The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles featured a 93-year-old Indiana Jones, but also his extended family including his daughter, his grandkids, and even his great-grandkids. The ambitious 28-episode television series served as an epic, long-form prequel to the events seen in the classic Steven Spielberg trilogy of Indiana Jones feature films. From 1992 to 1993, audiences were treated to not only a series of adventures starring a younger version of the beloved whip-wielding archeologist, but also multiple sequences featuring an elderly Jones and his closest relatives.
As originally shot, each episode of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles featured bookend segments that helped to introduce each story. In these segments, Old Indy would provide the setup for a new tale, and then begin guiding the audience through an event that happened in his past, usually involving a run-in with a famous figure from history. From 1992 to 1993, actor George Hall played Old Indy in heavy makeup, and his bookend segments also fleshed out his then-current life and provided a little background on his family. Across the series' two seasons, the audience finds out that this much older Indy has an adult daughter, a granddaughter, a grandson, a great-granddaughter, and a great-grandson.
However, while these revelations about Indy's life after the events of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade were canon to the films at the time, their current status within the timeline is murky at best. In the late 90s, the show underwent extensive re-editing for its home video release, and one of the biggest changes was the removal of nearly all of the Old Indy b0okend segments that began and concluded each episode. With the 2008 release of the problematic The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull introducing the son of Indiana Jones, a version of events where he instead has a daughter now seems even less likely. Whatever their current canonicity, the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of Indy provide a fascinating glimpse into twilight years of one of cinema's greatest heroes. Here's a look at each member of the Jones family that the series introduced.
Perhaps the most interesting addition to Indy's family tree in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles is his adult daughter, played by actress Susan Bigelow. The character goes unnamed in both the show itself and the credits, and only appears in two episodes. Her role is strictly limited to the bookend segments included during the show's original run, and very little is known about her. This vagueness was likely an intentional move on the part of series creator George Lucas, as plans for a potential fourth Indiana Jones movie were being considered at the time. Leaving out key details about Indy's daughter, including her name and the identity of her mother, was probably done to help avoid continuity errors in the eventual next film. When the fourth Indy film eventually happened, Indy did gain a child in the form of Mutt Williams, making the canonicity of his daughter unknown. It's possible that the unnamed daughter could be a second child born to Indy and Marion Ravenwood, or possibly a child from another relationship.
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles also extended Indy's family tree by including not only two grandchildren, but also two great-grandchildren. As seen in the bookend segments of two episodes, Indy — and possibly his wife Marion Ravenwood — has a teenage grandson named Spike. While the character's screen time is limited, it's known that he plays in a rock band and has a love for playing loud music, much to the displeasure of his grandfather. Spike's exact age is unknown, and while never confirmed, it's likely that he's the son of Indy's unnamed daughter. In the episode Ireland, April 1916, Spike's sister Lucy is mentioned by her mother and Old Indy but never appears onscreen. The final members of Indy's family that were included in the show are his great-grandchildren, Harry and Annie Jones. Their single appearance is in the Thanksgiving-themed episode Peking, March 1910, and their exact age, the identity of their parents, and where they fit in the Indiana Jones family tree is unknown. Perhaps the 2022 release of Indiana Jones 5 will make finally clear up the mysterious canonicity of these characters, and end the debate once and for all.
https://ift.tt/3yRzKNj
July 12, 2021 at 12:10AM
