The story of Captain Star involves the crew of the rocket ship Boiling Hell, who have been ordered to a deserted planet known only as “The Nameless Planet” at the Ragged Edge of the Universe. The ship’s crew consists of the egocentric and often paranoid Captain Star, Dana Scully-esque science officer Scarlette, nine-headed engineer Jones, and fish-keeping Navigator Black. They are later joined by a robot, Jim-Bob-Bob, who performs laundry duty and various other servitudes.
Captain Star is introduced in the opening theme as “the greatest hero any world has ever known”. A legendary explorer who has hundreds of planets named after him, Captain Star’s birthday is a holiday throughout the universe. Throughout the series, the characters await further orders from Mission Control which never come. It is unclear whether Mission Control has simply forgotten about Star and his crew, but the implication is that they have put the aging Star out to pasture, but spared him the indignity of forcing him to retire, and kept him on active duty so that he can continue to be a hero to the public. Events occurring on and off the planet, however, frequently require Star’s intervention.
