Indiana Jones 5 has finally revealed its title: The Dial of Destiny. A question then arises: what does this refer to? We try to decipher this enigmatic name.
WARNING, ALTHOUGH THIS IS ONLY A HYPOTHESIS, THIS ARTICLE COULD SPOIL AN ELEMENT OF THE PLOT OF INDIANA JONES 5. IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING BEFORE SEEING THE FILM, GO YOUR WAY.
Since her big-screen debut in 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones has sought to get her hands on sacred artifacts central to the films’ plots.
Thus, our favorite archaeologist found the Ark of the Covenant in the first part, unearthed the Stone of Sankara in The Cursed Temple, discovered the Holy Grail in The Last Crusade and flushed out an extraterrestrial Crystal Skull in the 4th episode.
In Indiana Jones 5, fans wondered what quest the explorer would be able to pursue. We got the answer with the reveal of the trailer… and it’s in the official title of the feature film: The Dial of Destiny.
What relic does this denomination refer to? What will Indy and his goddaughter Helena run towards, who will fully take part in this new adventure with his explorer Godfather? In the trailer, we see an artifact that clearly evokes an ancient mechanism. Is it the Destiny Dial from the title?
First of all, we must remember that James Mangold had promised that his 5th opus would return to the sources of the saga initiated by Steven Spielberg. The director of Logan took over the reins of the franchise, leaving the father of ET, busy on other projects, the status of producer.
The least we can say is that the first images are suffused with an obvious melancholy, all personified by the return of Sallah. This emblematic character of the saga, who appeared in the first and third installments, is nostalgic for his past adventures with his old friend Indy.
“I miss the desert, I miss the sea, and I miss waking up every morning wondering what kind of adventure the new day will bring us”hammers the jovial Egyptian embodied by John Rhys-Davies.
“Those days are behind us”retorts Indiana Jones, obviously not interested in another perilous escapade. “Maybe, maybe not”Sallah then replies, looking facetious, which makes Dr. Jones smile.
Harrison Ford has already declared that this 5th episode of Indiana Jones will be his last. He will then bow out at age 80. Additionally, the plot is known to begin with a streak in the past, with a digitally rejuvenated Jones. The latter will face the Nazis in 1944. We will then jump back in time to find ourselves in 1969, in full space conquest.
Indiana will have to face the film’s big bad, a Nazi named Voller, played by Mads Mikkelsen. On the first images, the latter appears with a leather jacket and small round glasses. He recalls the ignoble Sturmbannführer Arnold Ernst Toht, Nazi bad guy from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Voller has been described as a man “who would like to correct some of the mistakes of the past”. So is the Dial of Destiny an object used to play with time? If Voller and his minions get their hands on it, they will surely wish to alter the outcome of World War II and change the “destiny” of the world. Indy will not be able to decently let this Machiavellian plan unfold without a hitch!
What would happen if the villains changed history and doomed it to a grim fate? It seems that the challenge of this 5th part of Indiana Jones is located here. In this sense, we understand better why Voller and his acolytes want to get their hands on the Dial. The re-establishment of the 3rd Reich and world domination would be their goals.
disney The Dial of Destiny
“I don’t believe in magic, but it happened in my life to see inexplicable things”, chants Indy in the trailer, while a plan shows us the Dial in question. John Williams’ theme music then rings out as the archaeologist grabs his hat, sending shivers down the spine of fans.
Moreover, Indy’s plots have always been inspired by true legends and beliefs, whether it be the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail or the Crystal Skull. This Dial of Destiny would also be based on a real artefact: the Antikythera machine.
Also called the Antikythera Mechanism, it is considered the first ancient analog computer. The object made it possible to calculate astronomical positions. It is a bronze mechanism composed of dozens of cogwheels, united and arranged on several planes. You can read Greek inscriptions on it.
A single copy of this machine was discovered in 1901 in a wreck near the Greek island of Antikythera, located between Kythera and Crete. The Antikythera wreck was that of a Roman galley dated as before 87 BC. This machine is the oldest known gear mechanism. Its fragments are kept in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.
Also called “the first computer”, the discovery of this mechanism challenged historical knowledge of Greek science. The complexity of this machine and the meticulousness of its realization are unique in this period (87 BC).
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The Antikythera Machine
It will take almost a thousand years to see mechanisms of the same order appear. It was in 1905 that the German philologist Albert Rehm was the first to understand that it was an astronomical calculator. Its appearance is comparable to the object seen in the trailer. James Mangold and his co-writers must have thought of that to build the story of this Indy 5.
To be sure, we will have to wait until the film’s release on June 28, 2023. Unless a new trailer confirms these speculations. Note that this dial is also reminiscent of a certain Alethiometer, a kind of compass indicating the truth for each question asked. She appears in the trilogy At the crossroads of the author Philip Pullman.