(or what I know of it!)
Ok...I gotta admit, I only saw from Season 4 on, so...any of the basics prior to that, I have no idea! And, if I goofed up somewhere in here, feel free to let me know at labean@hotmail.com
It all started with Joel Robinson, a janitor at Gizmonics Institute. Basically, Dr. Clayton Forrester didn't like him and poor Joel was sent into space aboard the Satellite of Love to have a warped set of experiments performed on him. Joel would be forced to watch the most horrible movies ever made while Dr. Forrester and his assistant Frank would monitor his mind from the comfort of their lab, Deep 13.
Joel made some robots to keep him company- Tom Servo, Crow, Gypsy and Cambot. Tom and Crow would accompany him in the theater while Gypsy ran the ship and Cambot continued his job of filming everything.
Then one day, Dr. Forrester and Frank hired a temp. guy named Mike Nelson who wasn't the greatest at cleaning things up. Dr. F and Frank had plans to get rid of the jumpsuited fellow, but unknown to them, they were transmitting their plans to the SOL. Gypsy was there listening and since the "jumpsuited fellow" was not indentified, Gypsy assumed they meant they were going to kill Joel!
Gypsy tried to get help from Tom and Crow, but they were too busy goofing off to listen to what was going on. So, Gypsy felt she had to act quickly, because Dr. F said that after the movie ("Mitchell") the "jumpsuited fellow" would be history!
Gypsy managed to contact Mike down in Deep 13 and he agreed to help her out. He let her know there was an escape pod in a crate marked "Hamdingers" and transfered clearance to it over to her.
When the movie ended, Joel was thrown into the escape pod and headed back to Earth. He landed safely in the Australian Outback. Frank was the first to find this out, and was quite scared to tell Dr. Forrester the news. Once he did, Dr. F was furious and Frank asked him if there was anyone they could get to replace Joel. Dr. F replied something to the effect of, "And just who can we find now?"
Enter Mike waiting for his time sheet to be signed and Dr. Forrester signs it. He then laughs and says something like, "You know Mike, I think you're going to be working for me for quite some time now."
So, Mike is shot up into space and joins Tom, Crow, Gypsy and Cambot on the SOL. Dr. Forrester and Frank continued the experiments on him and so things went until one day, Frank was taken away by Torgo the White to Second Bananna Heaven. Dr. F meets up with his mom, Pearl, and the two of them continue experimenting on poor Mike.
Oddly enough, the SOL reaches the edge of the universe and once it does, Mike and the robots change into pure engery and float off into space. Meanwhile, Dr. Forrester becomes a space baby...go fig.
Then one day, Mike, Tom and Gypsy return to the SOL to find Crow already there. He's somewhat different now (his voice isn't the same) and he and the Nanites have rebuilt the place. Mike and the 'bots contact Earth, but find it inhabited by apes! They first meet Professor Bobo who sends them a movie due to the law of the land. The apes reveal who they answer to, The Lawgiver who turns out to be none other than Pearl Forrester!
Pearl continues the experiments of her son Clayton from the new Earth. Mike wants some sort of distraction created to try to get away and the Nanites give him one all right- they blow up the planet! Pearl and Bobo managed to escape just in time and chase the SOL about the universe in their van-like ship. One day, the chase brings Pearl's ship and the SOL to a planet of the Observers, highly intelligent beings who have advanced mind powers. They carry their brains around in jars though...
The Observers want to dissect Bobo, and Pearl begs for a distraction. The Nanites give one and blow up the planet! Pearl, Bobo and one Observer (whom they dub "Brain Guy") escape and the three vow to continue to make Mike and the robots suffer.
The chase ends when the SOL and Pearl's ship are pulled through a wormhole and end up back at present day Earth. Pearl find Castle Forrester, her ancestors' home, and she, Bobo and Brain Guy decide to stay there. And of course, they continue sending Mike and the 'bots movies from there.
Then one day on the SOL, everything seem to malfuntion! Mike and the robots feel they are doomed for sure. To make matters worse, there's an unidentified ship circling them. Just who is aboard?
Meanwhile back in Castle Forrester, a soultaker began to attack Bobo! Pearl screams at the figure who pulls off his hood to reveal himself as TV's Frank! Yes, he's still dead, but Second Bananna Heave just wasn't working out for him. He didn't fare too well as a regular angel, so he ended up becoming a soultaker. Frank meets Brain Guy (though he's quite unimpressed by him) before catching up on old times with Pearl.
As for the situation on the SOL, it seems to be getting worse by the minute. The ship continues malfunctioning and the mysterious ship is still hovering nearby. Tom Servo and Crow seem pretty sure whoever is aboard the ship is out to do them in and when the being inside wishes to board the SOL, they panic!
Luckily for everyone on board, the pilot aboard the ship is none other than Joel Robinson! Joel had found out that Dr. Forrester had set up the Satellite to self-destruct in ten years, and came by to fix it. Just then, Mike enters and sees Joel. The 'bots introduce Mike and Joel. Then Joel explains just what he's been up to since his escape- turns out that after he "kicked around the Outback," he did some pyrotechnic work for awhile. After that, he headed to the Midwest and became manager of a restaurant called The Hot Fish Shop.
Mike then began to doubt that he'd ever escape, but then Joel gave him a little pep talk. Afterwards, Joel began to work on the ship while Mike and the 'bots had to head back into the theater.
All goes well; the ship is in good working order once Joel is done. Mike thanks him for his help. Suddenly, a message comes to the SOL from Frank. Turns out Joel is on Frank's list of souls he needs! Joel gasps and begins to run off, but Mike first asks Joel if he can help get everyone aboard the Satellite escape. Joel admits he can't do that. He says that his time aboard the Satellite has made a man out him and might just do so for Mike. He leaves a tip to the robots to keep Mike "flying" as he dashes off.
Shortly after this reunion, Mike and the robots learn Pearl has gained her mad scientist license. Now that she has, she will not only subject them to horrible movies, but also to other weird experiments whenever she pleases. One time she envokes a power imbalance aboard the Satellite!
Nevertheless, Mike and the robots survive through not only the horrid movies but also Pearl's warped experiments.
In fact, one day Pearl makes one wrong move with an experiment. She has too much fun tormenting her captors with a joystick that can make the Satellite move in all sorts of crazy directions. By accident, she breaks the stick and accidently starts the Satellite's re-entry program.
With just under two hours of captivity left, Pearl (who has filpped out royally by this point) sends one last movie aboard- Diabolik.
During one of the host segments, the audience learns what the future holds for Pearl, Bobo and Brain Guy. Pearl has been made dictator of Qatar. She vows not only to use her power there as a stepping stone to controling the world, but also sometime during her reign to "get that country a 'u.'"
Bobo has been chosen to live in a zoo, something that he is really looking forward to doing. Meanwhile, Brain Guy is somewhat unsure of where to go, but finally admits he just may have to take a job he's not too happy about- an all knowing being on Rylos 14.
When the movie is finally over aboard the Satellite, re-entry does not go quite as smoothly as intially hoped. It's a rather peril filled journey back to Earth that ends with one major crash!
Suddenly, everything seems to go dark...is this the end of Mike and his robot pals?
Nope! Somehow, they walked away from the crash. Mike got a small apartment for himself and Crow and Tom stay there with him. As for Gypsy, she manages to start her own company that really takes off!
So, now on Earth, no longer forced to watch bad movies, do you think Mike, Crow and Tom stay away from them like the plague?
Nah. Old habits die hard, don't they? The final scene of the series shows Mike and the two 'bots riffing yet another really bad movie!
Somehow, there couldn't have been a more fitting ending. :)