The Dog Behind Two of Hollywood's Biggest Icons

George Lucas had a particular soft spot for a dog that followed him almost everywhere during the 1970s, riding shotgun in his car and lounging around the studio lot. The dog was big, shaggy, and impossible to ignore, which made it the kind of companion that naturally worked its way into creative brainstorming sessions.

That dog was an Alaskan Malamute named Indiana, a breed known for thick fur, broad shoulders, and a loyal, almost human-like presence. Lucas reportedly let Indiana sit in the passenger seat of his car like a co-pilot, which became a running joke among people who worked with him.

When Lucas was developing the look of a certain towering, fur-covered alien copilot for a space opera, he didn't have to look far for inspiration. Chewbacca's entire silhouette, including his height and his seated posture beside Han Solo, was modeled directly on Indiana riding in that car seat.

The resemblance wasn't subtle once you know it. Malamutes have a dense double coat, upright ears, and a broad chest, all features that carried over almost exactly into the Wookiee's design sketches used by the costume team.

But Indiana's legacy didn't stop with a galaxy far, far away. Years later, when Lucas and Steven Spielberg were workshopping a new adventure hero, Lucas suggested naming the character after his dog.

That suggestion became Indiana Jones, with the dog's name attached to one of cinema's most famous archaeologists swinging a whip through booby-trapped temples. The character's rugged, adventurous persona had nothing to do with the dog's personality, but the name stuck for good.

So two of the most recognizable names in movie history, a hairy alien sidekick and a fedora-wearing explorer, both trace back to one Malamute riding shotgun in a car in the 1970s. Indiana never knew it, but he helped shape pop culture for generations.