"Honduras, December 1920"

The subject of this article was cancelled.

This article covers an Indiana Jones project that was cancelled, cut or otherwise unreleased. While some aspects of the material may find their way into subsequent products or tie-ins, this type of material is generally not considered canon.

TELEVISION EPISODE
"Honduras, December 1920"
Airdate	N/A

"Honduras, December 1920" was an unproduced episode of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, which would have been part of the third season of the series. The subject of the episode was to have been archaeology with a follow-up intended with the also unrealized "Brazil, December 1921".

While on a field trip with Herbert Spinden, after they arrive at a Honduran port and meet some Banana Republic types before they begin, Indy would for the first time (chronologically) encounter René Emile Belloq, his future rival, who initially has a friendly relationship with him. The story was to depict their discovery of a crystal skull in the ruins of a Mayan city where Jones and Belloq would have tried to decipher Mayan hieroglyphs at the ball court, as well as discussing possible sacrifices and rituals. However, Belloq steals the skull and sells it to the adventurer Mitchell-Hedges.

It's possible that this episode would have explained the event as referenced by Chattar Lal in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom that saw Indy accused of being a grave robber instead of an archaeologist while on an adventure in Honduras. This has since been attributed to events surrounding the Crystal Skull of Cozan (in neighboring British Honduras) in the opening chapter of the Indiana Jones and the Philosopher's Stone novel.

The crystal skulls have been incorporated into multiple Indiana Jones stories over the years since. Philosopher's Stone novelist Max McCoy featured the Cozan skull as a subplot which ran throughout his Indiana Jones books, including an encounter between Jones and Belloq in his 1996 novel Indiana Jones and the Dinosaur Eggs. Lucas himself eventually dealt with the skulls in the 2008 film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull which included Indiana Jones explicitly pointing out that the Crystal Skull of Akator was not the Mitchell-Hedges Skull.

Synopsis

From 2008 StarWars.com article "The Lost Chronicles of Young Indiana Jones" by Pablo Hidalgo:

Episode #48 "Honduras, December 1920"

Indy's Age: 21

Subject: Archaeology

Character: Herbert Spinden, Frederick Mitchell-Hedges

Theme: [none listed]

Synopsis: Indy is on a field trip with art historian Herbert Spindent at Mayan ruins in Honduras. They first arrive at a Honduran port and meet some Banana Republic types before they start. Indy meets Belloq for the first time, and they begin a friendly relationship. They travel to the ruins of a Mayan city, and Indy and Belloq try to decipher Mayan hieroglyphs at the ball court, as well as discussing possible rituals and sacrifices. They discover a perfect crystal skull, which Belloq steals and sells to Frederick Mitchell-Hedges, a British adventurer.

Note: Though unproduced, Belloq and the pursuit of a crystal skull would surface in the Indiana Jones novels written by Max McCoy. And, of course, a crystal skull figures prominently in the new movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Appearances

Characters

• René Emile Belloq
• Indiana Jones

External links

•  The Lost Chronicles of Young Indiana Jones on StarWars.com (backup link on Archive.org)