Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Indiana Jones' Lost Ark
Indiana Jones' greatest ancient artifact has been recovered in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, whether Han Solo and Chewbacca know it or not. This is not the first time Lucasfilm has crossed the two over: planting a couple of droid-looking hieroglyphs near Indy's Well of Souls, and the comic "Into The Great Unknown", for example. Today we're exploring the possibility that not only are the two franchises connected, they share one of the most important pieces of hardware in the universe: The Ark of the Covenant!
The Comic
In the comic book Star Wars Tales #19, there's a story by the name of "Into The Great Unknown" in which Han's lucky streak comes to an end. Instead of making the calculations he and Chewie need for the jump to lightspeed, as he explains to Luke in A New Hope, the duo are forced to outrun a bad situation by simply hitting the road to hyperspace.
Above you'll see two covers for this comic. Make sure you're keeping your eyes open for either one if you're on the hunt!
Unfortunately they don't end up alright, crash-landing on Earth at or around the year 1819 (or thereabouts). They crash, Han is shot full of arrows from a nearby set of natives, and Chewbacca is left to fend for himself. Before his death, Han notes that the location they've landed looks just like Endor.
Looking just like Endor could – easily – mean they've landed in the area that's now (in our reality, in our time) called Redwood National Park, since that's where most of the "Endor" scenes for Return of the Jedi were filmed.
Once Chewbacca is left on his own, he survives 126 years into the future (at least), and is eventually sought out by Indiana Jones and Short Round, who seek what they're to understand is Bigfoot.
The Shipping Container
The container shown in Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (stored in a facility by "Top Men") has the containment code 9906753. See here – and remember that number.
Whether or not you count Indiana Jones 4: Crystal Skull a-Go-Go a proper Indiana Jones film, you'll see that Lucasfilm wanted to keep the fact that they're in the same facility as the first film fresh in your mind. A car crash in the warehouse shows that the Ark crate is still there, and (upon breaking open) is likely set to be moved soon after.
Fast forward to 2015 when Star Wars: The Force Awakens Incredible Cross-Sections book is being created. They knew good and well what they were getting into when the added the following tidbit.
In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Han and Chewie own and pilot a ship called Eravana. This ship is massive. It's full of shipping containers.
This book shows that near the back end of Han and Chewie's newest ship, they've got a container that they've been unable to open. This container holds the mark 9906753.
While we're not entirely certain what "Sadoxxian" has to do with anything, we know that the Ark has clearly made its way not only to a galaxy far, far away, but to a long time ago, too!
Perhaps Indiana Jones 5 will be about time travel?
Clone Wars
At least twice in Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series, Lucasfilm planted the clues we needed to tie the Indiana Jones universe in with this sci-fi environment.
In season 1, episode 21, "Liberty of Ryloth", the planet Ryloth is playing host to a battalion of Battle Droids who, in one scene's background, are clearly loading the Ark of the Covenant on to one of their ships.
On the left you'll see the ark as depicted in Clone Wars. On the right you'll see the ark in Indiana Jones.
Another example is in season 3, episode 22, "Wookiee Hunt". In this episode, on a Trandoshan predator-world, inside the hero ship of the hunter Garnac, trophies of past hunts can be seen. One of these trophies is the Crystal Skull of an alien species.
This is the same sort of Crystal Skull you'll find in the 4th Indiana Jones film.
All crystal, all skull.
Canon
Does this all mean that Star Wars and Indiana Jones are going to be acknowledged by Lucasfilm and/or Disney as canon with one another? Don't count on it! The comic at the start of this article is part of their "Legends" collection now, and it's all hush-hush on the other fronts!
Head down to the timeline below for additional Star Wars: The Force Awakens intrigue and Star Wars crossovers of all sorts.