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This article is non-canon within the Star Wars Legends continuity.

This article covers a Star Wars Legends subject that was published under the Infinities label or that Lucasfilm otherwise declared non-canon within the Legends continuity.

"I'm Indiana Jones. Who are you, some kind of test pilot?"
―Indiana Jones, to Luke Skywalker[1]

Doctor Indiana Jones was a Human male archaeologist from the planet Earth. At one point in time, Jones was taken to the planet Xantar by the alien "Bug-Eyes," where the doctor became frustrated with the lack of artifacts. "Bug-Eyes" later brought the Jedi Luke Skywalker to the planet to serve as a friend to Jones. Skywalker instead suggested that the alien take Jones back to his home, which "Bug-Eyes" agreed to do.

Later, between the Earth-years 1942 and 1943, Jones embarked on an expedition to find the legendary "Sasquatch" in a jungle on behalf of a museum. Accompanied by his companion Short Round and a guide, the trio came across the wreck of the YT-1300 light freighter Millennium Falcon. Inside, Jones found the remains of its pilot, Han Solo, and decided to cancel the search for the Sasquatch, which was actually Solo's co-pilot, the Wookiee Chewbacca.

Biography[]

Xantar encounter[]

"Listen Bug-Eyes, you told me I'd find priceless artifacts, instead I'm slogging through an endless swamp!"
―Indiana Jones, to Bug-Eyes[2]
IndianaJonesAndTheStoriesOfYoda

Indiana Jones meets Luke Skywalker

Indiana Jones was a Doctor and archaeologist from the primitive planet Earth.[1] At some point, his travels took him to the location Atlantis.[2] On another occasion, Jones was taken by an alien he called "Bug-Eyes" to the planet Xantar via starship, with the promise that Jones would find priceless artifacts. On arrival, Jones instead grew frustrated navigating the planet's swampy terrain, becoming lonely and depressed. Bug-Eyes tried to improve Jones' mood by finding him a companion, which the alien found in the Jedi trainee Luke Skywalker, who Bug-Eyes brought to Xantar to meet Jones. As they landed, Bug-Eyes briefed Skywalker about Jones' disposition, at which point the archaeologist arrived complaining about his situation.[1]

Jones introduced himself to Skywalker, and asked if the Jedi was some kind of test pilot, which led Skywalker to deduce that Jones came from a primitive world. The Jedi suggested that Bug-Eyes take Jones home, and the alien agreed, considering that a mistake had been made in taking Jones aboard. Prior to departing in the starship, Skywalker commented to Jones that the doctor resembled his friend, Han Solo.[1]

Expedition to the Millennium Falcon[]

"What now, Doctor Jones? We continue looking for this 'monster'?"
"No. Let's leave him as part of the great unknown."
―Short Round and Indiana Jones, discussing the "Sasquatch" Chewbacca[2]

At some point in either of the Earth-years 1942 or 1943,[3] Jones was hired by a museum to locate the legendary "Sasquatch," which had been sighted throughout the thirty years prior, in a jungle. The Sasquatch was in reality the Wookiee Chewbacca, who had crash-landed in the YT-1300 light freighter Millennium Falcon with his Solo 126 years earlier. Jones travelled to the jungle with his companion Short Round and a local guide.[2]

Indyhan 2

Indiana Jones and Han Solo's remains

As the trio approached a ridge where Chewbacca had previously been sighted, the guide pointed out their location and identified a set of footprints, which pleased Jones, although he commented that the museum was not paying only for footprints. Eventually, the group found the wreck of the Millennium Falcon, which Jones climbed aboard first and proceeded to pull Short Round up onto the starship's ramp. Short Round asked Jones where they were, to which the doctor responded that he had no idea, as he had never seen its like, even in Atlantis. As he came across Solo's corpse in the pilot's seat, Jones commented that he found the scene somehow familiar, and instructed Short Round to stay close.[2]

As Jones felt the fletching of one of the arrows that had killed Solo, he expressed belief that the pilot's remains were Human and sympathized with his fate. Short Round then asked Jones if they would continue the search for the "monster," which Jones declined to do, believing that the mystery was best left part of the unknown.[2]

Personality and traits[]

"By the way, did anyone ever tell you that you look a lot like my friend Han Solo…?"
―Luke Skywalker, to Jones[1]

Indiana Jones was usually out exploring to find lost relics.[4] In the opinion of Bug-Eyes, Indiana Jones was lonely, depressed and cynical. The doctor complained about the lack of artifacts on Xantar and the fact that he had to trawl through mud instead.[1] Jones was hired by a museum to track down the "Sasquatch," but decided that the mysterious creature was better left alone after encountering the corpse of Han Solo. He had never seen anything resembling the Millennium Falcon before in his travels.[2] Jones was a light-skinned human with brown hair and green eyes, with, according to Luke Skywalker, a similar appearance to that of Solo.[1]

