Star Wars

"Artoo shaking hands with See-Threepio is going to be one of those little-known facts in the movie you'll be able to see if you know where it is."

―Kathleen Kennedy on a Star Wars reference in Raiders of the Lost Ark

The Star Wars logo.

Star Wars is a movie franchise created in 1977 by film director George Lucas comprised of three core episodic trilogies and multiple spinoffs. The original trilogy of films starred Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill.

Both Star Wars and Indiana Jones were inspired by the movie serials of the 1930s and '40s, and it was while working on his script for The Star Wars that a distracted Lucas began making notes for "Indiana Smith", an unrelated archaeologist character who sought out supernatural artifacts.

Although they belong to different franchises and continuities, there have been several connections between the two in the form of in-jokes and references.

References to Star Wars in Indiana Jones

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Can you find R2-D2 and C-3PO?

• Jock Lindsey's plane has the letters OB-CPO on its nose, a reference to Obi-Wan Kenobi and C-3PO. OB-CPO is also included in the LEGO set "Temple Escape!".
• The sound of Jock Lindsey's plane starting is the same as the Millennium Falcon's failing hyperdrive.
• In the scene where Indiana Jones is lifting the Ark of the Covenant out of its holding place in the Well of Souls, one of the hieroglyphs resembles Star Wars characters C-3PO and R2-D2. There is also a hieroglyph depicting a figure similar to Princess Leia Organa inserting the Death Star plans into R2-D2. According to producer Kathleen Kennedy, this reference in particular was added by art director Norman Reynolds for George Lucas as an easter egg that could be seen by observant viewers.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

• The opening scenes take place in Club Obi Wan, named after the Star Wars character Obi-Wan Kenobi.
• Indy says during the mine car scene "We got company" - a similar line was spoken by Han Solo in the first Star Wars. Shorty also says this during the car pursuit in Shanghai.
• The sound of Lao Che's Ford Tri-Motor Airplane failing is the same as the Millennium Falcon's failing hyperdrive.
• The sound of an igniting lightsaber can be heard during Willie Scott's sacrifice attempt at the Temple of Doom.
• Jones confronts and defeats two Thuggee swordsmen then begins chasing one of them into the jungle, only to swiftly be chased back by a renewed number of soldiers. The scene closely resembles a scene in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope when Han Solo performs the same action with stormtroopers aboard the orignal Death Star.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

• Inside the temple of Akator, Indy says a line frequently used in the Star Wars movies: "I have a bad feeling about this."
• Inside the round room of the Temple of Akator, one of the golden decorative items features the faces of C-3PO and R2-D2 (the face of E.T., another Spielberg creation that also appears in Star Wars, adorns another piece).
• When Spalko's eyes burn out, the sound of an igniting lightsaber is heard.

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles

• In both "Austria, March 1917" and Young Indiana Jones and the Attack of the Hawkmen, Indy uses the line frequently said in the Star Wars movies: "I have a bad feeling about this."
• In "Austria, March 1917", Jones's companions remark sarcastically on traveling through the sewers "What a wonderful smell we've discovered!" similar to a line in the trash compactor scene in A New Hope.

Other

Henry Jones can request Die Overture von Krieg der Sterne in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure.

• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure features a Thousand-year-old falcon artifact in Indiana Jones's Barnett College office as well as "Die Overture von Krieg der Sterne" ("The Overture from Star Wars" in German).
• Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis includes a street in Monte Carlo named Boulevard des Guerres des Etoiles ("Boulevard of Star Wars" in French).
• The video game Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures has the C'boath Bar, named after a Star Wars expanded universe Jedi: Joruus C'baoth.
• The theme park attraction Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye has the line: "I have a bad feeling about this".
• The video game LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures has two references to the series: in the Lost Temple level Indy tries to give René Emile Belloq the head of C-3PO, and in the Temple of the Grail level, Indy and Sallah encounter what appears to be a shadow of Darth Vader (Complete with a musical cue and breathing), that later turns out to be the Knight standing guard over the room. Also, five Star Wars characters are hidden through the game (eg. Luke Skywalker is frozen in the level Into the Mountains) and after all are found, Han Solo is unlocked.
• Jock Lindsey flies the OB1 in Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods.
• The Bedford Police search warrant number for Indiana Jones' office in The Greatest Adventures of Indiana Jones begins with "OB1".
• Han Solo is also an unlockable skin in Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings.
• In LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues, Han Solo frozen in carbonite is collected at Hangar 51. On the third level of the "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Part I" section there is a jukebox that when repaired plays the Star Wars Cantina Band music. The fourth level reveals a battle droid's head when certain items are destroyed. In the world hub for Raiders of the Lost Ark, it is possible to unlock a lightsaber.
• In addition to mentions of the OB-CPO and OB1 aircraft, and Club Obi Wan, Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar is decorated with the interior section of a plane's hull marked with "RTO D-2" (R2-D2 as well as the combustion chamber of a Rolls-Royce Derwent jet engine, an object used in the design of the Mos Eisley Cantina bar set and the droid IG-88.

References to Indiana Jones in Star Wars

Canon

Cad Bane considers choosing a fedora.

• Star Wars: The Clone Wars:
  • The Headpiece to the Staff of Ra (the headpiece on Senator Kharrus' staff) and the Ark of the Covenant appear in the first season episodes "The Gungan General" and "Liberty on Ryloth" respectively, while the Season Three finale "Wookiee Hunt" includes the Crystal Skull of Akator from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in the Trandoshan trophy room.
  • The dance sequence in the Season Three episode "Hunt for Ziro" was inspired by the opening scene of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
  • In Season Four's sixteenth episode "Friends and Enemies" sees bounty hunter Cad Bane examining a fedora while looking for a new hat.
  • In Season Five's fifth episode "Tipping Points", Hondo Ohnaka's yacht Fortune and Glory, first appears, named in reference to the line from Temple of Doom.
  • In Season Six's third episode "Fugitive", droid AZ-3's reaction to Fives taking out a group of clones channels Henry Jones's when his son guns down Nazis at Castle Brunwald: "Look what you did... I can't believe what you did..."
  • In Season Six story arc "The Disappeared", written by by J. W. Rinzler, Peteen's dual role as both High Seneschal and secretive cultist was inspired by Chattar Lal while the script called for the protagonists to ride off "like the end of The Last Crusade."
  • In Season Seventh's sixth episode "Deal No Deal", Rafa Martez's comment that she wants "fortune and glory" is yet another reference to the line from Temple of Doom.

Arihnda Pryce.

