Into the Great Unknown was a story from Star Wars Tales 19 and collected in Star Wars Tales Volume 5.
It is the only comic story to combine both Star Wars and Indiana Jones, incorporating two of Harrison Ford's best-known roles: Indiana Jones and Han Solo.
Contents
Plot summary[edit | edit source]
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, sometime following the Battle of Endor, Han Solo and Chewbacca are traveling aboard the Millennium Falcon when they are attacked by Imperials. Forced to jump into hyperspace blind, they crash on a planet in a solar system unfamiliar to them.
After Han comments on the Endor-like terrain due to the large trees, they venture out to investigate, but Han is killed by the natives. The mourning Chewbacca leaves the Falcon to live in the forest, where the inhabitants take to calling him "Sasquatch".
126 years later, Indiana Jones and Short Round are in the Pacific Northwest searching for a creature said to roam those parts when they discover the wreckage of a craft beyond even that of Atlantis and the remains of its pilot. Indy, spooked by the familiarity of the human skeleton, decides to leave the find in peace. Outside, observing from a distant tree, Chewbacca watches over the site.
Appearances[edit | edit source]
Characters[edit | edit source]
Locations[edit | edit source]
Vehicles and vessels[edit | edit source]
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]
Development[edit | edit source]
While conceiving the story's plot, W. Haden Blackman recalled some stories involving Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca, during the filming of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. The stories claimed that Mayhew was required to be accompanied by crewmembers who wore brightly-colored vests while in the Northern California forests where Forest Moon of Endor scenes were filmed, so as not to be mistaken for Bigfoot and shot. Working from there, Blackman crafted a story that involved Han Solo and Chewbacca landing on Earth in the Pacific Northwest, Han dying, and Chewbacca being mistaken for Bigfoot while roaming the forests in the proceeding years. Taking the long life spans of Wookiees into account, he decided to have Indy discover Han's remains over 100 years later.[1]
Continuity[edit | edit source]
Harrison Ford gained fame for playing both Han Solo and Indiana Jones.
Into the Great Unknown is neither a part of the Indiana Jones canon nor the Star Wars canon. The title itself is a reference to Wu Han's dying words to Indiana Jones after being shot by Chen at Club Obi Wan in the opening sequence of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
Indy's mention of Atlantis implies that the story takes place after the game Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, set in 1939, while Han's mention of the Forest Moon of Endor suggests the story takes place after Return of the Jedi. Such a timeframe would place the events of the Star Wars saga as occuring around the 1800s. In answering a fan question about the timing of the story, W. Haden Blackman replied that no exact date was given because it was just a story for the non-canonical Star Wars Infinities comic book label but added that in the timeframe of Indiana Jones, the story has happen to seven or eight years after Temple of Doom, setting it around 1942/1943 (which in turn would set the story in the Star Wars timeline around 1816/1817).[2]
Some fans have speculated that the story suggests that Indiana Jones is Han Solo reincarnated, though Blackman has subsequently stated that that was not his intent.[2]
Reception[edit | edit source]
- "The lost Indiana Jones–Star Wars crossover was really depressing."
- ―Cyriaque Lamar of io9.com[src]
"Into the Great Unknown" has received significant attention because of its status as an story merging the franchises of Indiana Jones and Star Wars. In 2008, W. Haden Blackman told Frank DiaGacomo from Vanity Fair that he considers "Into the Great Unknown" one of the most fun Star Wars stories he had ever written.[1] In 2011, Cyriaque Lamar from io9 wrote an article about the story, highlighting its depressing nature in his opinion.[3] Despite the reputation of "Into the Great Unknown" as the first officially-licensed work by Lucasfilm Ltd. to include both of Harrison Ford's most iconic roles, Blackman is unaware whether George Lucas knows about the story's existence or not.[1]
Notes and references[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Frank DiGiacomo: Indiana Jones, Meet Han Solo at Vanity Fair (Web archive)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 @HadenBlackman Haden Blackman on Twitter
- ↑ The lost Indiana Jones-Star Wars crossover was really depressing at io9 (Web archive)
