Why Short Round was Indiana Jones’ Best Sidekick

When taking a look at the Indiana Jones movies and the sidekicks that he operated with, there are a couple that stand out, but the best among them was Short Round, a character that some folks believe was controversial and others found to be endearing and one of Indy’s best allies. There are several reasons why he’s the best, even though he was still a kid at the time and needed a bit of help. One big reason was that people hardly ever think kids can do anything in movies until they prove otherwise, and Short Round was a great sidekick given that he was a tough kid, to a point, and knew how to navigate his way in an adult world where people were bound to look past him. In this way, he could be of great help to Indy as he could get things done or keep things on the down-low so that Indy didn’t have to worry about broadcasting his movements. But to be fair, it’s hard to say how much Indy relied on Shorty throughout the three movies. 

One has to remember that he only showed up in the Temple of Doom, and there was no mention of him in The Last Crusade or Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Had he come back for either of those movies it would have been kind of nice since it would have been interesting to see how Indy’s father might have interacted with Shorty. It would have been fun to see how any of Indy’s other associates handled Shorty since the diminutive kid would have been growing up and might have become an even greater asset. As far as the story goes in the comics, it would appear that Shorty went on to help Indy a couple of other times and would eventually become an archaeologist like his mentor.

Maybe he went on his own adventures and became a legend like his mentor. It would make sense that this might happen, and it’s even fair to think that he might have gone on to surpass or at least equal Indiana since Shorty was a dedicated individual that knew how to take care of himself. With the right training, it’s easy to think that he would have gone quite far in his selected field, and maybe even become a teacher as well. There’s no doubt that this kid was intelligent, even if he didn’t act like it sometimes. Shorty was fiercely dedicated to Dr. Jones, and it’s likely that until he went off on his own, he would have stuck with Jones as much as possible. Wondering why he didn’t show up in the next two movies isn’t too hard since even with the different adventures and the added danger, it’s not hard to think that Shorty would have been at Indy’s side without question. Even if the Temple of Doom wasn’t seen as quite as dangerous as the adventures that came next, it does feel that Shorty could have been a part of them and done even more to help out.

But it’s possible to think that Jonathan Ke Quan would sign on for the fifth movie if such an offer were to be extended. He’s been keeping busy on and off over the years, but hasn’t really done anything too big until recently. One thing that’s fair to say is that Jonathan has made a big mark on the big screen by showing up as Short Round and as Data in The Goonies. If nothing else, these two roles have proven that he knows very well how to play convincing characters that people come to love in a short time. It’s hard to say that people would welcome him back in the same way, but it’s not too difficult to believe since the fact is that many people still remember this character and would love to see him show up again. At this time that’s not a certainty or even an educated guess since whatever information that’s coming from the Indiana Jones 5 camp isn’t much. The fact that there is going to be a part 5 is enough to make some people groan and wonder why it’s even happening. 

But if Short Round did come back for at least one movie to show what he’d been doing and that he’d learned enough from Indy to create his own reputation, it would be welcomed by a lot of fans. Shorty was the kind of sidekick that when given the right knowledge and training could grow up to be an extremely useful ally and someone that could go off on his own and continue the legacy of his mentor. The other sidekicks that stuck around were either love interests, best friends, or deadbeats that ended up being traitors. Shorty was one of the few that stuck by Indy through everything.