Star Wars and Indiana Jones have gone hand in hand virtually since their inception. The swashbuckling archeologist was famously conceived on a beach in Hawaii, as George Lucas hid from what he thought would be a disastrous opening for Star Wars: Episode IV. He and Steven Spielberg fleshed out what became Raiders of the Lost Ark on the spot. The two franchises practically swapped summer pole positions from year to year, dominating the box office four of the first five years of the 1980s. That pattern paused iin 1982 only for Spielberg’s equally mammoth hit E.T. The Extraterrestrial.
Between all that and a shared star in Harrison Ford, it was inevitable that the two franchises would find some way to acknowledge each other. While Star Wars has some logistical difficulties in doing so it’s set long before Indiana Jones was even born), Indy had no such limitations. Each of the four Indiana Jones movies to date contains a Star Wars Easter egg, in tribute to its creative sibling, Star Wars. A list of the star Wars references follows, presented in chronological order.
Raiders of the Lost Ark’s Plane Has Familiar Call Signs
The Indiana Jones movies began referencing Star Wars almost from the start. The opening sequence from Raiders of the Lost Ark concludes with Indy running for his life from hostile natives toward his pilot, Jock, and his waiting seaplane. The call letters on the side of the plane form a familiar pattern: OB-CPO, referencing both Obi-Wan Kenobi and C-3PO.
Raiders of the Lost Ark Hides Two Star Wars Cameos
One of the more famous Easter eggs of all time was easy to miss before the advent of home video, when fans could slow the tape down and look for it. The Well of Souls containing the Ark is inscribed with Egyptian hieroglyphics on every inch of the walls, making it easier for filmmakers to hide the reference in plain sight. As Indy and Sallah uncover the stone cover holding the Ark, a set of hieroglyphics to Indy’s right clearly depicts R2-D2 and C-3PO.
The Temple of Doom Welcomes Fans to Club Obi-Wan
The franchise didn’t try to hide its biggest nod to Star Wars. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom opens at Club Obi-Wan in Shanghai, where Willie Scott performs, and Indy negotiates with Chinese gangsters over the remains of an ancient emperor. The problematic nature of the scene swallows the obvious Easter egg as Indy and Willie escape their foes through a window and give viewers a good look at the nightclub’s marquee.
The Last Crusade’s Barrels Are a Star Wars Nod
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was far more subtle with its lone Star Wars Easter egg than either of its two predecessors. It constitutes a little more of a reach than the other items on this list. The 1989 film opens with the franchise’s traditional stand-alone sequence — borrowed from the James Bond franchise — culminating in a showdown on a ship off the coast of Portugal. As Indy’s nemesis (credited only as “Panama Hat”) descends to the rainy deck, the words “Carboneto” can be seen on a set of barrels he passes. It means “carbide” in Portuguese, a chemical compound used in lamps in the 1930s. But it also echoes “carbonite,” the fictional substance in Star Wars universe that imprisoned Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back.
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’s Famous Star Wars Quote
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is widely regarded as the weak point in the franchise. Indeed, Ford may have returned to the fifth movie as a way of closing the saga with more of a flourish. But it, too, pays homage to the Star Wars saga, this time with a particular line. As the titular MacGuffin is finally activated in the climax.Indy mutters, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” The line is a Star Wars standby, uttered by numerous characters throughout the saga.
The Dial of Destiny Merged Indy and Han Solo’s Perspective
One thing fans seemed to agree on was how similar Indy’s attitude in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny seemed to be to Han Solo. He even gave a speech regarding his belief in magic that sounded an awful like Han Solo’s remarks about the Force being a bunch of “mumbo-jumbo” in The Force Awakens. By this point in their lives, Han and Indy have both seen enough to know what’s real and worth believing in. This subtle nod just goes to show that despite their differences, the two characters may actually be more alike than anyone would have guessed.