The boy known as Short Round was born on February 8, 1926[1] as Wan Li. Orphaned during the Japanese bombing of Shanghai in 1932, Li picked up his alias as a pickpocket on the streets of his home town and attempted to rob the man he would later refer to as Dr. Jones.
Biography
Early life
The oldest child of a steel plant foreman in Shanghai, Wan Li was orphaned when a Japanese bombing raid killed his family in January 1932. He was taken in by a Christian mission, where he picked up English and math, but soon turned to the seamy streets of the Shanghai underbelly, picking up survival instincts while working as a guide, pickpocket, and cutpurse. Li picked up much of his English from watching American films at the Tai-Phung Theater as he worked in shady areas such as the opium dens on Liu Street, and assumed the nickname Short Round.
At the Gung Ho Bar in 1935, Short Round attempted to pickpocket a tall American man in a fedora, only to find himself trapped by Indiana Jones's bullwhip. Rather than turn Short Round over to the authorities, Indy introduced Short Round to his friend Wu Han with Shorty becoming one of Indy's contacts in Shanghai. On one occasion, the three traveled together through the Himalayas where they were assaulted by nomadic thieves during a yak ride.
During their time together, Indy introduced Short Round to American baseball—and the New York Yankees—and taught him additional survival skills like how to drive despite his young age.[2]
The Temple of Doom
Short Round served as a driver for Jones and Wu Han while the pair was in Shanghai, trying to exchange Nurhachi's ashes for the Peacock's Eye from gangster Lao Che. When Jones and singer Willie Scott — pulled into events following Wu Han's murder — made an emergency escape from Club Obi Wan, Short Round picked them up as they dangled from an awning. Using boxes strapped to his shoes to reach the pedals, he evaded Lao Che's men and sped to the airport.
A capable assistant to the adventurer, Short Round demanded that Scott call his boss Dr. Jones, and when their pilots, employed by Lao Che, abandoned the plane, Short Round calmly recognized that all the parachutes were gone while Jones attempted to fly the plane. When the three escaped the plane crash in India, they eventually reached the village of Mayapore. When Jones was given the task of recovering the town's sacred stone from Pankot Palace, Short Round and Scott accompanied him through the trek on elephant through the jungle. Short Round named his elephant "Big Short Round", believing him to be the reincarnation of his dead brother Chu.[2] One night on the trail, Short Round beat Jones at poker, though they both accused each other of cheating.
At Pankot Palace, the trio were welcomed in and made guests, attending the Guardian of Tradition Dinner. That night, Shorty awoke to find Indy being attacked by a Thuggee assassin who had seemingly emerged from a painting. Shorty tossed Indy his whip, which reversed the ambush. Short Round accompanied Indy into a set of secret chambers found in Willie's room, but accidentally triggered some of the lethal traps. Despite her fear of the insects crawling in the chambers, Willie managed to stop the traps and save their lives. As they explored further, they witnessed a Thuggee ceremony presided by Mola Ram. After Indy went to retrieve the Sankara stones, Willie and Shorty were captured by Thuggee cultists and separated. While imprisoned briefly with Indy, Shorty learned about how the prisoners were turned into Thuggee followers through a ritual of blood drinking.
Short Round attempted to stop the forced conversion of his friend by attacking Zalim Singh, but failed to prevent Indy from being forced to drink the dark blood. Shorty was shackled and forced to work in the mines below the palace, alongside the other child slaves taken from the area's villages. When the guards were absent, Shorty broke his chains and attempted to escape. Eventually he was re-captured, and was brought to witness another of Mola Ram's gruesome ceremonies, where a converted Indy was to put Willie to death. Breaking free, he tried to snap Jones out of it, and was struck by his friend. Hitting Indy with a torch managed to clear the effects of Kali Ma from Jones' mind, and the two fought the temple staff for freedom, subduing Chattar Lal and saving Willie.