• Star Wars Rebels:
  • Much of the structure in the latter half of the second season's half episodes was made with Last Crusade in mind, including "The Honorable Ones", "The Forgotten Droid" and "The Call". The Malachor Sith Temple from the season finale "Twilight of the Apprentice" was designed to be similar to the Temple of the Sun, with several challenges protecting the sought after Sith holocron.
  • Arihnda Pryce shares Irina Spalko's look.
  • The Holy Grail can be seen in the episode "Through Imperial Eyes". It was later identified by name in the episode's Rebels Recon behind-the-scenes video.
• Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens: Han Solo is chased through a corridor on his freighter by a spherical rathtar which reuses the sound effect of the Raiders of the Lost Ark rolling boulder.
  • In the LEGO video game adaptation, Solo retrieves his hair before a door closes down, a nod to the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom spike chamber escape. Also, the Ark of the Covenant can be seen in the background when Rey first picks up her lightsaber at Maz Kanata's castle at Takodana.
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Incredible Cross-Sections: There is a locked cargo module in Solo's freighter which bears the number 9906753.
• Star Wars: Darth Vader: Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra was conceived as the archaeological antithesis of Indiana Jones by writer Kieron Gillen. The character is a "gender- and ethically-switched Indiana Jones" who, in the third issue of the series, debuts in a homage to the opening of Raiders. She also pilots a ship called the Ark Angel.
• Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi: The Master Codebreaker who Finn, Rose Tico and BB-8 search for at the Canto Casino in Canto Bight, wears a white tuxedo with red boutonnière, resembling the attire that Indiana Jones wears in the opening sequence of Temple of Doom, as noted by Lucasfilm Ltd. senior content and asset specialist Phil Szostak.
• Solo: A Star Wars Story: The death scene of the summa-verminoth, in which its skin is ripped from its skull, was conceived by design supervisor James Clyne as a partial nod to the Indiana Jones franchise. One of Dryden Vos' Crimson Dawn henchmen is named Toht Ra after both the Gestapo agent Arnold Ernst Toht and the Headpiece to the Staff of Ra he burns his hand on. The Chachapoyan Fertility Idol is also present among Vos' collection.
• Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series: The series' plot point involving Darth Vader using a mercenary to find an artifact to bridge the gap between life and death was derived, according to Ben Snow, in part from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Furthermore, when designing Admiral Karius, Aaron McBride was inspired by Ron Cobb's early concept art for a cyborg-like Arnold Ernst Toht.
• Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge: If the guests visit Dok-Ondar's Den of Antiquities, they can see Mola Ram's headwear among some artifacts in a shelf. They can also spot the Ark of the Covenant hidden among the mislabeled "junk" obscured by a bunch of crates that Dok-Ondar has procured.
• Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker: For John Williams' cameo, the set was decorated with 51 props specifically designed to commemorate Williams' other films and his 51 Academy Award nominations. Among them is a representation of Indiana Jones' bullwhip.

Legends

• Both Indiana Jones and Short Round get mentions in the first edition rulebook of Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game.
• Indiana Jones is an unlockable character in LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga.
• Jones also makes a cameo in Star Wars: Yoda Stories.
• Corellia Antilles, a "xenoarchaeologist" whose forename is a location and has a common surname.
• The character of Major Stafuv Rahz from Russ Manning's comic strip Bring Me the Children was gained his first name through the 2007 online supplement Aliens of the Empire as a reference to the Staff of Ra from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
