The Indiana Jones franchise is a multimedia franchise featuring the adventures of the title character, the archaeologist Doctor Indiana Jones. The series began with the feature film Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981 and continued with four other films, alongside a television series, novels, comics, video games, and theme park attractions. The franchise was conceived by Star Wars creator George Lucas, produced by Lucasfilm Ltd., and stars Han Solo actor Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, and has also featured other Star Wars cast and crew members in distinct roles. Numerous crossovers between both franchises have also occurred.
Star Wars creator George Lucas conceived the idea of Indiana Jones around 1970, as a tribute to serial films of the 1930s. Lucas eventually mentioned the idea to his friend Steven Spielberg on the weekend that Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope premiered in 1977, leading to Spielberg agreeing to direct the first film, and eventually the whole trilogy. The series began with Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, followed by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in 1984, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in 2023.
Star Wars Insider has had off-and-on coverage of the Indiana Jones franchise. It was the subject of the magazine's recurring Indy Vault column, written by J. W. Rinzler. In the 1980s, Marvel UK's Star Wars Monthly and Return of the Jedi Weekly included back up stories reprinting the comic series The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones.
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy features Indiana Jones's signature hat in the level where Han Solo and Chewbacca go to meet Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, R2-D2 and C-3PO at Docking Bay 94 in Mos Eisley. LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga features a playable cameo of Indiana Jones, who uses a whip and a pistol. Previews of LEGO Indiana Jones show him with stubble on his face. However, his face here is the same as Han Solo's. The game LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures features easter eggs of several Star Wars characters in need of rescue; if players rescue each character, they unlock Han Solo as a playable character. C-3PO's head is also visible in a gag, replacing the idol from Raiders of the Lost Ark. The LEGO subtheme of sets LEGO Indiana Jones features Star Wars easter eggs in two sets; 7621 The Lost Tomb, and 77013 Escape from the Lost Tomb, with both sets depicting C-3PO and R2-D2 in hieroglyphs.
"Into the Great Unknown" features a crossover between Harrison Ford's major roles as Indiana Jones and Han Solo
In the 1997 novel The Paradise Snare, Han Solo has many aliases given by Garris Shrike. One of them is "Jenos Idanian," an anagram of "Indiana Jones". Also, the name of xenoarchaeologist Henrietya "Corellia" Antilles parallels that of Henry "Indiana" Jones; both are archaeologists, both have a place name as a nickname, and both have a last name considered common in their respective universes. Jones makes an appearance in Star Wars: Yoda Stories (as a continuation to events seen in Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures), where Luke Skywalker comments on his similarity to Han Solo. The resemblance is also noted in the Star Wars Tales story "Into the Great Unknown" where Jones finds something disturbingly familiar about Solo's skeletal remains.
The character of Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra, created by writer Kieron Gillen for Marvel Comics' series Star Wars: Darth Vader and Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, was conceived as the archaeological antithesis of Indiana Jones, according to Star Wars: Darth Vader Vol. 2. Her ship, the Ark Angel, is also named after the Ark of the Covenant, the MacGuffin which Jones sought out in Raiders. In the Star Wars Rebels episode "Through Imperial Eyes," the Holy Grail from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is displayed alongside other artifacts such as the helmet of Commander Gree in the office of Grand Admiral Thrawn.
In 2023, four episodes of This Week! in Star Wars were branded as This Week! in Indiana Jones, as promotion for the then-upcoming film Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.