When Jones decided to help all the children escape, Shorty helped him fight the guards and unshackle the slaves. Indy was then attacked by the slavemaster and Shorty attempted to protect his friend, only to be tossed aside. Zalim Singh used a voodoo doll to inflict pain on Indy. Short Round saw Singh and climbed up to Singh's vantage point and wrestled for control of the doll. Eventually Shorty won, and saved Indy from being killed in the rock crusher. Singh pulled out his sword to slash at Shorty and Shorty struck back with a torch, which freed Singh's mind from the Thuggee spell. Singh thanked him, and also informed him of the best escape route.
Taking off in a mine car, Shorty controlled the brake while Indy dealt with their pursuers. With the mines flooding, they managed to escape to freedom after a confrontation with Mola Ram and the remaining Thuggee, in which Mola was devoured by crocodiles and the Thuggee were defeated by the Eleventh Poona Rifles. With the escaped children, the trio returned to Mayapore as heroes.
Further adventures
Short Round returned with Jones to the United States, where he attended boarding school. In 1936, he assisted the archaeologist off the coast of Bimini where Jones was diving in search of evidence that confirmed the existence of a lost continent named Atlantis. When a corrupt captain called Belgrade tried to rob Jones of any treasures found, Short Round arrived in a speedboat to carry his friend to safety. Afterwards, he returned to school although he lamented it was no fun.[3]
It contains information confirmed to be non-canon by the author or Lucasfilm. Everything said in this section and not elsewhere did not happen in the "proper" Indiana Jones continuity.
He teamed up with the archaeologist again some years later in Jones' search for the Sasquatch. Within the tree canopy they discovered the wreckage of an unknown technology, beyond even that found in Atlantis.
Inside the pair came across a human skeleton in the pilot seat that gave Doctor Jones pause for thought. Shorty asked if they should keep looking for the "monster" but Indiana decided it might be best to leave it to the Great Unknown.[4]
Short Round eventually took up the search for the Peacock's Eye like his hero and managed to track the diamond to Hawaii in 1957.[5]
Personality and traits
Short Round was fluent in Chinese, and his English was manageable. Even at a young age and short stature, he was a skilled driver. He was extremely loyal to and protective of Indiana Jones, willing to risk his own life to defend his friend. While calm and quick-thinking under pressure, he rarely accepted responsibility for actions that may have gotten him and his friends into trouble. He was skilled in an unspecified form of kung fu, allowing him to swiftly defeat the Thuggee guards that attacked Willie and himself.
Behind the scenes
An older, non-canonical, Short Round from Into the Great Unknown.
Actor Ke Huy Quan portrayed Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
The Temple of Doom novelization states that Short Round was born in the Year of the Monkey. This would place his birth between February 1920 and February 1921, though Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide lists his date of birth as February 8, 1926. The Guide contradicts the date given later in the book which indicates Short Round as eleven years old in 1935. IndianaJones.com's profile on Short Round gave his birth year as 1924.
Despite his cap being identified as that of the New York Yankees baseball team in The Ultimate Guide, the hat Short Round wears in Temple of Doom is actually that of the New York Giants.
According to the unauthorized Spanish-language book Indiana Jones: Biografía, Short Round was adopted by a high-society couple—friends of Willie Scott—in New York City, and eventually followed in Indy's footsteps, studying archaeology at the University of Chicago. This account is not endorsed by Lucasfilm.
Appearances
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom junior novel
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (First appearance)
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom novel
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom comic
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: A Tale of High Adventure
The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones – "Trail of the Golden Guns"- Into the Great Unknown (Non-canonical appearance)
- LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (Non-canonical appearance)
- LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues (Non-canonical appearance)
- LEGO Indiana Jones Adventures: Shanghai Chase (Non-canonical appearance)
Sources
- Short Round's Action Puzzles
- Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game (First edition)
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Sourcebook
Short Round's Marshall College entry on IndianaJones.com (backup link on Archive.org)- The Lost Journal of Indiana Jones
- Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide
