Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: Andor episode 4
Star Wars: Andor features a brief yet very exciting Easter egg connecting Han Solo to Indiana Jones. Both played by Harrison Ford, the infamous smuggler and adventuring archeologist have crossed over in the past, albeit non-canonically. However, this new reference brings the two heroes closer together than ever before in the official Star Wars canon.
As seen in Andor episode 4, more details about Stellan Skarsgård's character Luthen Rael are revealed such as his gallery of antiques on Coruscant, a front that allows him to make contact with sympathetic senators without raising Imperial scrutiny. Such is the case with Senator Mon Mothma, using a gift for her husband as an excuse to meet with Luthen. Featuring a variety of exciting Easter eggs referencing various eras and characters in the Star Wars galaxy, there is one in particular that is instead a reference to Dr. Henry Jones Jr.
Andor's Indiana Jones Easter Egg Explained
Seen the backroom of Luthen's gallery at 30:31, Indiana Jones' bullwhip can be seen in the corner encased in carbonite, a callback to when Han Solo was frozen in carbonite during The Empire Strikes Back. As such, it's the perfect homage to both of Harrison Ford's characters simultaneously. While it should be noted that there have been other Easter eggs such as hieroglyphics of R2-D2 and C-3PO in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Club Obi-Wan in Temple of Doom, and a collection of shared sound effects between the two Lucasfilm franchises, the bullwhip is certainly one of the biggest Indy Easter eggs seen in the canonical Star Wars galaxy thus far.
Star Wars & Indiana Jones Crossed Over Before (Outside Of Canon)
While Indiana Jones' bullwhip in Andor is a very fun and exciting new reference, it's not the first time Ford's two Lucasfilm characters have crossed over. Existing as a very non-canonical (yet still entertaining) story from writer Haden Blackman with art by Sean Murphy, "Into The Great Unknown" is among several stories in Dark Horse Comics' Star Wars Tales #19. Essentially a Star Wars version of Marvel's What If...?, the story begins with Han Solo and his first mate Chewbacca evading several TIE fighters aboard their ship, the Millennium Falcon. Having a damaged nav computer, Han and Chewie jump blindly into hyperspace, not knowing where they might end up. As such, they find themselves in a galaxy not so far away anymore, crash-landing on a very familiar blue and green planet. Leaving the Falcon, the pair are attacked by indigenous natives, resulting in Solo being mortally wounded. Chewbacca takes Han back inside the Falcon and tragically loses his greatest friend. Over a hundred years later, the famous Dr. Indiana Jones is on an expedition to find Sasquatch.
Naturally, the implication is that Chewbacca becomes the basis for the Bigfoot myth, and Jones eventually finds the remains of the Millennium Falcon which he inexplicably finds familiar. Discovering Solo's body, Jones is motivated to let the Sasquatch remain "part of the great unknown" not knowing that these were Solo's final words to Chewie as he died, preparing the venture into whatever comes next. While this comic is a perfect crossover between characters that are very much alike beyond simply sharing a face, it's exciting that Star Wars: Andor has now provided a canon Easter egg that symbolizes the same sentiments, serving as a great tribute to Harrison Ford.
New episodes of Andor release on Wednesdays on Disney+.