Ave, Medicus. Morituri Te Salutant.

[sariagray]

Saluting is an interesting action. 

Let me explain.

 

A month or so ago, I finally got around to watching the "Ten" specials ("The Next Doctor," "Planet of the Dead," "The Waters of Mars," and "The End of Time") and my father stumbled into the living room in the midst of "Planet of the Dead."

Captain Erisa Magambo of UNIT had just saluted the Doctor and my father pointed out something interesting (and quite probably untrue, from what I've read). 

A former US Military man (Air Force, during 'Nam), he felt obliged to tell me that the British open-palm salute is indicative of either having lost or forfeited a war. Americans salute palm-down because we have no lost (or forfeited, I'm still unclear) a war, but it's on a slight tilt because it's iffy (I think this last part is a joke). Considering that, let's do a brief review, in pictures.

Wilf salutes here, open-palmed. This is a logical thing, so I assume. He is a military man and Knows His Stuff.



More Wilf, more open-palmed saluting. And a Union Jack in the background, to boot.



Captain Erisa Magambo of UNIT also salutes with an open palm, fingers at the temple. This picture...amuses me greatly. The look on her face makes me giggle, but that's neither here nor there.



The best is when Rory salutes Americans with an open-palm and says "America salutes you." It wasn't just the British accent that was hilarious, but if what my father says is true, he is totally using the British salute. I literally laughed so hard I couldn't breathe when I saw this. Thanks, Dad. You're the reason my keyboard is now slightly sticky with spit-out coffee.

 

Ahh. But! Here is where it gets interesting.
 

   

 

What is up with Jack!? Is this...his attempt at being fake-American? Is this a Boeshanian salute? Does ANY other person (who is not distinctly from another country) salute like this in the Whoniverse? I feel like this is somehow important to Jack's character. And, even if the common belief about saluting in Great Britain versus America is untrue, it IS apparently the common belief and therefore it could be an intentional thing on the part of the actors/creators. 

 

What does everyone else think? I'm curious.

 

Comments

[fiwen1010.livejournal.com]

According to Wikipedia, it's all to do with royalty. Jack's not doing an RAF salute, which is very interesting considering how RAF themed he is. An RAF officer returns a salute on behalf of the queen, and Jack shouldn't salute unless he has his cap or hat on. Wikipedia also tells me that only the British Navy uses the palm down salute, because whilst the other branches offer an open palm showing honesty and loyalty, sailors had dirty hands and it was considered the height of bad manners to show your dirty hand to someone.

[welsh-scotsman.livejournal.com]

this is really interesting and i havel iterally just spent half an hour looking it all up ;)

interestingly, jack's salute is correct for a british naval officer which i assume he would not have been as he has an RAF (royal air force) coat ;) it differs from an raf salute in that the palm is at 90 degrees. this apparently evolved as it was considered bad form to salute your superiors with a dirty palm from the ships engines and so on.

ironically, his salute is more correct that wilf's or the UNIT person's as technically, the fingers should just be touching the corner of the eye or hat :)

no idea about american salutes so i'll take your word for that although i would be disinclined to believe the bit about the open palm meaning lost/forfeited a war as we have won a fair few:) maybe it comes from having an open hand as if to kind of show the person they're unarmed? i dont tknow. the raf and army i think use it ;)

i have probably gone completely off on a tangent but you might find this interesting ;)

[welsh-scotsman.livejournal.com]

wow. a lot has been posted whilst i wrote that essay ;) i seem to vaguely recall martha saluting at one point? not sure on that though ;)

[eldarwannabe.livejournal.com]

Reason in my head? John Barrowman grew up on lots of American media, and salutes that way automatically, while the rest of the cast just does the open-hand automatically.

Crazy-meta-I-am-a-fan reasons? Ok, here are a few!

1 - Jack, as he was passing for an American, picked it to fit the persona better when he first landed in the 40's, and he's basically kept it as a character piece.

2 - I've always theorized Boeshane is populated by decedents of Americans, through a range of space-colonies, because of the accent. If the accent survived, why couldn't the style of salute? So as a little kid, playing war in the sand dunes, that's what he grew up doing.

3 - That's how they saluted in the Time Agency/whatever war it was Jack served in when he was still in the 51st century. So that's how he salutes. *shrug*

4 - IT'S A SEKRIT TIME TRAVEL SALUTE. THAT'S WHY HE USES IT WITH THE DOCTAH.

[ericadawn16.livejournal.com]

I just assumed they thought the open palm looked better on camera and like the others, John Barrowman watches a lot of American media.