Hangar 51

**Hangar 51** is a location featured in the film *Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull* (2008) but which first appeared (albeit unidentified) in *Raiders of the Lost Ark* (1981). It is based on the real-life *United States Air Force* facility **Area 51**.

## Description

### Real-life

Area 51 is a United States Air Force (USAF) facility located in the Nevada desert. While not a top-secret base, the experiments and operations of Area 51 are deemed Top Secret information by the US government. As a result of this, the hangar is infamous in pop-culture for being identified as the location of secret UFO and alien remains kept a secret by the US government.

### Indiana Jones

Hangar 51 is a faux airplane hangar run by the US government. In reality, the hangar is a vault for a large assortment of paranormal objects. During the 1950s, certain forms of experimental aircraft were also stashed in the hangar.

#### Contents

* **Ark of the Covenant**:
* **Roswell Alien Remains**:
* **Staff of Kings**:

## History

### Real-life

The USAF purchased the land which would become Area 51 in the year 1955. The official (and most likely) usage of the facility was to test and develop experimental aircrafts in secret. As a result of these tests, "UFO sightings" became common around the Area 51 and said aircrafts being considered top secret gave the base a conspiratorial aura. In the late 1980s, American conspiracy-theorist Bob Lazar claimed to be an ex-employee of Area 51 and alleged that the facility was used to reverse-engineer alien technology.

### Disney versions

#### Indiana Jones

Hangar 51was a government facility active since the 1930s which stock-held paranormal artifacts to be used as weapons. In 1936, the Ark of the Covenant was claimed by the US government from archaeologist Indiana Jones and sent to the hangar. In 1947, the corpse of an inter-dimensional creature recovered from a flying-saucer crash was sent to the hangar. Indiana Jones was part of the team that studied the site and while he had some information on the remains' fate, he was barred with threat of treason-charges from learning the excavation's true nature.

In 1957, Indiana and his friend George "Mac" McHale were kidnapped by the soviet-union to assist them in finding the Roswell remains kept in Hangar 51. After breaking into the hangar and finding the skull, Mac betrayed Indy and left with the soviets while Indy had to fight his way out of Area 51. The Soviets escaped and Jones evaded them where he found himself in the nuclear-bomb testing site of Doom Town.

#### Marvel Comics

The Disney Parks have large number of elements incorporated from Marvel Comics and the Disney owned, "Marvel Cinematic Universe". However the park variants of the Marvel universe is in a different continuity than the comics or films; intersecting with Disney Park cannon while also diverging from the histories of the aforementioned cannons (E.G. the films *Avengers: Infinity War* and *Avengers: Endgame* having never occurred).

## Appearances and allusions

### Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye

Within *Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye* crate with the Ark's ID from the end of *Raiders of the Lost Ark* appears in the Temple of the Forbidden Eye amongst the belongings of the Lost Delta Archaeological Expedition. It is likely not the crate possessing the ark however as it is prior to the ark's discovery in the timeline. This might however infer that the US government and Hangar 51 were connected to Jones' operations in the Lost Delta.

### Jungle Cruise

During the Indiana Jones: Summer of Hidden Mysteries event, objects affiliated with Jones' collection could be found scattered around the Jungle Cruise during this time. This included the crate which the Lost Ark was stored within, supposedly left behind during one of Jones' travels.

### Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar

In this bar belonging to Indiana Jones' affiliate Trader Sam is a sack which reads, "IF LOST ARK CONTACT: 2989".

## Connections

### Dok-Ondar's Den of Antiquities

The ark is located on a shelf in this shop in the Black Spire Outpost of the planet Batuu. This might represent a Twi'lek version of the ark which appeared in the show *Star Wars: The Clone Wars*.

### Great Movie Ride

The Ark of the Covenant appeared in the Raiders of the Lost Ark segment of this attraction, being removed by Indiana Jones and Sallah.

### Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar

The inter-dimensional beings themselves are not alluded to in this bar run by Jones' aviator Jock Lindsey. However, George McHale who aided both Jones and the soviets in finding the hangar and the *Atomic Cafe* not far from the hangar are.

## Trivia

* The name Hangar 51 in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is an allusion to the real-life *Hangar 18* in Ohio which conspiracy theorists claim to contain UFOs.

## References

1. ↑ https://thedisinsider.com/2020/04/07/disney-parks-avengers-campus-is-not-mcu-canon/
2. ↑ https://www.freshbakeddisney.com/portfolio/secrets-and-history-of-indiana-jones-adventure/
3. ↑ https://i2.wp.com/www.tikicalifornia.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/trader-sams\_010.jpg?ssl=1
4. ↑ https://www.disneytouristblog.com/dok-ondars-den-antiquities-shop-star-wars-lands/