He has caused the deaths of untold billions. The Master matches the Daleks
for sheer ruthlessness and destruction. He has appeared in eighteen television
stories and the New Adventures. (Please note that this article contains plot
details of the Master's New Adventures appearance).
The Master was born in South Gallifrey, around the same time as the Doctor,
and possibly slightly earlier (Borusa in The Deadly Assassin says the Master
was 'not much older' than the Doctor). He and the Doctor were great friends
when they were younger and both attended the Prydonian Chapter Academy at the
same time.
As well as his academic achievements, the Master showed remarkable mental
control and was able to dominate weak-willed people. These powers would
eventually be enhanced and used for evil purposes.
Even in those days the Master would have shown a capacity for mischief which
exceeded that of the Doctor, although he gained higher honours than the other
Time Lord. It may even partly be because of the Master that the Doctor left
Gallifrey - if the Master left first and the Doctor knew mischief was intended
he might have set out intending to prevent it.
Although the First Doctor was fiercely moral he could not control his TARDIS
and any meeting between the two would be coincidental. Perhaps at some point
the two met, and the Doctor revealed the Master's location to the Time Lords.
If the Doctor gave evidence at the Master's trial, that would explain the other
Time Lord's hatred. Perhaps it was also at this point that the Doctor picked up
Susan, although she hadn't heard of the Master. The Doctor, to avoid being put
on trial for stealing the TARDIS and his own interference, would have escaped
once again.
The Master inevitably escaped and roamed the Universe, causing havoc. The
Doctor may have encountered him again, but these meetings were not recorded,
and finally, the Doctor was forced to reveal his own location to the Time Lords
in The War Games.
Encouraged by the Doctor's trial, the Time Lords successfully tracked down and
capture the Master. During his short incarceration, the Master learnt of the
Doctor's exile and presumably the subsequent Nestene invasion attempt. Thus,
when he is able to escape in his TARDIS, the Master seeks the help of the
Nestene to evade Time Lord tracking in return for help in a second invasion
attempt.
Terror of the Autons
Although the Master's activities prior to this adventure are not mentioned, the
Time Lords have tracked his TARDIS to the area. He may have been traced after
raiding information from the Matrix, although he was not apprehended on
subsequent raids. The Master is aware of the Doctor's exile so he must have
received the information from the Time Lords, perhaps indirectly through stolen
information. The Tissue Compression Eliminator is first used in this story. The
weapon was probably stolen from one of the planets he visited
earlier.
The Mind of Evil
The mind parasite would have been picked up by the Master prior to Terror of
the Autons on the off-chance it would prove useful, although why he needed
it to take over Stangmoor prison or disrupt the peace conference is never made
clear.
The Claws of Axos
It is possible that between adventures the Master encountered Axos on a world
he was visiting, but the short time gap since The Mind of Evil (UNIT are
conducting an intensive search, and an American agent has been sent to help),
suggests that Axos was in the neighbourhood and that the Master intended simply
to point them in the direction of Earth and leave them to it.
Colony in Space
Although never stated, it is most likely that the Master's information about
the doomsday weapon was stolen from the Matrix between The Claws of Axos and
Colony in Space since the Master seems to use some of the information in
Colony which could easily have been used earlier. Although previously
the Master had been content with rulership of Earth (a somewhat dubious
position), he intends this time to rule the whole galaxy, if not the Universe.
The Daemons
During the information raid on Gallifrey, the Master seems to have stolen quite
a bit of information on Earth's history including Azal, the Sea Devils and
Atlantis; undoubtedly he targeted this area in light of the Doctor's exile. The
Doctor mentions at one point that he learned of Azal 'at school.' Although he
doesn't mention the Master in connection with this, it seems likely that the
Master had learned the same information. The stolen data may have served also
as a reminder but it is unlikely that the Master would have learned the means
of awakening Azal at school.
The Sea Devils
The knowledge of the Sea Devils was undoubtedly among the knowledge from the
Matrix. Once again the Master knows exactly how to find them. The Doctor says
at one point that he and the Master were great friends when they were younger.
The Time Monster
While the Doctor is building a device to jam the Master's equipment, he says
'We used to make them at school to spoil each other's time experiments.' He
doesn't specify who 'we' includes, although it appears he is talking about the
Master. The Doctor knows about Kronos, so he presumably learned about it in
'school' as would have the Master. The Kronos crystal is more likely to have
been part of the Time Lord records.
