This article contains spoilers for Andor episode 5
Someone on the Andor team is clearly a big fan of Indiana Jones. Last week, Luthen’s antique store featured Indy’s iconic bullwhip encased in Carbonite, neatly linking Harrison Ford’s two most famous roles. This week’s episode ‘The Axe Forgets’ has tucked away another key Indy Easter Egg that only the most eagle-eyed viewer will spot.
On a shelf in Luthen’s antique store, nestled next to two very mysterious Jedi/Sith Holocrons, are a set of amber stones. These are the Sankara Stones from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, each of which contains a diamond that glows when the stones are brought together. You can see them below, in the top right corner of the image:
The Sankara stones are key to the story of the 1984 sequel, their power will allow the villainous Mola Ram to summon Kali Ma and rule the world. Who knows what they’re doing in a galaxy far, far away, though we expect some imaginative fan is busy crafting a theory to explain this in canon.
Their appearance means the list of Star Wars/Indiana Jones references is steadily growing. This is a firm tradition between the two franchises stretching right back to Raiders of the Lost Ark sneaking C-3PO and R2D2 into its hieroglyphs.
Some might see a pattern developing here. If episode 4 referenced Raiders of the Lost Ark and episode 5 Temple of Doom, perhaps we should keep an eye out for The Holy Grail from The Last Crusade in episode 6. Maybe keep your eyes peeled for a plain-looking wooden cup somewhere in the rear of Luthen’s store…
Andor airs Wednesdays on Disney Plus.