Indiana Jones Crosses Over With Star Wars And No One Noticed

“Into the Great Unknown” is a non-canon story from the early ’00s Dark Horse anthology comic Star Wars Tales in which the worlds of Indiana Jones and Star Wars collide. The story marks the first—and so far only—time that Star Wars and Indy would crossover. It’s also the only time two characters portrayed by Harrison Ford have ever come face to face. Or face to skull, as it were.

Sometime after the Battle of Endor, Han Solo and Chewbacca are in the Millennium Falcon being pursued by the Empire when Han makes a blind hyperspace jump to escape. The uncalculated jump takes them to an unfamiliar system—the Milky Way, where they head for a blue planet with signs of life. That planet, in case you haven’t figured it out yet, is Earth.

The Falcon’s engines cut out during its descent into Earth’s atmosphere, resulting in a crash landing. Upon crashing into a forest that Han remarks looks a lot like Endor, the duo is attacked by a tribe of indigenous people. Solo is struck with several arrows before Chewie can fight off their assailants.

Bleeding out, Star Wars’ lovable scoundrel begs his best friend and co-pilot to take him back to the ship so he can die in the Falcon. “Always thought it would be you… getting killed… saving me or my kids… trying to repay that damn life debt… but I’m going first into the great unknown…” Han utters with his last breath.

Over a century later, Indiana Jones, his sidekick Short Round, and an unnamed guide make their way through the same forest looking for a legendary monster. Apparently, Chewbacca has been living in the nearby woods since Han died, with many people mistaking him for Sasquatch over the years. Indy, shorty, and the guide come upon the most famous ship in Star Wars history and venture inside.

Inside the Millennium Falcon, Indiana Jones finds Han Solo’s skeleton. Jones senses something familiar about the corpse and decides to abandon his quest for Bigfoot, choosing to let the truth about Chewbacca remain part of the “Great Unkown.”

“Into the Great Unknown” is one of the only times Star Wars has officially met another property. The only other crossovers of note were an episode of the original Muppet Show where the Muppets met Luke Skywalker and his droids, and of course, the infamous Fortnite crossover that is sadly canon. While the Indiana Jones Star Wars mashup was non-canon even before Disney bought Lucasfilm, it’s still a fun story that manages not to break the lore of either franchise too badly.

Chewbacca being the genesis of the Sasquatch/Bigfoot myth is an inspired choice that actually has its roots in a real-life incident during the filming of Return of the Jedi. According to “Into the Great Unknown” and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed writer Haden Blackman, during the filming of Return of the Jedi, whenever he was in costume Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew was accompanied by men in orange vests because of fears he’d be attacked by Bigfoot hunters.

The idea that the Millennium Falcon could stay undiscovered for over a hundred years is a little unrealistic, but overall, “Into the Unknown” is a respectful if unique footnote in the history of both the Indiana Jones and Star Wars fandoms.

Source: Variety