Frontier in Space
The Master's short lived alliance with the Daleks seems out of character, since
their sole contribution was the use of the Ogrons and possibly the hypno-
device. Following the war, he would be in competition with them for domination
of the two empires. No doubt he already had a plan to deal with the Daleks but
this is never specified.
The Deadly Assassin
The gap between Frontier in Space and The Deadly Assassin is the
more mysterious in the Master's life. His incarnation last seen in Frontier in
Space must be his last and finally his thirteenth regeneration is induced. This
is always fatal in a Time Lord, but somehow the Master manages to halt it,
emerging a twisted skeletal figure. This event takes place on Tersurus where
Chancellor Goth finds him and smuggles him back to Gallifrey. Castellan
Spandrell asks if the Master was a Time Lord, and the Doctor replies 'He was -
a long time ago.' This implies that the Delgado incarnation was his last. In
Mawdryn Undead, the Doctor states that loss of the regeneration ability
would be the end of him as a Time Lord. If the Master had no regenerations
left, he might be regarded as no longer being a Time Lord. (Perhaps Time Lords
reserve their last incarnation for retirement? It may have simply have been a
reference to the Master having left Gallifrey, although this is the only time
that this meaning of Time Lord is used.) The Doctor also states that he 'lost
sight of the Master on Earth some time ago.' This suggests that there was
perhaps an unseen story after Frontier in Space, although Sarah does not
know the Master in The Five Doctors. He describes the Master as a
technological genius.
The Keeper of Traken
The Master possesses two TARDISes is this story: the grandfather clock,
presumably the same one from The Deadly Assassin, and the Melkur, which is
destroyed. The Melkur TARDIS would have been removed from Gallifrey prior to
The Deadly Assassin, perhaps it was Goth's. The transfer of the Master's
mind into Tremas' body is never satisfactorily explained, only that the ability
was gained from his brief contact with the Source.
Logopolis
During this story, the Master uses something similar to the control devices in
The Keeper of Traken to take partial control of Nyssa. Like so much of
the technology that the Master uses, this would seem to have been stolen or
acquired, probably some time before The Deadly Assassin. The Master is
unaware of the significance of Logopolis leading to disastrous consequences, as
is the Doctor.
Castrovalva
Although the Master talks of a long wait in setting the trap of Castrovalva,
little time seems to have passed for himself or Adric. In fact, the city
created by Adric's block transfer computations need not have been created five
hundred years before, but could have been created just prior to the Doctor's
arrival. In Castrovalva, for the first time the Master's primary aim is
to kill the Doctor instead of gaining power. Also the Master no longer simply
escapes at the end of the story but is apparently caught in Castrovalva as it
disintegrates. Instead of perishing, the Master is able to escape in his
TARDIS.
Time-Flight
The Master seems to go to elaborate steps to disguise himself - it is obvious
that he expects the Doctor to turn up or he wouldn't have bothered. The methods
by which he controls the Xeraphin, and so maintains his disguise, seem
reminiscent of the Daemon science. The Master is eventually left trapped on
Xeraphas (though it is never mentioned how the Doctor operates the TARDIS
without a temporal limiter), where he encounters Kamelion and with the robot's
help, repairs his TARDIS.
The King's Demons
No real motive is given for the Master's interference in Earth's history; there
seems to be nothing for him to gain by it. Presumably it is so he could take
over rulership of Earth, or in retribution directed at the Doctor. The
resulting history change might have made it possible for him to conquer it
later in history. At one point, the Master says he regards moral scruples as a
handicap. Once again, the Master is caught in a cliffhanger ending, with his
TARDIS traveling out of control having been sabotaged by the Doctor. It is not
long, however, before the Time Lords intercept his TARDIS.
The Five Doctors
While the Master is in the Death Zone, the Time Lords repair his TARDIS,
probably planning to reuse it. A question that this story leaves unanswered is
that of the Master's reward. Would the Time Lords really have given the Master
a full new set of regenerations, even if he had been successful in rescuing the
Doctor? During the adventure, the First Doctor does not immediately recognise
the Master who states that they were at the Academy together. The third Doctor
recognises him in spite of the Master's new form, and in the scenes in
Rassilon's tomb the Second Doctor seems to recognise him instantly, although
it's possible one of the other Doctors might have told him of the Master's
presence. Rassilon frees the Master, replacing him in the reclaimed and
repaired TARDIS which he promptly steals once again.
