Doctor Who
Summary
InDoctor Who , Captain Jack becomes the Face of Boe . First introduced during the Christopher Eccleston era , John Barrowman ’s Captain Jack Harkness is a lovable rogue - a Time Agent turned conman that the Doctor manages to put back on the good way of life . appear on a regular basis inDoctor Whoduring the Russell T. Davies era , Captain Jack finally pull in a spinoff series , the more matureTorchwood , which ran for four seasons . He then later come along in the 2020 episodeFugitives of the Judoon , and 2021’sRevolution Of The Daleks .
Another repeat character during the same period was the Face of Boe , a jumbo , extremely intelligent head floating in a tank , whose advanced age could only be guessed at . discover an quick resonance with the Doctor , it presently transpired thatthe Face had intimate knowledge of the Doctor ’s life , warn him that other Time Lords were in existence . The Face remained a mystery story until the finis ofDoctor Who ’s third season , when the Doctor and Martha mentally link up the dots and realize the Face of Boe isCaptain Jack in the far future .
River Song ’s visual aspect in Doctor Who happen solely out of chronology . Here ’s how the character ’s timeline blossom forth from her own perspective .
The Series Never Confirmed How Jack Became Boe
Though the show never formally confirmshow Jack Harkness becomes the Face of Boe , Jack ’s transformation can be trace back to the new era ofDoctor Who ’s time of year 1 close , in which the character is exterminated by a Dalek . Jack ’s demise is undone by Rose Tyler , the Ninth Doctor ’s helper after she accidentally absorbs the Heart of the TARDIS and gains God - comparable power . Far from simply resuscitate Jack , however , Rose ’s interference prevents him from ever dying again .
Throughout bothDoctor WhoandTorchwood , Captain Jack is put through the wringer , only to come out on the other side unharmed . finally , after billions of age , Jack Harkness is unrecognisable , as he has become the Face of Boe . presently before inadvertently bring out himself as the Face of Boe , Jack questions the Doctor about immortality , confirming to the interview that while he can no longer die , Jackiscontinuing to age ( unlike season 9’simmortalDoctor Whocharacters Claraand Ashildir ) , albeit at a much slower rate .
The Doctor claim to have no idea what will happen , having never come across such a being previously . This substitution strongly implies that , if allow to age for billions of year , a mechanical man could eventually evolve into just a enceinte head , according toDoctor Whomythology . This transformation may be singular to Jack ’s Boekind inheritance , which could differ somewhat compared to humans . Russell T. Davies has alwaysrefused to confirm that Jack Harkness and the Face of Boe are the same .
However , Barrowman and other cast member have cite the connection as canyon . Despite the cast and fan exuberance for the discharge though , Doctor Whostill has n’t formally confirmed Jack ’s Boe identity — but this is in the main to keep the mystery story alive . While it ’s implied that uttermost old age will result in the passing of one ’s organic structure , Jack gains several extra abilities through the years , such as high intelligence and telepathic communication . Jack also falls pregnant , although this trait has also been seen in other males from exotic major planet .
Struan Rodger voices the Face of Boe in Doctor Who
Several Theories Could Explain Jack’s Face Of Boe Transformation
Every Appearance Of The Face Of Boe In Doctor Who
" The End Of The existence "
Series 1 , installment 2
" The Long Game "
Series 1 , Episode 7
" New Earth "
Series 2 , Episode 1
" Gridlock "
Series 3 , Episode 3
" Utopia "
Series 3 , Episode 11
Various fan theory exist to excuse how Jack might ’ve become the Face of Boe . One link to the Headless Monks and Dorian , the down in the mouth sever pass in a box . Given Jack ’s swaggering way , it ’s not unreasonable to cerebrate that he was also behead at some point during his aliveness and keep to exist stringently from the cervix up . A second suggestion deduce from a transmission line of duologue inDavid Tennant ’s 10th Doctorepisode , " Gridlock , " when Brannigan report a fair sex who breathed exhaust fumes for 20 minutes and her head swelled to 50 ft .
Perhaps Harkness had a similar experience , and the effects did n’t register as an injury and therefore did n’t mend . Eventually , of grade , the Face of Boedoesdie , seemingly from a mixture of old age and enfeeblement after render his muscularity to salvage New New York in " Gridlock , " but the reason Captain Jack suddenly becomes mortal is never addressed . The Doctor draw Jack as a fixed pointedness in time , theoretically mean he should never stop to exist .
Perhaps the effects of theHeart of the TARDISonly had a limited lifespan span , and after million of years , Jack lastly regain his ability to snuff it . Alternatively , maybe the Face of Boe used his psychic abilities to pass on the TARDIS ' energy to avail rescue New New York , having become more knock-down throughout his lifespan .
fellow on Doctor Who broadly speaking do n’t die , and those that do can often find out a way to take to the woods their fate . In 1982 , however , thing were different .
How Being The Face Of Boe Reframes Jack Harkness’s Story
Immortality is a recurrent base throughoutDoctor Who , and inherent to multiple characters , including the ever - regenerating Doctor themselves . Immortality is explored a neat passel throughout Jack Harkness ' floor , specially in time of year 4 ofTorchwoodwhenthe entire human slipstream lost the ability to die out . The Face of Boe revealing is Jack ’s most important second though . It shows that the true resultant of an unfathomably prolonged lifetime inDoctor Who ’s world is the organic evolution into something unrecognisable as a human .
Jack is one of many immortal inDoctor Who . None lives to be as sometime as the Face of Boe — even the Doctor , who has been alivefor mere millenary equate to the jillion of years the Face of Boe torture up when he died . Jack , being the Face of Boe , reframes his story from a clip - travel human to perhaps the only being in the universe as meaning as The Dr. . Most importantly , he ’s proof that even in the world ofDoctor Who , nothing is incessantly , include The Man Who Could Not Die .
Behind The Scenes Of The Face Of Boe
Fans were n’t the only one excited about Jack Harkness becoming the Face of Boe inDoctor Who . Behind the scenes , David Tennantand John Barrowman , both rooter of the show before they were contrive , were improbably excited to find out that fact . Barrowman tell as much when he speak withPop Culture Zooin 2008 ,
“ I was so excited . David Tennant and I jumped up screaming . It was probably the most irritable moment we had during the shooting of that serial of Doctor Who . It was amazing . ”
Weaving beloved characters into surprising moments from the early days of theDoctor Whorevival has become par for the course . The Face of Boe almost did n’t become an iconic character reference in the showbecause it was hold too expensive . Originally , the Face of Boe was n’t an important plot full stop . FX guru Neill Gorton and the Millennium FX team were creditworthy for creating monsters , animatronics , and prepare spell at the time , and he can be credit with name the Face of Boe such an crucial part ofDoctor Who .
When the 2010Doctor Whomuseum exhibit opened in Glasgow , Gorton answered doubt for the press about the process involved in working on the serial publication , and it was the Face of Boe , on display at the display , that provided a great deterrent example for him . The Face of Boe was initially a “ cast-off communication channel in the script , ” and Gorton was told they could even replace the “ five - metrical unit face in a giant tank of accelerator ” for something less expensive ( viaThe Scotsman ) . Gorton , however , fought against that .
Gorton pushed for the Face of Boe to survive book cuts . He worked up an illustration of an idea for the fictitious character and showed it to Russell T. Davies , who care the concept . The Face of Boe then became more important to the plotand was written into multiple episodes as the serial publication continued . devotee of the long - running sci - fi series can credit decisions like Gorton ’s for keeping their darling characters alive onDoctor Who .
