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- This article is about the 51st century con man known as Captain Jack Harkness. For the "real" Captain Jack Harkness, see Captain Jack Harkness (1940s), for the episode where the two men met, see Captain Jack Harkness (Torchwood story).
Biography
Jack has alluded to his chequered past many times. Still, we know very little about the man currently using the name Jack Harkness (or Captain Jack Harkness or simply Captain Jack) and even less about when events occured in his life, relative to other events or who he might have worked for (other than himself) at the time.
Early years
He grew up in an era, the 51st century, of somewhat more open sexual mores than the 21st, when as a result of colonial expansion, humans had begun to explore new sexual freedoms and encounters with other species. (DW: The Doctor Dances)
Early in his life, he persuaded a friend to "join up" to fight against unspecified enemies, described by Jack as horrible. Considering his friend the weaker of the pair, the enemies tortured his friend, as a lesson to him. Jack bore the guilt of his friend's fate. (TW: Captain Jack Harkness).
- Jack's vague description of the unnamed enemies as very horrible possibly suggest the Daleks. However the Daleks do not torture for sport, and Jack noted that he recognised the Dalek ships as being destroyed in the Time War, suggesting that this may not be the case (DW: Bad Wolf).
Escapades
At one point, Jack quips about being pregnant, a memorable experience, though not necessarily in a good way. (TW: Everything Changes)
- This could imply that Jack has changed gender at least once or it could imply 51st century technology, or alien involvement -- or that he likes to joke about such things to shake up his 21st century team.
Once, when sentenced to death, he orderd four hypervodkas as a last meal and ending up bedding both executioners (at the same time). (DW: The Doctor Dances)
The dark side
Jack claimed that he had experience in torturing prisoners, and that, "a long time ago", he had "quite a reputation as the go-to guy" in the event of needing to force information out of a person. (TW: Countrycide)
- Given that he wanted to frighten a prisoner into divulging information at the time, he may have lied or stretched the truth. However, given the treatment of Jack's friend at the hand of his torturers, Jack may well have sought revenge against their enemy in this way - and it is not known what skills his job as a Time Agent required him to develop and utilise. The Torchwood 3 Team do not seem to know of any such past. This might give more credence to the possibility that he lied, but, taking into account the secrecy Jack surrounds himself with, it is more likely that he simply did not want to show that side of his personality to them, or preferred to keep such talents to himself until necessary.
Travels through the 20th century
- During this phase of his life, he quite possibly already worked as a Time Agent.
In 1909, for an unknown employer, he stole diamonds from a mine in Lahore. (torchwood.org.uk) One of his soldiers ended up accidentally killing a Chosen One, as a result of which, fairies killed every one of the men except Jack. (TW: Small Worlds)
- We do not know why the fairies spared Jack. We do not know at that time whether he had yet acquired the name Jack Harkness.
As Time Agent
Jack Harkness worked as a Time Agent until he discovered that the Agency had erased two years of his memory, two years he wanted to have back. (DW:The Empty Child)
As Jack Harkness
He assumed the alias of an American volunteer Captain Jack Harkness, serving as a volunteer in the 133rd Squadron of the Royal Air Force. (DW: The Empty Child)
The real Jack Harkness had died in action in January, 1941, though the imposter knew very little about the "real" Jack, other than basic information, such as the former's date of death. (TW: Captain Jack Harkness)
Prior to Feburary 1944 (torchwood.org.uk), he met Estelle Cole.
They spent some time in London together. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Somehow, however, this never happened, and they lost touch with each other. (TW: Small Worlds)
Travelling with the Doctor
Jack worked as a con man, finding pieces of space junk and directing them to soon-to-be disaster sites, selling them to passers by, and letting them get destroyed before the buyers could pick up their merchandise. He would, at some point, acquire a sleek, small Chula spacecraft, fitted for human use, which could turn invisible.
In 1941, while pulling a con with a Chula Ambulance during the London Blitz, he spotted Rose Tyler hanging from a barrage balloon and rescued her, taking her aboard his Chula ship. Quickly finding out Rose came from the future, he suspected that other Time Agents had discovered him. (DW: The Empty Child). Shortly after, Rose introduced him to Ninth Doctor.Together, the trio worked to stop the Empty Child plague brought about by the Ambulance's nanogenes. Just before the destruction of his ship, with him in it, carrying as it did a German bomb about to explode, he was rescued by the Doctor and Rose just before his original ship exploded. (DW: The Doctor Dances) He accompanied them on their subsequent adventures.
