Torchwood: Captain Jack's childhood...

[fajrdrako]

I was thinking about what we do know and what we don't know about Captain Jack. He appears to be in his thirties and American, but we know that's largely an illusion - he's an immortal of unknown age, presumably from the 51st century - even that leaves room for fudging, since he might have gone to the 51st century from another time.

So do any Torchwood fans here have any theories as to his original background? We know from his comments to the other Jack in "Captain Jack Harkness" that he went to war when young - though we don't know exactly how young. Are there any other clues?

Would would you speculate? Did he choose to appear as an American just to cover the Captain Jack Harkness identity? What kind of a family do you think he came from? A nuclear family? Or something more futuristic and outre? Two parents, or more? Fewer? None? Siblings? Schooling? Was he born on a poverty-stricken post-holocaust world, or did he come from a comfortable middle-class background, or was he a scion of a wealthy ruling class?

Any ideas?

Cross-posted to torch_wood.

Comments

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

the actual answer is boring: we don't and can't know yet.

Very true. Until Jack tells us, we don't have anything much to go on. i was astounded and pleased when we got his own account of trauma in youth in war in "Captain Jack Harkness", but it could - by necessity, of course - fit into just about any culture in just about any time.

only one unreliable guy's account of any of it as hints

I think the Doctor knew more, and by implication he confirms that Jack is from the 51st century, though there are numerous levels of fudge factor there.

I do find it more fun in fic when people seem to have noticed this is SF.

I agree. I'm trying to remember the title and author of the story in which Jack had five parents - two fathers, two mothers, and an bisexed alien. I like the idea that his childhood was very different from what anyone of our time would imagine as a normal childhood.

The cultural experiences of his childhood, his norms and values, his expectations, they just aren't going to be the same as any 20th or 21st century viewer.

No. The Doctor described his time as much more sexually free than our own. That's a hint, wherever it might take us. (Assuming the Doctor's assumptions there were true, and that Jack really is a 51st century kind of guy. But I see nothing that contradicts this.)

so knowing kid's stories would either suggest interesting backstory where he reads them to local time kids or would be a bit odd.

Well - John Barrowman read kid's stories on TV. Maybe that was one of Jack's part-time jobs under an alias.

Or maybe Jack at one time spent time with kids of our era - as a teacher or caretaker.

Inventing Jack's background means either some solid SF worldbuilding

Which I would like to see - which is why I asked the question.

or a whole lot of ignoring. Canon seems to be doing mostly the latter.Torchwood but it stays rather firmly in the point of view of the team, rather than Jack, with a few unhelpful exceptions.

I still like my idea he used to be a girl or is a hermaphrodite. Cause that would be fun.

And fits in with his remark that he's been pregnant. I would argue - and have done so in the past - that Jack has a very androgynous personality, his anima and animus unusually balanced. Which is why sometimes he can appear very tough and macho - cowboyish - and at other times is very nurturing, loving and gentle.

I liked the fic I read that had him preparing to take Ianto back to 51st century, and it turns out it was mostly like WWII only less fun.

That sounds interesting! I don't suppose you remember the author or title?