How Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny’s Time Travel Works

Warning: spoilers for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny are in play. If you haven’t seen Harrison Ford’s final Indy adventure just yet, you’ve been warned. 

Welcome back to the CinemaBlend Time Travel Lab, dear readers! This is the place where from here to there in the then and now is one of our specialties, and I’m glad to be continuing the good work that was revived when we explained how The Flash’s time travel works. Our latest case study is a wild one, as we’ve got a rogue traveler trying to change the outcome of World War II, with good old Indiana Jones along for the ride.

Yes friends, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is the topic of discussion today. So spoilers will be as plentiful as the Nazi goons that Harrison Ford wipes off the map. Don’t worry, our time travel archives are always open for business, and our official review of Indiana Jones 5 is also available, should you need something to read up on in the meantime. But from this point forward, it’s time for a date with destiny! 

The Time Travel In Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny

For a franchise that’s seen voodoo, a well of souls, and even the Holy Grail in the mix, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny mixes things up a bit with time travel. And it definitely fits, based on what happens as a result.

Who's Time Traveling?

A whole mess of characters get to go on this time-bending adventure. But our main passengers are Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), his goddaughter Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), and their nemesis Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen). Also, a bunch of Nazis who become canon fodder, because this is an Indiana Jones movie.

From When To When?

1969 is our home base in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, with August 20th being the day in question. While Jürgen Voller’s intent was to go back to August 20th 1939, his efforts overshoot the mark…into 212 BC.

The Purpose Of Their Trip

You know how some people want to go back in time and kill Hitler? Well in Indiana Jones 5 we’ve got a Nazi who wants to do just that…because Voller thinks he’d be a better Fuhrer than old Adolf. That's a motivation we hadn't heard before. Who would have thought it’d take a bad guy to put a fresh spin on this old chestnut?

How Time Travel Happens In Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny

Welcome to the Antikythera, or “Archimedes’ Dial,” which invokes a similar naming dilemma as whether you should call Nicholas Flamel’s alchemic miracle the Sorcerer’s Stone or Philosopher’s Stone. Though much like the Time Turner that made Harry Potter’s time travel possible, the famed Grecian mathematician’s Indiana Jones MacGuffin, the Antikythera helps its user go back in time. 

Now you can’t just go anywhere in time, like in Back to the Future, another franchise shepherded by Executive Producer Steven Spielberg. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’s titular device is, in theory, supposed to detect “fissures” in the fabric of time. Were one to find such a fissure and cross through it, they would wind up in another point in time, on the same day, in the same location on the map.

Franchise producer Frank Marshall laid out Indiana Jones’ approach to time travel quite aptly with one key phrase: “it’s math and time.” All one has to do is set the Antikythera to the date in question, and the device calculates the coordinates of the relevant fissure. Those openings just happen to open at high altitude, so an aircraft will be required to get to where you’re going. And you’d better be quick, as those fissures only stay open for a short window of time; no pun intended.

However, there’s two outstanding factors that make Jürgen Voller’s little mission a failure. The first is that Archemedes didn’t know about Continental Drift theory, so the coordinates the dial spits out are invalid without some extra calculations. And the second is, per Helena Shaw’s observation in Indiana Jones’ latest expedition, Archimedes always intended the Antikythera to bring its user to the Siege of Syracuse.

Archimedes’ dial was a “forced deck” intended to scare the Romans into fleeing Syracuse. Like the man himself said, Indy was always destined to arrive at that moment. 

Can History Be Changed As A Result Of Time Travel In Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny?

In theory, one could change history in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’s time travel adventure. Helena Shaw is vociferous in this belief, as she tries (and succeeds) in stopping a dejected Indy from staying in the past. Also, thanks to those markings at Archemedes’ tomb in Sicilly depicting an aircraft as a Phoenix, as well as the presence of a ‘60s wristwatch on his remains, some might see that as a change.

However, taking into account the “forced deck” nature of the Antikythera, and Archemedes’ specific programming for it to bring the users to him, a new angle presents itself. This isn’t “changing” history, but rather an outlier in time where a natural barrier was exploited, creating the reality we’re in now. 

Whether you call it an “inevitable intersection” or a “fixed point in time,” this was always going to happen in the Indiana Jones franchise’s timeline. History could be changed, but I haven’t seen enough evidence to suggest that it would stick.  

What Are The Consequences Of Time Travel In Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny?

There aren’t all that many consequences involved in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’s time travel. Not unless you count Dr. Henry Walton Jones Jr. having a different outlook on life, and trying to make things right with estranged wife Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen). Again, this whole trip was set up by Archemedes, and the world’s chain of events don’t deviate. 

If anything, the largest change is that a whole bunch of Nazis died all spicy like, thanks to Roman warfare. Which, as we stated before, seems par for the course in the Indiana Jones adventures. So is that really a consequence, or is that just a feature at this point? 

Give ‘Em Hell, Indiana Jones!

Well, I think this latest trip into time has been a rousing success, don’t you? Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny closes out the famed franchise once and for all, and all we got out of it was this fedora someone had lying around. 

Well, I get to keep that, as our contract with Tempus Fugit Insurance clearly states that any artifacts procured during CinemaBlend time travel excursions go straight…to the museum. I’ll have to think very carefully about what I nab next time, as we’ll once more be heading into some uncharted waters the next time we meet.

It hasn’t been decided which temporally charged adventure should be tackled next, as the various variants of me need to meet and decide. Much like The Terminator’s time travel, the future isn’t set, but rather decided over martinis. Until next time fellow travelers, don’t forget the olives, or the Continental Drift, when venturing forth into the seas of time.