently the name of Chewbacca’s son?), Binks is actually a “highly skilled force user” and “he and Palpatine were likely in collaboration from the very beginning.” At first this may seem completely ridiculous, but the evidence actually holds some considerable weight.

The first convincing point made is that Jar-Jar, who is portrayed as a clueless, innocent oaf, actually exhibits certain characteristics of a Jedi. For example, he does a 20-foot somersault-dive into a pond while entering his watery home of Naboo. Even further, he is constantly wiping out foes on the battlefield by supposed “accidents” and helping considerably in the fight against the enemy, either by mistakenly destroying a battle tank or taking out several droids by tripping over a blaster. At first glance, these instances seem like mere coincidences, but when closely examined, they might actually show Jar-Jar’s hidden skills as a truly seasoned warrior.

The other point, straying a little far from the believable, is the idea that Binks and Palpatine were allies and co-conspired on the corruption of the Galactic Empire. Lumpawaroo suggests that, given that they are from the same planet and could have possibly grown and trained together, they converged on the idea to overthrow the Republic and resurrect the Sith league. Palpatine and Binks even remain acquaintances in the Revenge of the Sith, despite the assumption that Palpatine would try his best to distance himself from such a supposed “fool.” If Binks was such a fool, why would the Emperor maintain such close ties with him? Perhaps this theory really isn’t so distant from the truth, and maybe Lumpawaroo is onto something.

Another supporting theory inside of this idea is that this hidden identity of Binks, masked by a foolish, silly persona, was meant to be revealed in the second or third episode, just as Yoda was in A New Hope. However, according to Lumpawaroo, George Lucas abandoned the idea because the fans’ initial reaction to Binks was so “vitriolic,” and he felt he couldn’t continue with his original plan.

That is, until now. The Reddit pundit hypothesizes that the newest film in the saga, The Force Awakens, will reignite this dying idea and bring Binks’ awaited infamy to fruition. It might sound like a pretty big stretch, but time will tell. Go see The Force Awakens on December 18th to find out the truth and put the questioning to rest.