Doctor Basil "Baz" Shaw was a British archaeologist and Oxford University professor who specialized in ancient Greek and Roman studies. The father of a daughter, Helena, Shaw was a close friend of Indiana Jones, his child's godparent.
An associate of Jones' up to and through the World War II years, Shaw occasionally assisted the man's efforts during the conflict to preserve history and undermine the Third Reich's looting of antiquities. Paired up together in 1944, the archaeologists found themselves on board a Nazi plunder train where they learned of an ancient device among the treasures being carried out of an occupied castle in the French Alps. Shaw claimed part of it but became obsessed with its potential for time travel so eventually entrusted the mechanism to Jones to destroy.
Biography[]
Doctor Basil Shaw was a friend and associate of American archaeologist Indiana Jones, who was named the godfather of Basil's daughter Helena.[1] At some point, the three had a photo taken together.[2]
Indiana Jones and Basil face down a foe from out of the shadows.
Towards the end of World War II, the two men were pulled into the fallout of Jones' infiltration of a Nazi-filled castle in 1944 and the pair found themselves in a confrontation with SS Colonel Weber on top of a moving train.[1]
During that time, Basil accidentally shot Jones when the unintentional discharge caused the projectile to ricochet off of the train roof and into the archaeologist (adding to Jones's tally of ten bullet wounds by 1969). They also learned of the Antikythera on board which Basil told to his daughter Helena, influencing her later search for the enigmatic device in 1969 after Basil himself had long since passed away around 1951.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
Basil Shaw character poster for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
Basil Shaw was portrayed by Toby Jones in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.[1]
Jones is the son of actor Freddie Jones, who played Birdy Soames in Young Indiana Jones and the Phantom Train of Doom.[3] Their characters have the same initials ("BS").[1][3]
Appearances[]
- Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (First appearance)
Sources[]
Harrison Ford Says Goodbye to the Man With the Hat in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny on Lucasfilm.com (backup link on Archive.org)- Caves, Castles, and Tuna Factories: Inside the Locations of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny on Lucasfilm.com (backup link on Archive.org)
- The Making of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
- Indiana Jones: Den of Destiny (Pictured only)
- Timeless Heroes: Indiana Jones & Harrison Ford
- Defining Moments: “I Like to be Alone” on Lucasfilm.com (backup link on Archive.org)
