Over its run, ''

Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. ...

'' has seen the arrival and departure of various characters. It also featured many recurring guest characters. Below is a listing of both the main characters and the recurring characters from the series.

Main characters

;Notes ''Cambot is a regular character throughout the entire run of the show, but has no performer.'' # "Joel Hodgson" during season 0; Simply "Joel" (no last name) during Season 1. # Simply "Frank" during seasons 2 and 3. #

Guest appearance In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other p ...

only.

Recurring guest characters

* Magic Voice - a disembodied female voice that would warn the crew of upcoming commercial breaks and make other announcements. * Jerry and Sylvia (various unpaid interns at

Best Brains Best Brains, Inc. (first known as ''Hair Brain Productions'') is an entertainment company based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. It is best known for the creation and production of the comedy/sci-fi television program ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'', a ...

) - two "mole people" from the movie ''

The Mole People ''The Mole People'' is a 1956 American science fiction adventure film distributed by Universal International, which was produced by William Alland, directed by Virgil W. Vogel, and stars John Agar, Hugh Beaumont, and Cynthia Patrick. The story ...

'' (featured much later as a season 8 episode) who occasionally assisted the Mads and stopped by for social events. They also work Deep 13's camera in the first host segment of "

Lost Continent Lost lands are islands or continents believed by some to have existed during pre-history, but to have since disappeared as a result of catastrophic geological phenomena. Legends of lost lands often originated as scholarly or scientific theor ...

". Presumably named after

Sylvia and Gerry Anderson Sylvia Beatrice Anderson (; 25 March 1927 – 15 March 2016) was an English television and film producer, writer, voice actress and costume designer, best known for her collaborations with Gerry Anderson, her husband between 1960 and 1981. In a ...

, the creative team behind '' Space: 1999'' and

Supermarionation Supermarionation (a portmanteau of the words "super", "marionette" and " animation")La Rivière 2009, p. 67. is a style of television and film production employed by British company AP Films (later Century 21 Productions) in its puppet T ...

shows like '' Thunderbirds'' and ''

Stingray Stingrays are a group of sea rays, which are cartilaginous fish related to sharks. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae (sixgill stingray), Plesiobatidae ( ...

'', some of which were featured as KTMA-season episodes. * Jack Perkins (

Michael J. Nelson Michael John Nelson (born October 11, 1964) is an American comedian and writer, most known for his work on the television series '' Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''MST3K''). Nelson was the head writer of the series for most of the show's origi ...

) - in real life the host of the

A&E Network A&E is an American basic cable network, the flagship television property of A&E Networks. The network was originally founded in 1984 as the Arts & Entertainment Network, initially focusing on fine arts, documentaries, television drama, dramas, and ...

's ''

Biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...

'' program, Perkins first appeared in ''MST3K'' simply to annoy the Mads by describing the movie with glowing praise. When ''MST3K'' appeared in syndication as ''The Mystery Science Hour'', Nelson's fake "Jack Perkins" hosted the show. * Torgo (

) - a monster/henchman (supposed to be a

satyr In Greek mythology, a satyr ( grc-gre, :wikt:σάτυρος, σάτυρος, sátyros, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( grc-gre, :wikt:Σειληνός, σειληνός ), is a male List of nature deities, nature spirit with ears ...

) in '' Manos: The Hands of Fate'', Torgo was among the most frequently returning "guest characters" of ''MST3K''. He got his knees fixed and returned as "Torgo the White" (an obvious parody of

Gandalf the White Gandalf is a protagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. He is a Wizards (Middle-earth), wizard, one of the ''Istari'' order, and the leader of the Fellowship of the Ring (characters), Fellowship of t ...

) to accompany TV's Frank to "Second Banana Heaven" and was never seen again (episode 624, "Samson vs. the Vampire Women"). * Jan-in-the-Pan (

Mary Jo Pehl Mary Jo Pehl (; born February 27, 1960 in Circle Pines, Minnesota) is an American writer, actress, and comedian. She is best known for her various roles on the television series ''Mystery Science Theater 3000''. ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' ...

