The new Dr. Who series that the BBC has created is probably one of the greatest Sci-Fi series of all time. And I’m glad to see that the Master has finally returned. It will be interesting to see whether they add the kind of depth to his character that they added to the character of the Dr. himself.
What motivates the Master? Why is he the way he is? My wife and I have believed, since I was in grad school, that it was jealousy.
When I was in graduate school at the University of Illinois, you had to take and pass a qualifying exam before you would be permitted to go ahead and get your doctorate. By the time you had taken your last shot at the test, you had already invested about two years in graduate study. It would be cruel to send a student away with nothing at that point, so the U of I gave you the option of taking a master’s degree and leaving. So it seems logical to conclude that the Doctor passed his test — but the Master, well he just left with his Master’s degree.
It was just bound to make him jealous, angry and vengeful.