Star Wars and Indiana Jones are the two most popular film franchises created by George Lucas, and a surprising theory explains how their stories may be connected. Exhausted from Star Wars With production troubled and worried that the film would be a failure, Lucas went on vacation to Hawaii with his friend and fellow filmmaker Steven Spielberg instead of attending the premiere. While there, Lucas pitched his idea for what would eventually become Indiana Jones and the first film Raiders of the Lost Arkit was released four years later, in 1981.
With the same incredible film production and the same love for adventure series that permeated the Star Wars original trilogy, it’s easy to understand the fan overlap between the two franchises, despite the different genres. Naturally there were times when Star Wars referenced Indiana Jones and vice versa, but the world-famous archaeologist may have a more direct connection to the galaxy far, far away (aside from sharing a leading man, of course). When observing similar terminology in the Star Wars TV programs and the Indiana Jones films, such a connection seems possible.
Star Wars has teased Indiana Jones connections before
As well as connections to Earth
Although there has never been definitive confirmation that Star Wars and Indiana Jones take place in the same universe, there have been fun teases over the years. In Raiders of the Lost Arka hieroglyphic representation of R2-D2 and C-3PO can be seen when Indiana Jones finds the Ark of the Covenant. Most notably, Star Wars Tales #19 includes a non-canon story called “Into the Great Unknown” by W. Haden Blackman and Sean Murphy. After accidentally traveling at the speed of light to Earth, Han Solo is killed by Native Americans and his body is discovered hundreds of years later by Indiana Jones.
Connections between the galaxy far, far away and Earth were also teased in another Steven Spielberg film. While pretending to be a human child to go trick-or-treating ET, the Extraterrestrial, ET sees a boy dressed like Yoda and tries to walk towards him as if recognizing his species. George Lucas doubled this joke into Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace causing the ET species to appear in the Senate of the Republic. These examples were just fun easter eggs, but they demonstrate an underlying attraction to connect Star Wars and stories set on Earth.
Indiana Jones 4 introduced aliens
Or “Interdimensional Beings”
The first three Indiana Jones films focused on artifacts linked to religion and the supernatural, but IIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull decided to introduce science fiction elements. The crystal skull the Russians are looking for is the real skull of an alien who came to Earth in ancient times, and the humans who worshiped them built a temple around their spaceship. Since the original Indiana Jones were inspired by the adventure series of the 1930s, George Lucas thought the sequel should be inspired by the science fiction B films of the 1950s.
This also became fun Star Wars easter egg connecting Lucas’ franchises. In Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 3, Episode 22 “Wookiee Hunt”, the crystal skull can be seen among the many dead creatures in the Trandoshan hunters’ trophy room. Although this seems like nothing more than a reference, it can also be taken as proof that Indiana Jones‘the aliens actually came from Star Wars Galaxy. Future Star Wars Stories would also provide the perfect means to make this connection official.
Indiana Jones’ aliens went to “the space between spaces”
What did Oxley mean by that?
Instead of being called “space men”, the aliens in Indiana Jones are labeled as “Interdimensional beings”. Instead of going to space, Harold Oxley claims they went to space. “the space between spaces”, although he does not elaborate on what this means. Steven Spielberg has hinted in interviews and behind-the-scenes material that this terminology was meant so that the aliens wouldn’t be too science fiction for Indiana Jones. Still, it unintentionally created an interesting connection with the Star Wars TV shows that were released after Disney purchased the franchise.
Star Wars introduced “The World Between Worlds”
A very similar name and concept
Star Wars Rebels season 4 introduced a place that Ahsoka Tano called the “World Between Worlds,” which connected important moments through the Force. It was a realm that seemed to exist outside of space and time and contained several portals through which someone within the World Between Worlds could travel. Ezra Bridger saved Ahsoka’s life by pulling her into the Worlds Between Worlds before Darth Vader could kill her. Ahsoka found herself back in the World Between Worlds in Ahsoka season 1where she was reunited with the spirit of her former master, Anakin Skywalker.
Perhaps the crystal skull aliens created the World Between Worlds/Space Between Spaces to explore different times and places in the universe, as Indiana Jones noted that they were archaeologists like him.
As it only appeared in a few episodes of Star Wars franchise, little is known about the origin of the World Between Worlds. However, the paths and portals suggest that it was constructed artificially, and comments such as “space between spaces” and “a portal, a path to another dimension” in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull can reveal the architects. Perhaps the crystal skull aliens created the World Between Worlds/Space Between Spaces to explore different times and places in the universe, as Indiana Jones noted that they were archaeologists like him.
Could the world between worlds connect two galaxies?
This theory depends on the World Between Worlds’ ability to connect two galaxies, even one so “far, far away” like the Milky Way. However, given that Ahsoka Season 1 confirmed that the Force exists in other galaxies, it is logical that the World Between Worlds can be accessed at any time and place. Combined with the most credible Indiana Jones easter eggs, like the crystal skull that appears in The Clone WarsIIt seems plausible that these interdimensional beings could travel to Earth from the Star Wars Galaxy.
Realistically, it’s unlikely that Lucasfilm would approve a canon story that definitively connects these two universes. While Ahsoka Season 2 could see the characters return to Star Wars galaxy traveling through the World Between Worlds, its origin will likely remain a mystery. IIt would also make sense to connect the World Between Worlds to the Force Gods of Mortisas his statues appear in Peridea. In any case, the idea of the World Between Worlds being a gateway between Star Wars and Indiana Jones It’s a fascinating possibility.