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Credit: Inside the MagicIt’s not the first time fans have seen Indiana Jones references in Star Wars.
Since the very beginning, George Lucas and Steven Speilberg have included little nods and references to Indiana Jones and Star Wars in each franchise. These have ranged from the extremely subtle, like C-3PO and R2-D2 appearing as hieroglyphs in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), to the more on-the-nose and overt reference of the literal Sanrakra Stones appearing in Andor. So, while these next references are nothing new, the context is a little interesting.
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Fans of the Indy franchise are already very familiar with the nods to Star Wars throughout the films. Beyond the droids in the Well of the Souls, fans also spotted a familiar name outside the club in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984). Glimpsed briefly as Indy (Harrison Ford) and Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) plummet from the window, fans saw the club they were escaping from was actually “Club Obi-Wan,” in reference to the famous Jedi Master.
Of course, the references are present in Star Wars as well. Things like the Sankara Stones and even bullwhip in carbonite in Andor, but other little references as well. Fans of Star Wars: The Clone Wars may well have seen the McGuffin from Raiders, The Ark of the Covenant itself being loaded onto a shuttle in the background on Ryloth. If fans continued watching the Star Wars: Rebels series, they might have even spotted The Holy Grail in a certain Grand Admiral’s office, not in the temple in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).
The precident for this kind of crossover has been well-established, but the surprising thing about this latest nod is the timing. Shortly after Lucasfilm reportedly was told to focus only on Star Wars, Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni tossed in two more references to the famous archaeologist. In the latest episode of The Mandalorian, “The Pirate,” two little references were tossed in for those more diehard Indy fans to catch.
The first was a little clearer: Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee), like many other pilots before him, wears a leather jacket in his off-time, complete with squadron insignia. While it does look cool and very much in the world of aviation and space travel, the design is very specific. Though there is some added stitching on the sleeves, the jacket Teva (Lee) is wearing is, in fact, the very same kind of jacket that Indiana Jones (Ford) wears in each film! Maybe they found an extra lying around in Lucasfilm costume storage?
The second reference was the “blink, and you’ll miss it” type, but instead of a visual nod, it came in the form of an audio cue. Later on in the episode, when the Mandalorians come to the aid of Nevarro, one of the strike teams takes down a group of pirates, using every weapon in their arsenal, including the wrist-mounted whipcord launcher. If fans listened closely, they recognized an unmistakable sound effect created for and used throughout the Indiana Jones franchise for the hero’s famous bullwhip!
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Could these references be a dig at Lucasfilm’s reported Star Wars-only focus? While it’s not likely, it does go to show that many people, both inside and outside Lucasfilm, want more than just the Galaxy Far, Far Away and would certainly welcome more Indiana Jones content! Hopefully, Kathleen Kennedy, Bob Iger, and the other decision-makers listen to fans like Favreau, Filoni, and fans not affiliated with the studio and keep the Indiana Jones-based series alive!
Until then, fans can catch Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), which swings into theaters June 30, 2023, and stars Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Helena Shaw, Mads Mikkelsen as Jürgen Voller, and John Rhys-Davies as Sallah. This next and presumedly final installment will feature Ford’s last outing as the famous archaeologist as he fights against a familiar foe to get a hold of the artifact before it’s too late!
What did you think about these nods? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!