Planet of Fire
One of the tasks the Master sets about is to experiment with his Tissue
Compression Eliminator resulting in an unfortunate accident. The weapon
discharges, shrinking his laboratory. Although the Master remains relatively
unharmed, he is substantially smaller and seeks Kamelion's help. Using the
numismaton gas the Master is able to restore himself to his normal height. The
Doctor at one point says that the Master's body must be good for a 'few more
years yet.' This seems awfully short for the apparent age of the body, though
it did look substantially older before the Master took possession of it.
The Mark of the Rani
The Rani and the Master know each other well. The Rani knows of the Master's
long standing feud with the Doctor, while the Master knows of the Rani's
rulership of Miasimia Goria. As in The King's Demons, the Master displays
detailed knowledge of Earth history, predicting the results of the
interference. When she asks how he survived his last encounter with the Doctor,
he merely states that he is "indestructible."
The Trial of a Time Lord
The Master again displays the ease with which he infiltrates the Time Lord
Matrix, which makes it all the more puzzling why he should want the secrets
stolen by the Sleepers. Surely he could pilfer all the information he would
need by himself. Perhaps the information was hidden in a more secure section of
the Matrix, or possibly simply to save himself the trouble of finding it. He is
aware of the Valeyard's real identity, although there is little evidence to
suggest he has encountered him (as the Valeyard) before. He knows the
Valeyard's character, but that simply could have been through observing the
trial. His dealings with Glitz however seem to include events on Ravolox and
quite a few other deals. Eventually, the Master attempts to take over Gallifrey
but is stopped by one of the Valeyard's traps. Presumably he escaped after the
Matrix was restored.
Survival
During the somewhat longer than usual gap before Survival, the Master
sets into motion quite a few schemes. However, one scheme to start a war goes
wrong, and he only escapes by following a Kitling back to the hunting grounds
of the Cheetah people. The Master is affected by the hunting world almost as
much as Midge and Ace, although he is able to control it better, gaining the
ability to see through the Kitlings' eyes and to exercise some measure of
command over the Cheetah people. The final confrontation sees the Master
consumed by his animal side, transporting himself and the Doctor back to the
dying world. As the world explodes, the Doctor transports himself back to the
TARDIS.
First Frontier
By linking with Shadow, the black Kitling, the Master is able to escape, the
artron energy surrounding the doomed world projecting him back in time to 1950s
Earth. Trapped there, as his TARDIS has been left on Antari Three, he contacts
the Tzun. The Master's offer to aid in the assimilation of Earth in return for
passage off the planet is merely a ruse. He is able to create a remote control
unit to retrieve his TARDIS and requires the Tzun only to provide nanites to
restore his regenerative life cycle. The Master is shot by Ace and regenerates,
losing the contamination of the hunting planet. Just as the Tzun withdraw from
Earth, the Master destroys their ship and leaves the Doctor to deal with a
nuclear warhead that he has timed to start a world war and destroy the Earth.
The Master escapes once more...
Update
Since this article was written, the Master has appeared many times again.
While it's tempting to try to update it to cover every appearance in the Virgin
and BBC books, and the Big Finish audios, doing so (and reconciling continuity
in the process) would require an article in itself. Of particular note are the
Virgin Missing Adventure The Dark Path, and the Big Finish audio Master.
In the former the Delgado Master and Second Doctor meet. It's revealed that the
Master's original name was Koschei, and he travels with a Time Lady companion.
The Big Finish audio is a must for fans of the Master, and reveals more about
his friendship with the Doctor on Gallifrey, early on in their lives.
The Master's last television appearance was in the 1996 TV movie. At the
beginning he's exterminated by the Daleks (who've uncharacteristically put him
on trial), but survives in the form of a protoplasmic snake which is able to
take over the body of a paramedic. While occupying the human host, he has the
additional ability to vomit up a paralysing slime. With the ultimate aim of
taking over the Doctor's body, the Master opens the Eye of Harmony situated
within the TARDIS and, after a struggle with the Doctor, falls in.
As the Master's appearance at the start of the movie is shown mostly in
shadow, some fans have speculated that this is the Master sometime after the
conclusion of Frontier in Space - the Daleks having blamed him for the
collapse of the plan to foment war between the Draconians and humans. The
theory goes that after being thrown into the Eye of Harmony, the Master somehow
emerged, badly burnt, on Tersurus where Goth encountered him. I prefer to think
that the Master's encounters with the Doctor are in chronological order,
otherwise things could get very confusing fast.
Can the Master escape a black hole? I wouldn't be surprised; after all, if
there's one thing he's consistently shown, it's that you can't keep a bad Time
Lord down.