Longtime Lucasfilm fans will recall that the company’s second-biggest franchise, Indiana Jones, has paid tribute to George Lucas’s other megahit creation, Star Wars, on several occasions.
One of my favorite examples of this is in the opening scene of 1984’s prequel Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which takes place in a Shanghai nightclub named “Club Obi Wan.” Don’t blink or you’ll miss the sign during the action scene in which Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) and Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) escape from the nightclub with the help of young Short Round (you call him Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan).
Now, those who have kept up with Lucasfilm’s currently running animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch will know that this popular show has made numerous references to the Indiana Jones franchise– and especially The Temple of Doom– over the course of its two seasons. But the one in this week’s episode, “Pabu,” may actually be its best yet. Pay attention as the members of Clone Force 99 (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) and their trusty allies Omega (Michelle Ang) and Phee Genoa (Wanda Sykes) flee the decidedly more futuristic nightclub at the conclusion of this episode’s very Temple-of-Doom-like opening sequence. The neon sign on the building outside the nightclub reads “Club Lao Che” in the Star Wars alphabet called Aurebesh. As you may recall, Lao Che (Roy Chiao) is the villain who meets with Indy at the beginning of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, in Club Obi Wan. What a perfect way to pay back a tribute that the Indiana Jones films made to the Star Wars franchise four decades ago.
The “Pabu” episode of Star Wars: The Bad Batch is available to stream on Disney+, while Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is available to stream on Paramount+.