Jar Jar had always been clumsy. Even as a youngster, he was constantly tripping over his feet, and getting into the strangest predicaments. At the time, his parents and creche-sibling chalked it up to adolescence and assumed that he'd grow out of it. 

 As he grew older, Jar Jar's awkwardness didn't go away, and no one was willing to take him on as an apprentice. Without gainful employment, Jar Jar came under the supervision of a local Priest, who tried to correct his carefree attitude with menial chores.  Jar Jar spent the next few months waxing, cleaning and scrubbing every surface in Otah Gunga. 

 Utterly miserable, Jar Jar tended to goof off, or attempt shortcuts to finish his work faster. These inevitably lead to more accidents, which lead to more chores. Finally, while working in the Otah Gunga underwater zoo, Jar Jar tried to clean an empty bubblecage  by simply dropping the outer hydrostatic wall and letting it fill with seawater. Somewhere he entered a wrong command, and nearly all the cage walls dropped, flooding half the zoo and letting a few dozen rare species swim for freedom 

 Yanked off cleaning duty, Jar Jar was assigned to work as a waiter at a high class parties. At one party at the Boss Nass' mansion. Jar Jar quickly got bored serving drinks and began to wander around the grandiose home, staring at the artwork and other treasures.   Finding himself in the Boss's office, Jar Jar spotted a 'heybibbler' (computer) . Still carrying a tray of drinks, he set it down on top of the machine and began to tinker around, looking for any games or interesting programs. 

 Down at the party, Boss Nass organized a small tour to show off his mansion to a group of Engineers and Gungan leaders from other regions. When they got to the study, they walked in on Jar Jar, still tapping away at the computer. The surprised Jar Jar jumped to his feet, knocking over the tray of drinks all down the back of the computer.  The computer was tied into the bubble's environmental protection controls, and as the internal circuitry fizzled and died, the  the translucent walls of the mansion-bubble suddenly disappeared, causing in a roaring "Boomgasser" (blowout) . 

 No-one was seriously hurt in the incident, but a few hundred honoured guests suddenly found themselves floating through the living room, and much of Boss Nass's favourite home and treasured artworks were destroyed.  Enraged, a still sopping Boss Nass convened a special trial and banished Jar Jar from all Gungan cities on pain of death. 

 Away from watchful pestering priests, watchful Kaadu patrols and irrate Bosses,  Jar Jar found that he kind of enjoyed the free life. When he wanted company, he went into Kaserta and did a few odd jobs around the spaceport, even taking a job as a guide for an archeological team, but mostly he spent his time in the swamps hunting for food and generally laying about. 

 Nervous, cowardly and awkward, Jar Jar proved himself quite loyal, honest and friendly. During the Trade Federation invasion, Jar Jar literally bumped into Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Feeling he owed Qui-Gon a lifedebt, Jar Jar stood by the Jedi as he went from Otah Gunga, Theed, Tatooine and finally to Coruscant. Along the way, Jar Jar proved to be the key in bringing the Naboo and the Gungans together as a united people. A unity that allowed them to defeat the Trade Federation.