) - a woman's severed head from the movie ''The Brain That Wouldn't Die''. * Pitch (Paul Chaplin) - a devil from the Mexican movie ''

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...

'', Pitch was one of the few characters from the Comedy Central seasons to return in the Sci Fi Channel seasons. *

- appeared three times on the show, including a fight with Pitch, bellowing, " I'm here to chew candy canes and kick ass, and I'm all out of candy canes!". Portrayed twice by Kevin Murphy and once by

Joel Hodgson Joel Hodgson (born February 20, 1960) is an American writer, comedian and television actor. He is best known for creating ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''MST3K'') and starring in it as the character Joel Robinson. In 2007, ''MST3K'' was liste ...

. * The

Nanites A molecular machine, nanite, or nanomachine is a molecular component that produces quasi-mechanical movements (output) in response to specific stimuli (input). In cellular biology, macromolecular machines frequently perform tasks essential for l ...

(voiced variously by Kevin Murphy,

Paul Chaplin Paul Chaplin (born Paul Schersten) is an American writer and comedian, known for his work on the television series ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'', for which he wrote and played the recurring characters of an Observer, Ned the Nanite, Pitch th ...

, and

Bridget Jones Bridget Rose Jones is a fictional character created by British writer Helen Fielding. Jones first appeared in Fielding's ''Bridget Jones's Diary'' column in ''The Independent'' in 1995, which did not carry any byline. Thus, it seemed to be an actu ...

) - self-replicating, bio-engineered organisms that work on the ship, they are microscopic creatures that reside in the S.O.L.'s computer systems. (They are similar to the creatures in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episode "

Evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

", which featured "nanites" taking over the ''Enterprise''.) The Nanites made their first appearance in season 8. Based on the concept of

nanotechnology Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal o ...

, their comical ''

deus ex machina ''Deus ex machina'' ( , ; plural: ''dei ex machina''; English "god out of the machine") is a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is suddenly and abruptly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely occurrence. Its function ...

'' activities included such diverse tasks as instant repair and construction, hairstyling, performing a Nanite variation of a

flea circus A flea circus is a circus sideshow attraction in which fleas are attached (or appear to be attached) to miniature carts and other items, and encouraged to perform circus acts within a small housing. History The first records of flea perform ...

, conducting a microscopic war, and even destroying the Observers' planet after a dangerously vague request from Mike to "take care of little problem". They also ran a

microbrewery Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis o ...

. The Nanites were largely forgotten about during the show's last season, and we are not given an explanation of their fate following the series finale. ** Kevin Murphy played Wade the Nanite. **

played Ned the Nanite. **

played Jody the Nanite and Shelli the Nanite. **

played Slicer the Nanite. * Ortega (Paul Chaplin) - an unintelligible, decrepit, cigar-smoking henchman from the movie ''

The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies ''The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies'' (sometimes "!!?" is appended to the title) is a 1964 American monster movie written and directed by Ray Dennis Steckler. Steckler also starred in the film, billed ...

'', Ortega recurred occasionally in the three Sci Fi seasons. * "Krankor" (

Bill Corbett William Daniel Corbett (born March 30, 1960) is an American writer and performer for television, film and theatre. He was a writer and performer on the cult television show ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''MST3K''), for which he voiced the r ...

), who appeared in a host segment during the "Prince of Space" episode, and returned three episodes later in a host segment for " Invasion of the Neptune Men", featuring a movie with a similar plot. He was a vain, would-be conqueror with an unfortunately chicken-like appearance and a drawn-out, braying laugh (described by BBI as "like a

Buick Buick () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American marques of automobiles, and was the company that established General ...

not turning over"). * The Skeleton Crew is Kinga's

house band A house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play at an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to bands which ...

that plays in intros and outgos segments.

Har Mar Superstar Sean Tillmann (born February 6, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He has performed and released studio albums as Sean Na Na and as a member of hardcore band Calvin Krime, but is best known for his work under the name Har Mar Super ...

leads the Skeleton Crew as their director.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Mystery Science Theater 3000 Characters