Archie Tan was a Chinese-American antiques dealer.
Biography[]
Archie fights off the Tong thugs.
Archie Tan ran his own business, Tan's Exotic Imports, from San Francisco's Chinatown. He had connections in both the United States and in Asia. He was the grandfather of Suzie Tan and a friend to both the American archaeologist Indiana Jones and Professor Charles Jacob Kingston.[1]
In 1939, he had a possible lead on where Kingston was, and contacted Jones. The Tong leader, Blind Duck, under orders from Magnus Völler, kidnapped him and searched his office for information that would help lead back to finding Kingston. Eventually, Jones was able to rescue Tan, who helped point his friend towards Panama as the place to pick up Kingston's trail.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
Archie Tan was voiced by Japanese-American actor Sab Shimono in Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings.[1]
The design document for "Indiana Jones 2007",[2] an early version of the Staff of Kings story by LucasArts,[3] described Archie as a Sallah-like sidekick and an old stalwart of the shadowy "import/export" industry of San Francisco's Chinatown.[2]
Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings: Prima Official Game Guide erroneously describes Archie as Suzie Tan's father.[4]
Continuity[]
Although the game has the same general plot on all formats, the specifics vary between the home consoles and their portable counterparts.[1] Since it is impossible to determine which variation of Archie Tan's actions throughout the game's plot is canonical, this article currently mentions the overall events of the game in a simplistic way so it can detail those different depictions of events here unless Lucasfilm Ltd. confirms anything:
Wii/PS2 version[]
Concept art on Archie Tan.
Captured by the Tongs, Tan was transferred over the custody of Magnus Völler. As Völler learned that Jones had been sighted at Tan's office, searching for the Jade Sphere, the German archaeologist waited outside the office with his men and Tan as a hostage. When Jones emerged from the shop, with a wrapped round bundle, Völler arranged to trade Tan for the Sphere. Tan read Jones' furtive glances and prepared for action. As Jones tossed the wrapped bundle in the air, Tan broke free and jumped onto a passing cable car. Jones also climbed aboard, and the two rode downhill, leaving Völler behind with a worthless jade Buddha statue. Tan took cover on board the cable car while Jones shot out with Völler's gunmen chasing behind them in cars. Finally escaping from their pursuers, Tan got a chance to tell Jones what he knew about Kingston's whereabouts in Panama.[1]
PSP version[]
Archie was kidnapped along with his daughter Suzie and his San Francisco apartment got ransacked by one of Blind Duck's henchmen. Fortunately, Archie managed to get a message to Indy, and Indy went to investigate. After discovering that Archie's apartment was being ransacked, he followed the thug until he led him into an ambush. However, Indy survived and he then went to the Lao Che Lounge, where he survived an another ambush and managed to track down Blind Duck to his fireworks factory. After freeing Suzie, Indy confronted Duck with Tan on the roof. Tan manages to beat his guards and leaves Indy to fight Duck. After defeating Duck on the roof, Indy and Archie then escaped Duck's henchmen on a tram. After that, Archie told Indy what Charles Kingston told him about the Jade Sphere.[1]
DS version[]
Novelization[]
In Rob MacGregor's unpublished novelization of the game, Tan's background as well as that of his family is expanded upon, revealing that his grandparents emigrated to San Francisco, United States of America during the California Gold Rush and that his Chinese accent is an affectation he consciously adopted out of respect to his father's speech patterns. He was also introduced to Indiana Jones by Charles Jacob Kingston and is the father to Suzie's mother.[5] Unlike the game,[1] the character accompanies Indy to Panama.[5]
Appearances[]
- Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings novel (Cancelled)
- Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings
- Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings Scavenger Hunt (Avatar available)
Sources[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Indy 2007 Design Document
- ↑ The story of the cancelled Indiana Jones And The Staff Of Kings at Film Stories
- ↑ Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings: Prima Official Game Guide
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings novel