Club Obi-Wan Triad

The Club Obi-Wan Triad is a fictional gang who appeared in the 1984 film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

Members

Kao Kan

Kao Kan firing his machine gun

Kao Kan stands with his father Lao Che as one of the two villains who have survived Indiana Jones, the protagonist of the franchise. He is shown as a bloodthirsty Chinese gangster in the film, who overzealously attempted to steal an artifact from Jones off-screen. As opposed to his father, his behaviour is erratic and unbalanced, his patience limited.

When Lao Che turns the tables on Jones and attempts to poison him, the negotiations erupt into chaos. Jones barely escapes the melee that follows, in which Kao Kan tries to gun down the American archeologist with a Thompson submachine gun complete with 100-round drum magazine in true Chicago-style. Jones flees the club, and Kao Kan doggedly pursues Jones to the Nang Tao Airport, where other agents of Lao Che take over the assignment to kill Jones.

Representative of these unusual traits, his character's trademark is a penchant for evil laughter, particularly in a scene where Kao Kan fires his SMG at Indy, sending bullets spraying wildly around the Club Obi-Wan (where the location of the opening scene of Temple of Doom took place) as he laughs manically.

Kao Kan was portrayed by the Chinese actor Ric Young in the Temple of Doom, who is most well-known to Western audiences for his roles in Seven Years in Tibet, The Transporter, and the American television show Alias.

Lao Che

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Lao Che, played by Roy Chiao

Lao Che is a Chinese crime lord who nearly kills Indiana Jones. He poisons Indy's drink, and one of the two named villains known to have survived interacting with Indiana Jones (the other being his son, Kao Kan). Born in Shanghai, China and one of the city's most notorious gangsters, Lao Che is also known as the owner of the corrupt Club Obi-Wan (a reference by Star Wars writer George Lucas to the famous Jedi character), as well as a fictional airline called "Lao Che Air Freight".

In Temple of Doom, Lao Che is portrayed as the father of Kao Kan and Chen, the former of whom had attempted to steal the remains of Nurhaci (historically significant as the first emperor of the Chinese Manchu Dynasty) and suffers a gunshot in the hand from Indy. During Indiana Jones' meeting with Lao, Chen shoots and kills Indy's friend Wu Han with a concealed revolver. Moments later, Indy kills Chen in revenge by impaling him with a flaming shishkebab as a gunfight breaks out in the club. Lao Che grieved at his death.

While this particular scene is not actually shown in Temple of Doom it is nonetheless hinted at by the large wound on Kao Kan's left hand, which is tightly wrapped and bandaged upon him pulling out his revolver during a particularly tense moment (upon Indy's arrival to the club).

As Indiana Jones meets Lao Che at Club Obi Wan to deliver a priceless Chinese urn containing the lost ashes of Nurhachi in exchange for a rare diamond, Lao decides to instead double-cross Jones by poisoning him. Desperate to get Lao to back down, Jones tries to threaten the gang lord by holding his prized possession — Club Obi Wan singer Willie Scott — hostage. However, recovered artifacts and priceless gems hold Lao's heart more, and the gangster calls his bluff by saying he could keep her.

Lao Che's character in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was portrayed by the late Shanghai-born and -raised Chinese actor, Roy Chiao, who died in 1999 due to complications from heart disease. Before his death, fans had called for the return of Lao Che in the next Indiana Jones film, with Chiao reprising his character. Spielberg had stated he was open to re-using the character, and that Chiao, as well as Ric Young who played Kao Kan, was interested in starring in more of the films. It remains to be seen whether Kao Kan, Lao Che's son, will be re-appearing in the films.

Lao Che's name appears on windows and boxes outside a fireworks factory in the trailer for the upcoming Indiana Jones 2008 video game. It is not known whether this is an in-joke, or whether Lao Che will be a major part of the storyline.

Trivia

The diamond that Lao Che trades for the Urn of Nurhachi is the Peacock's Eye. Indiana Jones had searched for this same treasure in 1919 in "Young Indiana Jones and the Treasure of the Peacock's Eye." (http://www.indyprops.com/pp-diamond.htm)

Chen

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Chen's death.

Chen is the second son of Chinese gangster Lao Che. Tall, thin and rather homely, he was present during the negotiation between Lao Che and Indiana Jones. The Chinese gangster turned the tables on Jones, and poisoned him. Chen took advantage of the distraction of popping champagne corks to shoot Jones' backup man, Wu Han. Jones, staggering from the poison, killed Chen with a deftly thrown pigeon flambé skewer, which speared him in the chest. Chen is survived by his father (who grieves at his death) and his younger brother, Kao Kan.