Doctor Who - Why Won't They Official Confirm Jack Harkness Is The Face of Boe

Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) is slowly turning into the Face of Boe, but Doctor Who won't officially confirm that is the case. First introduced in season 1 of the rebooted Doctor Who back in 2005, the Face of Boe may be a highly advanced, seemingly ancient being who doesn't have a body, instead resembling an enormous floating head during a tank. In his introduction, "The End of the World", he was sponsoring a viewing of the Earth's destruction, billions of years into the longer term, before making further appearances within the episodes "New Earth" and "Gridlock".

Another recurring element of Doctor Who introduced in season 1 was Captain Jack Harkness, an immortal time-traveler who enjoys entertaining the Doctor (and almost anyone else too) and is far more of a dashing action hero type figure. Harkness could also be immortal, but he's aging, albeit incredibly slowly, and Doctor Who has repeatedly drawn a link between him and therefore the Face of Boe. The key line during this comes in "Last of the Time Lords", where Jack not only expresses concern over what he'll appear as if he lives for many years but also reveals that he was once nicknamed 'The Face of Boe' since he came from the Boeshane Peninsula. In "Gridlock", meaning, the Face of Boe refers to the Doctor as an "old friend".

While it's going to seem quite obvious to fans that Jack Harkness is popping into the Face of Boe, Doctor Who has avoided outright confirming it. That's a choice that stems from former showrunner Russell T. Davies, he began both Harkness and the Face of Boe into the series. within the commentary for "Last of the Time Lords", Davies refers to the thought as a "theory". Later in an interview with NJ.com, Davies explained his reasoning behind not making the connection between the 2 explicit: "...It's couched in terms that aren't absolute gospel. There are these spin-off books and comic books, and each now then I'll see a script for one where they assert definitively that he's the Face of Boe, and that I always stop those from being printed. I even have my very own personal theories, but the instant it became very true or very false, the joke dies." 

Among Harkness' many defining traits is his vanity, with the character hooked into his own attractiveness. the thought of him turning into the Face of Boe, then, maybe a fate worse than death for him, which is what makes it such an excellent idea he will find yourself that way (although tinged with sadness for him as well). Still, Davies' reason for not eager to confirm Harkness is that the Face of Boe is understandable, although it is not entirely out of the question that it might be made official sometime in Doctor Who's future.

The Face of Boe lives for billions for years, and Jack Harkness is immortal, so there is a long stretch of your time for it to happen, and it is a story Doctor Who could eventually plan to show. Captain Jack's season 12 return hinted at his Face of Boe transformation, together with his regard to nanogenes suggesting something within his make-up was gradually changing. it is a compelling story to inform and little question one fan would really like to ascertain on screen, and with Harkness finally back within the fold, there's a minimum of more of an opportunity of it happening. If nothing else, Doctor Who can still have tons more fun building the links between Captain Jack Harkness and therefore the Face of Boe, even without confirming it.