Question: The Master has shown himself to be extremely intelligent, so why didn't he know that killing all those Logopolitans would set off a chain reaction, resulting in the end of the universe? Also, why did he hold the planet to ransom? What was he hoping to gain by doing this?
Tiger Left, Tiger Right - S2-E6
Question: The episode first aired October 1964. How could a Ford Mustang be seen in the episode if that car wasn't available until April 1965?
Answer: Production vehicle models aren't in sync with the calendar year. The '65 Mustang began production in March 1964 and first sold in April 1964, before it was "introduced" the following year. I don't know which model was seen in the episode, but the 2+2 fastback was sold in September 1964. The 1964 film "Goldfinger" uses a 1965 Mustang as part of Ford's product placement. Basically, in the 1930's, FDR ordered automakers to release vehicles in the fall of the preceding calendar year "as a means of facilitating regularization of employment in the industry." Now, automakers can release new models as early as Jan 2 of the preceding year.
Chosen answer: The Master seemed to know what would happen, and exploited this to his own ends. His goal was to gain control of the entire universe, by giving people a choice: die with the universe as it is destroyed (by natural means, no less!), or accept his as their Master, with the only way to keep the universe going.