Raiders of the Lost Ark has a Star Wars Easter egg that’s easy to miss. The movie, a collaboration between George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, is considered one of the best films of the ‘80s. While Lucasfilm produced the project, which would go on to launch the Indiana Jones franchise, Spielberg took the helm as director. And since Lucas also created the Star Wars franchise, the movie has subtle nods to the galaxy far, far away.
An homage to the classic serial films of Hollywood, Indiana Jones’ first globetrotting romp finds Harrison Ford’s archeologist adventurer trying to recover the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis. Hitler’s forces believe the Ark will make their army invincible, so it’s up to Jones to stop them from achieving world domination. The film is chock-full of iconic moments for fans to enjoy, from the giant boulder chase to special effects so good they could melt a face off.
But even whip-smart Jones fans might not notice everything. It turns out the movie features a clever Star Wars Easter egg that could sneak by even the most astute viewers. Around halfway through the film, when Indy (Ford) and Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) are removing a stone covering from the Ark of the Covenant in the Well of Souls, hieroglyph-like images appear on a column showing C-3PO and R2-D2. It’s a blink-and-miss moment, but the image of everyone's favorite droid duo appears clearly near Indy’s right shoulder. Though the moment isn't new, it gained some recent popularity online after recently making the rounds on social media (via Twitter).
C-3PO and R2-D2 are just where it starts. The Indiana Jones films are filled with hidden references to Lucas’ Star Wars — other than the guy who plays Jones bearing a resemblance to Han Solo, considering both iconic characters are played by Ford. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, another hieroglyph seen in the Well of Souls appears to depict Princess Leia uploading the Death Star plans to R2-D2. Additionally, the plane Indy escapes on early in the film has letters that read, “OB-CPO.” Clearly, it’s another nod to C-3PO, with Obi-Wan thrown in for good measure. In Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the nightclub Indy escapes from is called "Obi-Wan," and in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Ford utters the oft-said Star Wars phrase, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” It’s perhaps the same phrase audiences uttered after watching that movie.
Not to be outdone, the Star Wars franchise seems to pay homage to Raiders of the Lost Ark whenever it can. In Solo: A Star Wars Story, the golden idol Indy takes appears in gangster Dryden Vos's (Paul Bettany) collection, and Emperor Palpatine's (Ian McDiarmid) death in Rise of Skywalker resembles the infamous face-melting scene. Star Wars: The Clone Wars also has several Indiana Jones Easter eggs. Season 1, episode 12, “The Gungan General,” features a staff that looks very much like Indy’s Staff of Ra, and an item resembling the Ark of the Covenant appears in season 1, episode 21, “Liberty on Ryloth.”