Equipment[]

Jones's typical outfit included a brown fedora, a brown jacket, and a gray shirt.[2][1] He also carried a whip and a pistol,[2] which made him a force to be reckoned with in combat.[4]

Behind the scenes[]

Overview[]

"Well, they usually ask me, ‘If there was a fight between Han Solo and Indiana Jones, who would fuckin’ win?’ And I say [voice rising, fingers drumming], ‘Me, asshole! I don’t want to fucking make shit up like that. I mean, what are you asking me that crap for?’"
―Harrison Ford, on fan questions about Indiana Jones and Han Solo[5]
Indiana Jones profile

Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark

Indiana Jones is the central character of the eponymous franchise, which began with the film Raiders of the Lost Ark, which premiered on June 12, 1981.[6] The character was conceived around 1970 by Star Wars creator George Lucas, who wanted to recreate serial films from the 1930s. Lucas mentioned the concept to his friend and fellow director Steven Spielberg when they were both vacationing in Hawaii on the weekend that Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope premiered in 1977, which led to Spielberg agreeing to direct the first film.[7]

Lucas initially tried to avoid casting Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, not wanting to be reliant on the actor after he appeared in Lucas's previous films American Grafitti and in Star Wars as Han Solo, but the actor was eventually cast.[8] The first reference to Indiana Jones in a Star Wars source was the ninth issue of the newsletter Bantha Tracks, published in the Summer of 1980. The article did not mention the character by name, only announcing that Ford had been cast as the lead character in Raiders of the Lost Ark.[9] Jones was then included in posters for the film used in later issues of Bantha Tracks, with the character's name not used in a Star Wars source until the thirteenth issue of the magazine in August of 1981.[10]

Star Wars media[]

First references[]

"Greetings, Jones! We've been keeping an eye on you, and we've decided you deserve bigger challenges than you're getting around here. You'd be amazed at the wealth of artifacts just waiting for a man of your talents on Planet [sic] Xantar! We'd like you to lead our expedition, and we're ready to leave right now."
"I don't want to go."
"Sure you do, you'll love it there!"
―The exchange between "Bug-Eyes" and Indiana Jones, leading to the Star Wars crossover in Yoda Stories[11]

Indiana Jones has made numerous non-canon appearances throughout Star Wars media. His first non-magazine reference was made in 1987 in the rulebook for the first edition of Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, which suggested that players could model character dynamics on the relationship between Jones and Short Round[12] as portrayed in the second Indiana Jones film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984).[13]

Indiana Jones Bug Eyes

Indiana Jones meets "Bug-Eyes" in Indiana Jones and his Desktop Adventures (pictured) before travelling to Xantar.

Jones's first appearance in a Star Wars story[1] was in the March 1997[14] LucasArts video game Star Wars: Yoda Stories, where the player controls Luke Skywalker and can encounter Jones and his alien abductor "Bug-Eyes" in one of the game's numerous possible endings. Skywalker comments on Jones' similar appearance to Solo,[1] hinting at their shared portrayal by Harrison Ford.[7] This appearance serves as a continuation of one of the endings of the 1996 LucasArts game Indiana Jones and his Desktop Adventures, in which "Bug-Eyes" meets Jones after he solves a puzzle while working in Mexico. The alien says that Jones deserves greater challenges than those currently available to him, and insists that the doctor lead an expedition on Xantar to find precious artifacts. Jones is reluctant to join, but relents after "Bug-Eyes" insistence and enters the alien's starship.[11]

In the novel The Paradise Snare, the first entry in The Han Solo Trilogy by A. C. Crispin, Solo uses the alias "Jenos Idanian," which is an anagram of Indiana Jones.[15] The novel was published on May 5, 1997.[16]

Extended crossovers[]

"What is this place?"
"I don't know, I've never seen anything like it. Not even in Atlantis. But it's all somehow familiar. Stay close, Shorty."
―Short Round and Indiana Jones, inside the Millennium Falcon[2]

Jones's next Star Wars appearance was in the crossover story "Into the Great Unknown," a comic written by W. Haden Blackman, illustrated by Sean Gordon Murphy, and published in the nineteenth issue of Star Wars Tales by Dark Horse Comics[2] on May 14, 2004.[17] The idea of a crossover between the two franchises had existed at Dark Horse prior to Blackman's involvement in writing the comic.[18] In it, Jones makes reference to his experience in Atlantis, a location he explored previously explored in the Dark Horse Comics series Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis,[19] the first issue of which was released on March 1, 1991,[20] and in the 1992 video game of the same name.[21] Blackman later stated that the comic took place seven or eight years after Temple of Doom,[3] which occurs in 1935,[13] placing "Into the Great Unknown" in either 1942 or 1943.[3]

