Explained: What is the Dial of Destiny in Indiana Jones 5?

Indiana Jones 5, or Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, is gearing up for its grand premiere on June 30, 2023. The Friday release is the fifth and final film of the famed titular franchise. It is also Harrison Ford’s swansong portrayal of the fan-favorite eponymous archaeologist. As understood from the title, there are two main characters in Indiana Jones 5, Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the latter being a coveted device being eyed by a NASA member and ex-Nazi.

The Dial of Destiny in Indiana Jones 5 is Archimedes’ Dial and is rumored to be capable of time travel, as per its official description. This is why it is a target device for Jürgen Voller, the former Nazi and presently a NASA member. Voller wants to use the Apollo moon landing program and the dial to apparently make the world a more habitable place.

As per the synopsis of Indiana Jones 5, in 1944, Indiana Jones and his colleague Basil Shaw stopped Voller from stealing the device. Twenty years later, Jones is on the verge of retirement, but Voller still wants the dial, which pits them against one another again.

As per Dexerto, the Dial of Destiny is based on the Antikythera mechanism, which is a real-life artifact and was used in olden times for astronomical predictions. The Ancient Greek hand-powered orrery could predict eclipses and astronomical positions well in advance, according to a study in Nature.

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Does the Dial of Destiny in Indiana Jones 5 have time travel capabilities?

The official description of the Dial of Destiny released by the Indiana Jones 5 team reads:

“The sought-after artifact that drives the narrative, the Archimedes Dial, was inspired by a real-world artifact, the Antikythera mechanism. A mechanical device thought to be used in ancient Greece to calculate and display information about astronomical phenomena, it’s been described as the oldest known example of an analog computer.”

Harrison Ford termed the decision to put the Archimedes Dial as the driving plot in Indiana Jones 5 as a “big, bold concept” and that it was a “genius choice.”

“I think it was a genius choice. Other items that we’ve used in the other films always had a religious aspect to them – Sankara Stones, the Holy Grail, Ark of the Covenant. But this was fooling with the nature of science,” the legendary actor further said.

Whether the Dial of Destiny has time travel capabilities in Indiana Jones 5 is shrouded in mystery. And this factor sits well with the theme of the film, according to its director, James Mangold.

“The moment I knew the movie was about time, opportunities missed, opportunities lost, choices made, irrevocable mistakes, then the question [became], ‘What would be the only thing that would allow me to fix time itself?’…The research that I found about the Antikythera, rumored to be an invention by Archimedes, has been speculated to be a kind of time compass,” Mangold explained to Dexerto.

Meanwhile, Mads Mikkelsen, who plays the character of Voller, teased time travel elements associated with the relic while talking to Empire last October. He said that “there is something that could make the world a much better place to live in” and that his character “would love to get” that, indicating the Dial.

While the trailers did show us a de-aged Ford and several flashback sequences, they didn’t confirm the Dial’s real powers. So will the Nazis or other evil forces use it to alter the consequences of World War II, tamper with an established history, and create a more ominous world?

Get all these answers when Indiana Jones 5 hits theaters on June 30, 2023.