Simon Katanga

CHARACTER
Simon Katanga
Gender	Male
Nationality	African
Profession(s)	Smuggler Captain
Allegiance(s)	Crew of the Bantu Wind Sallah Mohammed Faisel el-Kahir Indiana Jones

"Their captain, Katanga, is an honorable man—regardless of his more doubtful enterprises."

―Sallah

Simon Katanga was the captain of the smuggling freighter the Bantu Wind and a collaborator of Indiana Jones during the late 1930s.

Biography

Early life

Simon Katanga was the son of a sailor who was an engineer aboard a Liberian ship, the Golden Sun, where Simon was introduced to the ways of the sea as a cabin steward. He eventually worked his way up to First Mate of the Bantu Wind, and took over control of the vessel when the previous captain was mortally wounded in a gunfight during a smuggling run. Katanga declared himself captain with the support of the crew but his competitors embellished the story to make him appear more ruthless, claiming that Katanga had murdered his predecessor as part of a mutiny supported by the crew.

The Bantu Wind, the ship captained by Katanga.

Katanga used to be a pirate and participated in several illegal activities by smuggling products, later regarded as "doubtful enterprises", and the Bantu Wind became known for smuggling, gun-running, and may have also been involved with slavery. They put in at various ports along the North African coast, plying their illegal cargoes and seeking new and more savage deals to whet their taste for wealth and debauchery. He had seen some of his men charging into the mouths of cannon.

The Ark of the Covenant

In 1936, Katanga was contacted by Sallah Mohammed Faisel el-Kahir, who was seeking secret passage for his friends, Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood, and their cargo — the Ark of the Covenant, stolen from the Nazis. Katanga agreed to provide passage from Egypt to England across the Mediterranean Sea, and loaded the cargo and passengers at night and set out, even giving up his quarters to Jones and Ravenwood. During the trip, he noticed that humming coming from the crate containing the Ark continued to grow louder and asked Indy whatever or not it was dangerous.

Katanga and one of his ship mates.

The next morning, somewhere between Egypt and Sicily, the Bantu Wind was ordered to stop by the surfaced Wurrfler, a German U-boat, under the threat of being blow out of the water. On the bridge, Katanga told an alerted Jones to hide. When his ship was boarded by René Emile Belloq and his Nazi companions, Katanga surrendered to protect his ship and crew from the well-armed soldiers, and gave up the Ark. As a captured Ravenwood attempted to strike Colonel Herman Dietrich, Katanga grabbed her and appealed to the Nazis to take the Ark but leave Marion with his crew, claiming that she had value where they were headed while Jones was dead and thrown overboard. Dietrich refused and seized Ravenwood, but Belloq took custody of her instead. Showing restraint, Katanga allowed Ravenwood and the Ark to be turned over to the Nazis, even after being labeled a savage by Dietrich.

As soon as the Nazis were back on their submarine, Katanga ordered his men to find Jones, still hidden on the ship. While watching the Germans depart, Katanga stood on the side of his ship when one of the pirates reported to him that Jones could not be found. Ordering his man to search again, the pirate looked across to the German vessel and pointed out Jones to Katanga, who saluted the archaeologist as all his crew celebrated.

Further adventures

Katanga in 1936.

Later that year, Katanga was reunited with Indiana Jones at a Panama City jail, where Katanga was being held on rum smuggling charges. Indy arranged for bail and chartered the Bantu Wind for an expedition to the Aleutian Islands, where Indy sought to find an ancient Chinese temple, predating the Eskimos. At the temple, Katanga and Indy were confronted by a crew of pirates led by Emerelda Vasquez. Emerelda commandeered the Bantu Wind, stole the Chinese treasure and demolished the temple, leaving Indy, Katanga and the ship's crew for dead. Katanga and Indy both managed to escape the island, and Katanga's team was able to sneak aboard and assume control of Emerelda's submarine. At the end of the naval battle that ensued, Vasquez was dead and Katanga was once again captain of the Bantu Wind.

Note: The following section is ambiguously canon.
It contains information that originates in a source that has not been deemed definitively canon.

After the ordeal, Katanga took the opportunity to reach out to Sallah by letter to apologize for not being able to keep Marion safe (and his incarceration slowing his reply). However, the Egyptian was sympathetic to the crew's circumstances, although he couldn't reassure his associate with the Bantu Wind always on the move.

Around that time, the ship's captain began looking into the Cross of Coronado's whereabouts on behalf of Indiana Jones. Asking around Belize City's docks, Katanga discovered hearsay from the workers there that the crucifix's owner was no longer based in the area and had moved operations eastward. He informed Jones in writing but it got redirected to the archaeologist's father in error.

Ambiguously canon information ends here.

Personality and traits

Simon Katanga was fond of smoking cigars and kept a stash of alcohol in his cabin aboard the Bantu Wind. He was well-liked and respected by his crew, as it was only his order that prevented them from resisting the Nazis when they boarded the ship. He also kept a cool head and did not rise to insults, even when Herman Dietrich racially abused him. He became a good friend of Indiana Jones, as demonstrated when he protected Jones from the Nazis by stating that he had killed the archaeologist because of him being of no value to him and making up a lie in a futile attempt to prevent the Nazis from taking Marion Ravenwood hostage. As noted by his old friend Sallah Mohammed Faisel el-Kahir, Katanga was a man involved in some doubtful enterprises, but an honorable one in spite of that.

Behind the scenes

Captain Katanga was portrayed by George Harris in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

In the film, Katanga wears the hat of a Yugoslav People's Navy officer. This is anachronistic to the 1936 setting, as the Yugoslav Navy was not formed until 1945. The character is also seen with a holster strapped onto his waist, suggesting that he carries a personal firearm, though the specific weapon goes unseen.

In LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures Simon Katanga and the Messenger Pirate (known as "First Mate") are the only crew members of the ship shown, and in the sequel, Katanga is the only crew member on the ship.

Appearances

• Raiders of the Lost Ark (First appearance)
• Raiders of the Lost Ark novel
• Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark junior novel
• Raiders of the Lost Ark comic
• Raiders of the Lost Ark storybook
• Raiders of the Lost Ark Read-Along Adventure
•  The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones – "The Sea Butchers: Island of Peril!"
•  The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones – "The Sea Butchers: Death on Dark Waters"
• Disney Magic Kingdoms (Ambiguously canonical appearance) (Mentioned only)

Non-canonical appearances

• LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
• LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues

Sources

• Raiders of the Lost Ark Sourcebook
• Indiana Jones and the Wrath of Hecate
• Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide
• Top Trumps: Indiana Jones
• "Indy's Top 10 Funniest Moments" - Indiana Jones: The Official Magazine 6
• Indiana Jones Cryptic
• Something Wild! Indiana Jones