• Han Solo and Corran Horn both use Jenos Idanian, an anagram of 'Indiana Jones', as an alias in The Han Solo Strilogy and I, Jedi, respectively.
• Star Wars Galaxy Collector 7 includes a feature called Raiders Of the Lost Arcade.
• Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial includes Han Solo replying "That's not the years, it's the parsecs" when told he's changed.
• Dark Nest I: The Joiner King includes Han Solo saying the line "Bugs. Why did it have to be bugs?", causing Solo's phobia to homage Jones' ophidiophobia using an altered version of the line "Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?" from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
• The non-canon comic Into the Great Unknown features Indiana Jones discovering the remains of Han Solo on Earth.
• LEGO Star Wars: The Quest for R2-D2 features a cameo by Jones.
• LEGO Star Wars: Bombad Bounty depicts Boba Fett trying to cross a Death Star hallway to get to Jar Jar Binks. However, he is stopped by three things: Han Solo chasing a small group of stormtroopers, several more stormtroopers chasing Han Solo, and Indiana Jones running from a boulder. Fett gets run over by the boulder, as he attempts to cross the hallway after Jones has passed through. Additionally, Mola Ram is a patron of the Mos Eisley cantina and Darth Vader sees LEGO Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Brick on his hospital TV before changing the channel.
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes features an unlockable fedora called "Indy's hat".
• The Emperor in Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II encourages one of his royal guard to use their "Staff of Ra" in fixing an overhead vent.
• LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars: There are three references to Indiana Jones in this game. In the level "The Hidden Enemy", the player must stand on two buttons to reveal Indiana Jones and Henry Jones Sr. tied to a chair behind a bookshelf to collect a special object - a homage to the Castle Brunwald scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The second reference is in the level "Ambush". To obtain another special collectible, the player must enter a room similar to the Well of Souls, and find the object inside the Ark of the Covenant by activating it - a reference to Raiders of the Lost Ark. Also, in the bonus mission "Hostage Crisis", the player must activate a screen, and make his/her character jump to make the Indiana Jones on the screen jump as well to complete a small minigame - a strong similarity to the Xbox 360 Kinect and another homage to Indiana Jones.
• Star Wars Galactic Spy: Indiana Jones flees the boulder as part of the Mos Eisley Parade. He appears again facing the Arab Swordsman in the Departure Lounge and fending off two Thuggee at the Imperial Base. The Chachapoyan Fertility Idol sits among the items at Watto's junk shop while the Capuchin monkey appears at the Mos Eisley Cantina looking for dates, and the Crystal Skull of Akator can also be found there. Jock Lindsey's plane, the OB-CPO, can be located at the Imperial Base as can the heiroglyphics of R2-D2 and C-3PO from the Well of the Souls.
• Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side: As stated in Dan Wallace's endnotes for the reference book, pages 27 and 28 feature an "injection" of Indiana Jones/Tomb Raider, as Sorzus Syn dispatches her slaves to penetrate the Cloister of Bilious Torment and the Sanctum of Sakkra-Kla, somehow similar to how Walter Donovan dispatches his Hatayan soldiers within the Temple of the Sun's traps in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
• LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out: When Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 escape from Luke's fangirls on Naboo, Luke orders Artoo to activate his X-wing starfighter so they can escape fastly in a similar way to how Indiana Jones orders Jock Lindsey to start the OB-CPO to escape from the Hovitos in the opening sequence of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Other

