As this production sketch from Lucasfilm shows, the newly redesigned "Jar Jar Chinks", shown wearing a pointy straw hat and smoking an opium pipe, may offend more people than his previous incarnation.

At a press conference yesterday, Lucas said, "I'm sorry that I offended so many African American people with Jar Jar. It was never my intention to offend them with this character. We've got a new actor to play Jar Jar, and we're reprogramming his entire character design and mannerisms. There's just no way that anyone would possibly think we're trying to offend blacks with this new version of Jar Jar."

But it appears that Lucas' efforts to avoid controversy have backfired miserablym as the newly redesigned "Jar Jar Chinks" appears to be more offensive than ever before.

Several Asian rights groups have already registered their disgust with the new Jar Jar. Prominent San Francisco Attorney Jefferey Tam said, "I don't know what Lucas is thinking, but a slant-eyed creature smoking an opium pipe and wearing a pointy straw hat is not our idea of a postitive role model."

Another sketch of the offensive new version of Jar Jar.

Lucas responded to the new charges of racism by saying, "We went through many character designs that we thought would be more sensitive to folks of different cultures. Believe me, I personally threw out many ideas like 'Jew Jew Binks', 'Jar Jar Guinea Bastard', 'Jar Jar White Trash', and 'Jar Jar the Baby-Eating Gypsy'. I think this is a happy medium that should make everyone satisfied."

Meanwhile, while the controversy rages on, Lucas and crew are busy working hard on the third film in the saga, "Star Wars: Revenge of the Stinky French Jedi", which is generating negative press as well.

In related news, there's still no official response from Lucasfilm on Greek Anti-Defamation League claims that Chewbacca is an unfair stereotype of women of Mediterranean descent.