THE YOUNG INDIANA JONES CHRONICLES: A Bold Expansion

“Before the world discovered Indiana, Indiana discovered the world”

At the beginning of the 1990s, it seemed that Dr. Jones’s adventures on the big screen had come to an end. Although the franchise continued to grow through a series of novels, comic books, and computer games—most notably the excellent point-and-click adventure Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis—there was no indication that Indy would return to film. However, George Lucas, inspired by the prologue of the third Indiana Jones film, where we meet a teenage Indy, had a new idea. He decided to show Jones’s childhood and youth and explain what shaped the character’s personality. As is often the case with Lucas, a loose idea evolved into an ambitious multimedia project: a TV series titled The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.

From the very start, the creators intended to focus on two periods in Indiana’s life: his travels with his parents when he was around nine years old (played by Corey Carrier), and his experiences fighting in World War I (portrayed then by Sean Patrick Flannery). During his adventures, which spanned the globe, Indy was to meet virtually all the major historical figures of the early 20th century and witness key historical events of that era. This concept may seem bizarre, but it stemmed directly from Lucas’s main goal: in addition to entertaining viewers, the series was meant to be educational and even serve as a teaching aid in schools.

The producers spared no expense and, following the example of their globetrotting hero, filmed on location in many countries. If an episode was set among pyramids, the crew would hop on a plane and shoot in Egypt. This on-location filming is palpable while watching—the authenticity of the settings is one of the series’ greatest strengths, avoiding the artificiality that often arises from studio shooting. Another strong point is the series’ portrayal of the realities and fronts of World War I, which is often a forgotten conflict, certainly overshadowed by its successor from 1939–1945.

Originally, each episode opened with a segment set in the “present day” (i.e., 1992 when the series premiered), featuring a 93-year-old Indiana Jones (played by George Hall), eye patch and cane in tow, yet still lively (and not nearly as bleak as in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny). Prompted by some event, he would recall memories from his youth, and the story would then shift to the past. Unfortunately, in later releases, the series was re-edited into a set of TV movies, and these bookending scenes with the elderly Indy were removed. Interestingly, in these versions, the character has a daughter and grandchildren—facts that contradict the canon of the two latest films in the theatrical series. A fun bit of trivia: Harrison Ford appears in one episode—Young Indiana Jones and the Mystery of the Blues—as an older Indy in 1950, having a short adventure in the snowy wilderness of Wyoming.

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, later retitled The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, holds up quite well today, although Indy’s World War I exploits are far more compelling than his childhood tales. It must be said, however, that the show has a very different tone from the theatrical pentalogy—the educational elements are quite pronounced. And while there’s plenty of action across various locations, these historical and didactic threads somewhat overshadow the purely adventurous nature one might expect from a story starring (a not-yet) Dr. Jones. Indy encounters the likes of Mata Hari, T.E. Lawrence, Pablo Picasso, Charles de Gaulle, Pancho Villa (whom he mentions in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), and many, many others—even Dracula. The supporting cast features some familiar faces too, including Elizabeth Hurley, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Daniel Craig, Jeffrey Wright, and Christopher Lee.

The series consists of two seasons and four TV movies, later re-edited into a dozen or so TV films. Scripts for a third season were written—in which a young Belloq was to appear—but the series was canceled. A computer game based on the show, tentatively titled Young Indiana Jones at the World’s Fair, met the same fate. Still, comics, novels, and two other video games tied to the production were released. Ultimately, mediocre viewership combined with high production costs—mainly due to the extensive location shooting—sealed the show’s fate. Viewers also expected more traditional adventure fare but got Indy entangled in the historical events of the era instead. Another common criticism was that the main character bore little resemblance to his older counterpart, even accounting for the fact that this Indy is much less experienced and more naïve than the one from the films.

Today, the series stands as an intriguing attempt to expand the Indiana Jones universe and a treat for fans, though one shouldn’t expect the edge-of-your-seat thrills delivered by the film pentalogy. And if you can learn a thing or two about the Great War along the way? All the better.