• Return of the Ewok: In this mockumentary short starring Warrick Davis, the poster of Raiders of the Lost Ark can be seen on producer Robert Watts' wall.
• The first trailer for Star Wars Detours shows Han Solo trying on Indiana Jones' fedora.
• The StarWars.com blog post series "The Imperial Warlords: Despoilers of an Empire" mentions that the motivation of brothers Treuten and Kosh Teradoc to join the Imperial Navy was that when they were little, they liked to dream on renacting the story of Piethet Brighteyes and the raiders of the Ryloth Ark in reference to Raiders of the Lost Ark.
• At Celebration Orlando in 2017, in reference to his mishaps in planes, Ford quoted Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade with "Fly? Yes. Land? No".
• Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian: Indiana Jones is mentioned in the series' round table discussions. The episode "Legacy" includes Kathleen Kennedy crediting the franchise, in part, with piquing George Lucas' interest in making the Star Wars prequels.

Cast and crew

Space smuggler Han Solo portrayed by Harrison Ford.

Persons who worked in both franchises:

• George Lucas - Created both sagas.
• Harrison Ford - Played Han Solo in the Star Wars films and Indiana Jones in the Indiana Jones films.
• Vic Armstrong - Played the Right rearview soldier's backup and served as the stunt double of Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark and went on to double Ford again in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi as in the next two original Indiana Jones films.
• Pernilla August - Played Emilie and Mamma in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles episodes "Vienna, November 1908" and "Northern Italy, June 1918" and went on to play Shmi Skywalker in the first two films of the Star Wars prequel trilogy and an episode of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series.
• Jane Bay - Served as assistant of the last two films of the original Star Wars trilogy, the prequels and The Clone Wars as well as the Indiana Jones movies.
• Dickey Beer - Played Barada, Sergeant Junkin, a stormtrooper and a biker scout in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi in addition to serving as the stunt double of Boba Fett and Luke Skywalker before he went to play several Thuggee in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and serve as the stunt double of Kevork Malikyan and play the Troop carrier passenger in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
• Bruce Boa - Played General Carlist Rieekan in Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and later went on to play Ambassador Kerens in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles episode "Vienna, November 1908".
• Gavin Bocquet - Served as draftman in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi and later served as production designer on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles before working again as production designer on the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
• Ben Burtt - Served as sound designer in the Star Wars saga films in addition to playing Colonel Dyer in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi and wrote some episodes of Star Wars: Droids and went on to work as sound designer in the Indiana Jones films in addition to writing Young Indiana Jones and the Attack of the Hawkmen.
• Anthony Daniels - Played C3-PO in the Star Wars films and Francois in Young Indiana Jones and the Attack of the Hawkmen.
• Oliver Ford Davies - Played Governor Sio Bibble in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and the ship's captain in Young Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Jackal.
• Peter Diamond - Played a Tusken Raider in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope and served as stunt coordinator in the next two Star Wars films. He also worked as stunt arranger in Raiders of the Lost Ark and played the Left rearview soldier in the Desert Chase.
• Julie Eccles
• Richard Edlund
• Adrian Edmondson
• David Esch
• Deborah Fine - Lucasfilm Ltd. researcher.
• Carrie Fisher
• Nick Gillard - Played the Periscope Soldier in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade before working as stunt coordinator in the Star Wars prequel trilogy during which he played Jedi Master Cin Drallig in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith.
• Julian Glover - Played General Maximilian Veers in Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and later went on to play Walter Donovan in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
• Martin Gordon
• Jonathan Hales
• Jerry Harte
• William Hootkins - Played Jek Tono Porkins in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope and went on to play Major Eaton in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
• Nick Jameson
• Lawrence Kasdan - Co-wrote the last two Star Wars original trilogy films and went on to write Raiders of the Lost Ark. He also helped David Koepp with the "love dialogue" in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull before returning to the Star Wars franchise where he co-wrote Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens and Solo: A Star Wars Story.
• Kathleen Kennedy - Produced all four Indiana Jones films and, as Lucasfilm president, went on to produce the Star Wars films made following Lucasfilm Ltd.'s acquisition by The Walt Disney Company in 2012.
• Christopher Lee - Played Count Ottokar Graf Czernin in Adventures in the Secret Service and went on to play Count Dooku in the last two Star Wars prequel trilogy films and the Star Wars: The Clone Wars feature film.
• Michael McAlister
• Rick McCallum - Produced The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and went on to produce all three films of the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
• Ian McDiarmid - Played Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi and went on to play Professor Jacques Levi in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles episode "Paris, October 1916" before returning to play Emperor Palpatine for the Star Wars prequel trilogy films, the 2004 re-release of Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, and Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker.
• Lewis Macleod
• Joel McNeely
• Ralph McQuarrie
• Dennis Muren
• Kiran Shah
• Felix Silla
• Michael Sheard - Played Admiral Kendal Ozzel in Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and went on to play Adolf Hitler in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
• Tom Stoppard
• Tom St. Amand
• Drew Struzan
• Max von Sydow - Played Sigmund Freud in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles episode "Vienna, November 1908" and went on to play Lor San Tekka in Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens.
• Pip Torrens
• Robert Watts
• Malcolm Weaver
• John Williams - Composed the music for all nine main Star Wars films as well as all four Indiana Jones films.
• Matthew Wood
• Keone Young

See also

• George Lucas' Super Live Adventure
• Into the Great Unknown
• Raiders of the Lost Jedi Temple of Doom: A Fan Film of Epic Proportions
• Star Wars Insider
• StarWars.com

External links

• StarWars.com
•  Indiana Jones on StarWars.com (backup link on Archive.org)
  •  The Cinema Behind Star Wars: Indiana Jones and The Lost Missions on StarWars.com (backup link on Archive.org)
  •  The Cinema Behind Star Wars: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade on StarWars.com (backup link on Archive.org)
• Wookieepedia, the Star Wars Wiki
• Star Wars on Wookieepedia
• Indiana Jones on Wookieepedia
• Star Wars on Wikipedia