Lego Indiana Jones

Indiana Jones's LEGO profile

Jones appeared as a playable character in the console versions of the 2007 Traveller's Tales video game LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga. He can be unlocked in the room of the Mos Eisley Cantina adorned with the question mark symbol by entering the door with the camera image above it. There, the player can view the trailer for LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures, a then-upcoming video game that was released in 2008, and players will afterwards be able to purchase Jones to use as a playable character. In combat, Jones can fire with his pistol or whip enemies that are in close proximity.[22] Likewise, Solo is an unlockable character in LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures.[23]

Continued cameos[]

In the short film LEGO Star Wars: The Quest for R2-D2,[24] which first aired on August 28, 2009,[25] Jones can be seen searching through items at a Jawa garage sale, briefly holding the head of the droid C-3PO before tossing it aside.[24] In the Krome Studios video game Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes,[26] which was first released on October 9, 2009,[27] players can unlock "Indy's Hat" as a wearable item.[26]

Lego Raiders

Darth Vader watches Indiana Jones in LEGO Star Wars: Bombad Bounty

In the short film LEGO Star Wars: Bombad Bounty, which premiered online on September 17, 2010,[28] Darth Vader watches a LEGO recreation of Raiders of the Lost Ark on his television, particularly the scene where Jones steals the Chachapoyan Fertility Idol from the Temple of the Chachapoyan Warriors and evades the large boulder. He later appears on the Death Star, where in the background, a scene of Solo running from a group of stormtroopers is replaced with Jones running away from the boulder.[29]

Jones has two cameo appearances in the console versions LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars, which was released in 2011. In free play mode of the level "The Hidden Enemy," the player can position two sports cars to be on top of two pads, which will reveal a tied-up Indiana Jones and his father, Henry Jones, Sr.,[30] in a recreation of a scene from the 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.[31] In the bonus level "Hostage Crisis," the player can connect a set of power cables to unlock a side-scrolling mini-game featuring Jones. The player has to step on a pad to cause Jones to jump across a series of chasms, after which they are awarded with a minikit.[30]

In the 2012 web game Star Wars Galactic Spy, Jones has multiple appearances, along with other references to his franchise. He runs away from a boulder in the Mos Eisley Parade, faces an Egyptian Swordsman in the Departure Lounge, and fights two Thuggee cultists in the Imperial garrison base.[32]

Appearances[]

Non-canon appearances[]

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Sources[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Star Wars: Yoda Stories
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 "Into the Great Unknown" — Star Wars Tales 19
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 TwitterLogo W. Haden Blackman (@HadenBlackman) on Twitter: "No - they are two different characters in my mind. We never put the story on any timelines b/c it is an Infinities tale, but the Indy portion needs to be 7 or 8 years after ToD" (backup link)
  4. 4.0 4.1 LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga: Prima Official Game Guide
  5. Harrison Ford has Stories to Tell by D'agostino, Ryan on Esquire (May 31, 2023) (archived from the original on June 28, 2023)
  6. Star Wars Year by Year: A Visual Chronicle
  7. 7.0 7.1 George Lucas: The Creative Impulse
  8. Indiana Jones: Making the Trilogy
  9. Bantha Tracks 9
  10. Bantha Tracks 13
  11. 11.0 11.1 Indiana Jones and his Desktop Adventures
  12. Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game
  13. 13.0 13.1 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
  14. LucasArtsIcon 20th Anniversary History, Part Three, Broadening Horizons, 1995-1998 on LucasArts.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
  15. The Paradise Snare
  16. PenguinRandomHouse The Paradise Snare: Star Wars Legends (The Han Solo Trilogy) on Penguin Random House's official website (backup link) (Paperback)
  17. MarvelLogo Star Wars Tales (1999) #19 on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)
  18. Frank DiGiacomo: Indiana Jones, Meet Han Solo on Vanity Fair (archived from the original on January 14, 2013)
  19. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis comic
  20. HorselessHeadman Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis #1 (of 4) on Dark Horse Comics' official website (backup link)
  21. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
  22. LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
  23. LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
  24. 24.0 24.1 LEGO Star Wars: The Quest for R2-D2
  25. LEGO LEGO® Star Wars™ TV Special On Cartoon Network Friday, August 28th! on LEGO.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
  26. 26.0 26.1 Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes
  27. Star Wars Blog Report from the Star Wars Spectacular 2009The Official Star Wars Blog on StarWars.com (backup link)
  28. YouTube LEGO® STAR WARS™: BOMBAD BOUNTY on the LEGOClubTV YouTube channel (backup link)
  29. LEGO Star Wars: Bombad Bounty
  30. 30.0 30.1 LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
  31. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
  32. Star Wars Galactic Spy

External links[]

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