The Star Wars/Indiana Jones Crossover Has A Wild Real-World Origin

The worlds of Star Wars and Indiana Jones have only crossed over once, but the most wild thing is that it may be inspired by a true story.

Even though they’re both the creations of George Lucas, the worlds of Star Wars and Indiana Jones have only officially crossed over once. This once-in-lifetime story occurred in the pages of 2004’s Star Wars Tales #19, but what’s most extraordinary about it is the real-world anecdote that served as its inspiration.

Published by Dark Horse Comics from 1999 to 2005, Star Wars Tales was an anthology series that featured stories from across the Star Wars universe. One of the aspects that made this anthology so special was the talent tasked with telling these stories, with several high-profile creators like Craig Thompson, Sergio Aragones, Terry Moore and Garth Ennis contributing to the Star Wars universe. The series was a chance for these creators to be more playful than they might get the chance to in the other Star Wars comics of the day, such as the time Mace Windu and Yoda recreated moments from Pulp Fiction in reference to Samuel L. Jackson’s dual roles. The series also featured the occasional out-of-continuity story, and this is precisely how Doctor Henry Jones, Jr. was able to cross paths with the denizens of a galaxy far, far away.

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Titled “Into the Great Unknown,” the ten-page story is written by W. Haden Blackman and features art by a young Sean Murphy. It opens with Han and Chewbacca in a heated battle with a fleet of TIE fighters. Desperate to escape, they jump into lightspeed without punching in the proper coordinates. Han and Chewie then find themselves in our solar system, where they crash onto planet Earth in the wilderness of Northern California. As they explore their new surroundings, they are attacked by Native Americans, and Han is grievously injured. Chewie takes him back aboard the Falcon, where Han then dies. The story flashes forward to a century later, when Indiana Jones and his trusty companion Short Round come upon the ruins of the Millenium Falcon while in search of the legendary Sasquatch. In a strange turn of events, readers then find out that the long-lived Chewbacca is actually the origin of the Sasquatch legend, and that he has roamed the woods of Northern California ever since.

The Star Wars/Indiana Jones Crossover Was Inspired By A Real-life Anecdote

What’s most remarkable about this story is that it was actually inspired by a real-life anecdote from the set of Return of the Jedi. Speaking with Vanity Fair, writer Haden Blackman reveals why he was inspired to write the story: “(The) story goes that Peter Mayhew, the guy who played Chewbacca, always had to be accompanied by a couple guys in brightly colored vests so that he wouldn’t accidentally get shot by somebody mistaking him for Bigfoot.” Blackman goes on to clarify that the story could be merely apocryphal, but the thought of Chewbacca as Sasquatch/Bigfoot was what got him thinking about potential stories. “Into the Great Unknown” is also full of other little Easter eggs, such as when Han notes that the woods of Northern California look a lot like the forest moon of Endor. This story also features the only time the two Harrison Ford-portrayed characters have appeared together, albeit Han Solo is little more than a skeleton by the time Indiana Jones finds him.

Whether it’s true or not, the story behind “Into the Great Unknown” is just as fascinating as the actual comic story itself. It’s wild to think that the only official Indiana Jones and Star Wars crossover was potentially inspired by a real-life anecdote.

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Source: Vanity Fair