Doctor Who: 10 Huge Questions After The Power Of The Doctor
5. Why Did The Master Want To Become The Doctor?
The answer to this one might seem straightforward - after all, he says his aim is to trash the Doctor’s reputation. To that end, his only option is to steal her body. Or is it? Could he not have simply killed or imprisoned the Doctor, stolen her TARDIS (or even kept his own one in the same form), and masqueraded as her?
If it’s the Doctor’s unlimited regeneration cycle he’s after, then it’s odd that neither he nor the Doctor mention it. It would be true to form if that was indeed his motivation, but he’d surely be upfront about that.
One thing the forced regeneration would do is permanently remove the Doctor from existence, something he happily teases her about. But his will to live is almost entirely shaped by their rivalry. Could he really go on without his arch-nemesis? If he’s happy to live in a world filled with nothing but clones of himself, then presumably he thinks he can.
Another alternative is that the Master is jealous of the Doctor’s power - namely, the relationships she is able to form with her friends. After all, he does seem obsessed with Yaz becoming his companion.
Whatever his reasons, the Master is not exactly comfortable with his choices. When he says Yaz should've shot him while she had the chance, it does sound like he has a death wish.