Even though Doctor Who is off the air right now while the BBC hunts for a new production partner, the franchise is still alive and well away from the small screen. Former showrunner and prolific Doctor Who writer Steve Moffat is helping keep the story alive in a way that only he really can. In a recent improv segment posted to the official Doctor Who Instagram page, Moffat made me smile from ear to ear with the answer to a question I’ve been thinking about for over two decades: What happened during Jack Harkness’ two years’ worth of missing memories?
Introduced by Moffat himself in 2005’s iconic “The Empty Child” two-parter, John Barrowman’s Captain Jack quickly became a fan favorite for his immediately vivid backstory. A former Time Agent from the 51st century, Jack explained he’d left the Agency after discovering they’d wiped two years from his mind. Doctor Who would eventually move on to make Jack immortal and instead focus more intently on that twist, as well as on his time leading the Torchwood spin-off. Other corners of the franchise, like the Big Finish audio adventures, have attempted to tackle the matter of Jack’s missing memories, but this is the first time we’ve heard a possible explanation from Moffat himself.
Steven Moffat’s New Explanation for Jack Harkness’ Missing Memories
It turns out all we ever needed to do was thrust a bag of random Doctor Who components at Steven Moffat, and he’d have given us an oddly believable story that would account for why Jack doesn’t remember two years of his life. Drawing out pieces of paper that guided his hand in a Doctor Who improv section, Moffat was then forced to work with Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor, Amy Pond, Davros, and 51st-century London. From there, he was able to craft a thrilling tale that’s also, quietly, a multi-Doctor adventure. Davros heads to 51st-century London to visit the Time Agency to secure a Vortex Manipulator.
He abducts Jack and holds him prisoner after taking his wrist-worn time-travel device. Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor learns what’s happened and orchestrates a meeting with one of his previous regenerations, who turns out to be Four. Eleven recommends Amy (Karen Gillan) to assist Four with the mission of stopping Davros, retrieving the Vortex Manipulator, and freeing Jack. While the details are blurry in the next stage of the story, Moffat seems to be implying that it’s the Doctor who then wipes Jack’s mind after saving him. This is to spare Jack from the trauma of being imprisoned by Davros for two years, and presumably enduring some pretty unpleasant experiences. So, there we have it. It might not be a canon explanation, but it’s probably the closest thing we’ll ever get.
The Problems With Moffat’s Unofficial Jack Harkness Reveal
Moffat is obviously working with very limited resources here, and the entire storyline is, in short, just a bit of fun. That being said, even a casual Doctor Who pitch from the former showrunner appears to be something that holds a lot of promise. It would take a little reshaping, though, for it to meld seamlessly with the existing canon. While I like that Moffat took into account where we last saw Amy (1930s New York), the suggestion that she can be freed from the Weeping Angel time loop by an earlier version of the Doctor raises the question of why this plan wouldn’t be put into action to save her in the show.
Given Doctor Who‘s core concept, it would be entirely possible for the Fourth Doctor to team up with Amy, but it would make more sense if the collaboration didn’t stem from a recommendation by Eleven. Just have Four meet Amy at a point in her timeline before she gets trapped in the 1930s. Then again, the Fourth Doctor never met Jack, and so wouldn’t know who he was or even that he needed saving. I know there are countless sci-fi ways to account for this, but I feel just sticking with the Eleventh Doctor would make more sense for this adventure, or at least a more era-appropriate companion to pair with Baker. In other words, either remove Eleven from the equation or lean into his presence more solidly. Again, this unfortunate obstacle comes from the nature of the improv exercise Moffat is undertaking.
What I find especially cool about this potential storyline is that it would be Jack’s first encounter with the Doctor, but Jack wouldn’t remember it. It would transform how I see him when he makes his debut in “The Empty Child.”
The only other minor gripe I have is that Moffat states Davros’ motivation is to master time travel, which is why he goes to the 51st century and targets the Time Agency. But…how would Davros accurately travel to that era, if time travel isn’t something he’s typically known for? The simplest explanation is that he used the Daleks’ rudimentary and chaotic ways of traversing the timeline until he eventually ended up where he wanted to be. Regardless, issues with the timeline aside, I’m perfectly happy to accept the general idea behind the Captain Jack retcon into my personal Doctor Who head canon.
- Release Date
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2005 – 2022-00-00
- Network
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BBC
- Directors
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Graeme Harper, Euros Lyn, Douglas Mackinnon, Jamie Magnus Stone, Charles Palmer, Rachel Talalay, Joe Ahearne, James Strong, Jamie Childs, Saul Metzstein, Toby Haynes, Wayne Che Yip, Nick Hurran, Richard Clark, James Hawes, Daniel Nettheim, Colin Teague, Keith Boak, Azhur Saleem, Adam Smith, Andrew Gunn, Nida Manzoor, Lawrence Gough, Paul Murphy
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