Jack was aboard Satellite 5 when the Daleks launched their assault on Earth, and was exterminated while defending the satellite from their advance. He was resurrected by Rose Tyler, who at that time had the powers of the Bad Wolf entity. Returned to life, Jack found he had been rendered immortal, although he was unable to rejoin the Doctor and Rose before the TARDIS departed, and was left stranded on the satellite. (DW: The Parting of the Ways) The Doctor, who has just regenerated, believed that Jack could begin the process of "rebuilding the Earth". (DW: Children in Need Special)
Torchwood 3
- Somehow, Jack escaped the satellite and found himself on Earth in an unknown time period. After his ressurection, Jack could no longer die.
Jack joined the Torchwood Institute and became the leader of Torchwood 3, based under the Cardiff rift. Jack held on to the hope of re-establishing contact with the Doctor, who he believed could help him. (TW: Everything Changes onwards)
He revealed very little of himself or his origins to his team, even when pursuing a flirtatious relaionship with Gwen Coooper (TW: Ghost Machine) and a fling with Ianto Jones. (TW)
Transported back to 1941 by the Cardiff rift, Jack met his namesake, the original Jack Harkness, and briefly romanced him, before returning to the 21st century. (TW: Captain Jack Harkness).
After the rift was finally opened by Owen Harper, Jack was forced to confront Abbadon, released from the rift by Bilis Manger. The beast was destroyed while attempting to leech Jack's life, though the exertion rendered Jack dead for three days, his immortality apparently unable to save him. He was brought back to life by a kiss from Gwen.
Shortly after his resurrection, Jack noticed the Doctor's hand begin to glow within its hyperbaric chamber. The TARDIS materialized inside the Hub. By the time the rest of the Torchwood team arrived to investigate the sound of the TARDIS landing, Jack had gone. (TW: End of Days.)
Special items
When Rose and the Doctor first met him, Jack possessed his small private Chula ship, fitted for human use as well as psychic paper and a store of nanogenes in the ship. The ship accidentally got destroyed by a German bomb stowed away in it. (DW: The Empty Child, The Doctor Dances)
Weapons
Jack possessed a sonic blaster. (DW: The Doctor Dances) He also stored a Compact Laser Deluxe away anally, in case of emergencies. (DW: Bad Wolf). As Torchwood 3 leader, Jack liked to carry a World War II service revolver. (TW: Everything Changes onward).
Special abilities
Since his resurrection by the Bad Wolf entity (DW: The Parting of the Ways), Jack can "die" and come back to life almost instantly (TW: Everything Changes onwards). So far he has "died" of a gunshot to the head (TW: Everything Changes, TW: End of Days) and multiple electrocutions (TW: Cyberwoman). Jack's confrontation with Abaddon forced him as close he would come to true death. (TW: End of Days) Jack views this power as much curse as blessing. Each time he has died he has not experience anything at all, good or bad. (TW: Everything Changes)
Tosh could not use Mary's telepathy pendant to read his thoughts, although he could project thoughts to Tosh if he so chose. (TW: Greeks Bearing Gifts)
Key life events
- Jack's friend joins the military at Jack's urging and undergoes torture.
- Jack works as a Time Agent until, finding two years of memory gone, leaves the Agency.
- Jack joins up with the Doctor and Rose. (DW: The Doctor Dances)
- The Doctor leaves Jack stranded on Satellite Five. The Bad Wolf entity resurrected him and made him immortal. (DW: The Parting of the Ways)
- Transported to Earth by unknown means, Jack joins the Torchwood Institute in hopes of locating the Doctor. He assumes the role of head of Torchwood 3, until the Doctor finally does return for Jack. (TW: End of Days)
Behind the Scenes
- Jack Harkness' first name was originally "Jax".
- Jack appeared in Season 27 Doctor Who and Season 1 of Torchwood. He will appear during the second half of Season 29 of Doctor Who.