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A device used by the Master, a laser screwdriver was a device unlike the Doctor's sonic counterpart. It was not only larger but bulkier and generally used as a lethal, killing laser weapon instead of a multi-functioning tool.
Function
The laser screwdriver had isomorphic controls so only the Master could operate it. This was revealed when the Doctor attempted to shoot him with it. (TV: Last of the Time Lords)
As a fatal weapon, the laser screwdriver shot highly lethal laser energy, in which the force produced was enough to send a human flying several feet. (TV: The Sound of Drums / Last of the Time Lords) However, its effectiveness dwindled when used against the Doctor, who was protected by a psychic field generated by the Archangel network.
Apart from the killing function, the laser screwdriver was capable of artificially ageing a target. the Saxon Master used the function to age the Tenth Doctor using a sample of his genetic code taken from his severed hand, turning him into an aged creature. (TV: The Sound of Drums / Last of the Time Lords)
A modified version the Master eventually used had an improved laser system, now able to effectively destroy Mondasian Cybermen and could kill a Time Lord, specifically his next incarnation, preventing regeneration when at maximum power. It could also combine with the Cyberman Bill Potts' own blaster to successfully disable a fully evolved Cyberman. Ironically, it didn't just function as a lethal weapon, being used to open the lift doors on floor 0507 and break into a Time Lord arsenal in Marigold Lane. (TV: The Doctor Falls, AUDIO: The Heavenly Paradigm)
History
The Master designed the laser screwdriver (TV: Last of the Time Lords) during the Last Great Time War, using it as a functional sidearm. (AUDIO: The Heavenly Paradigm, The Devil You Know)
He first unveiled the device to the Doctor aboard the Valiant, when he used it to stop Jack Harkness from intervening with the Toclafane invasion and age the Tenth Doctor. He compared it to the Doctor's sonic screwdriver, stating, "Laser screwdriver. Who'd have sonic?" (TV: The Sound of Drums) He later used the screwdriver to shoot and kill Thomas Milligan. He later attempted to kill the Doctor with it but was unable to penetrate the psychic field he had formed, the weapon sooner being forced from his hand when he turned it on Martha and her family. (TV: Last of the Time Lords)
The device was later seen in the Doctor's TARDIS. Amy Pond attached it to the console to power the ship's tractor beam and pull the Eleventh Doctor out of a riptide in spacetime. (GAME: TARDIS) It remained in the console after that. (GAME: The Gunpowder Plot)
The Master later acquired a modified version which he used on the Mondasian colony ship. He attempted to harm the Twelfth Doctor with it but it was wrestled from his grip in their struggle. He later used it to destroy numerous Mondasian Cybermen as they tried to capture him for conversion. He used it again in combination with Bill's cybernetic blaster to disable an improved model during the battle. After Missy stabbed him in the back and left him to regenerate in the elevator, the Master (refusing to allow his future self to help the Doctor) blasted her in the back with his laser screwdriver. The Master told Missy that she couldn't regenerate as he gave her the full strike on maximum power, leaving her to die as he departed. (TV: The Doctor Falls)
Behind the scenes
Conceptual art released on the BBC website [1] as well as conversations with the cast and crew reveal that the laser screwdriver was intended to be larger and more intimidating than the Doctor's sonic screwdriver, meant to be "shown off". This, as well as its lethal and dangerous settings, fit in line with the Master's portrayal as an antithesis of the Doctor. It was also meant to look like something the Master constructed on Earth, out of local materials.
A toy replica of the device was released, similar to the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. It does not feature a pen or any removable parts, save for the battery compartment. A single press of the trigger extends the spring-loaded tip and activates the laser sound effect, along with three bright yellow LEDs. Holding the trigger for about one second activates the ageing sound effect. The triple-ended tip does not extend further, as it does on the show. While slightly smaller than the on-screen prop, it does feature the crack-textured setting adjustment dial, with an integrated ratchet joint for further sound effects. A later revision to the design left out the ratchet in favour of a more accurate appearance.
Fans of the original series noted that the laser screwdriver was a departure from the Master's other favoured weapon, the Tissue Compression Eliminator. When questioned about this, the current series' cast and crew commented that the Master may have simply preferred to use something different for the element of surprise.
Russell T Davies has stated that he had considered having the Master say to the Doctor, "My screwdriver's bigger than yours", but thought better of it. [source needed]
The non-narrative source Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary gave further information about the laser screwdriver. The laser screwdriver incorporated laser technology, which shot out lethal laser beams at an enemy from its tip.