Emergence star Donald Faison reveals he likes the Star Wars prequels: 'I'm fine with Jar Jar'

ABC’s Emergence is a show with many mysteries, but now fans have a completely separate one to contend with: why star Donald Faison likes the much-derided Star Wars prequels.

During an interview at EW’s New York Comic Con video suite, the erstwhile Scrubs star promptly replied “Star Wars” when asked what pop culture he “geeks out” over. Asked, in turn, if he prefers the original trilogy over the franchise’s more recent iterations, Faison said yes. But he also revealed that, “As I got older… I like [Episodes] I, II, and III also.”

Faison added that he is “fine with Jar Jar,” referring to the widely panned character Jar Jar Binks, played by Ahmed Best. “When you hear the story of what Ahmed Best went through playing Jar Jar, you grow in appreciation for what he did in the movies,” Faison said.

He certainly has a point there. Best has borne a good deal of the brunt of fans’ ire toward the character, and has said that the backlash led him to consider suicide at the time. However, the actor has since come to terms with the controversy and said he has no regrets about his performance. “I’m proud of it, I’m glad I did it, and I’d do it again,” Best told EW in 2012. “I’m proud George [Lucas] had enough faith in me to say, ‘You, kid! You do it’ and put me on a stage that’s the biggest you’ll ever get. I appreciate every minute of it.”

When they weren’t talking Star Wars, the Emergence cast also teased what’s in store on the show’s upcoming episodes. The series centers on a Long Island police chief (Allison Tolman), who discovers a mysterious young girl (Alexa Swinton) near the site of an accident, who seems to have no memory of what occurred or who she is. Zabryna Guevara, who plays Tolman’s character’s best friend, noted that the mysteries will start to be resolved “very quickly”… but that more mysteries will arise to take their place.

“Your questions now will be answered, and then you’re going to have more,” Guevara said. “The pace is very fast.”

Emergence airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC. Check out the full interview above.

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