Professor Yana was a human identity the Master created for himself when using a Chameleon Arch to escape the Last Great Time War .
Biography
Origins
- The circumstances of the transformation of the Master from Time Lord into Yana remain unknown, though, as he had the same kind of fob watch, he had presumably used a chameleon arch as the Tenth Doctor had done to change himself into John Smith. (DW: Human Nature)
- The name Yana was an acronym of "You Are Not Alone", which had been the Face of Boe's dying words to the Tenth Doctor. (DW: Gridlock)
During the Last Great Time War, the Master was resurrected by the Time Lords and assigned to guarding the Cruciform from the Daleks. He failed in his task and was so frightened that he ran from the war to the end of the universe and used a chameleon arch to become human. (DW: Utopia)
Physically human, Yana was an orphan child found on the coast of the Silver Devastation with only an "heirloom" fob watch. (REF: Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia) He could never keep time and was always late for things. He spent his life moving from one refugee ship to another and all his life he heard the sound of drums every waking hour as if they were getting closer. (DW: Utopia)
- The Master had heard this drumbeat ever since he had looked into the Untempered Schism as a boy. (DW: The Sound of Drums)
Career as scientist
Yana retained the Master's brilliant intellect and ultimately became responsible for sending the remnants of humanity to Utopia. He eventually became friends with another scientist Chantho, who was thought to be the last of the Malmooth race. Together, they worked on the Utopia Project to convey the surviving humans from the planet Malcassairo to Utopia. (DW: Utopia)
Meeting the Doctor
Yana met the Tenth Doctor, Jack Harkness and Martha Jones, who spoke phrases curiously familiar to him, phrases such as Time Vortex, "extermination", Time War, Daleks and regeneration. Martha made the Professor aware of a watch in his possession. Hearing voices in his mind that commanded and entreated him, he opened it and returned to his true identity. (DW: Utopia)
Personality
In his human form, Yana was a benign old man who had lost faith in the Utopia project. His spirit was revitalised by the Doctor, and the two shared a mutual admiration. He was also somewhat scatterbrained and slightly lacking in self-confidence, at one point referring to himself as "a stupid old man." Also like the Doctor, Yana could not tell Chantho fancied him much the way Martha fancied the Doctor. (DW: Utopia)