Cambot
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| Cambot | |
|---|---|
| Mystery Science Theater 3000 character | |
| First appearance | K01 - Invaders from the Deep |
| Created by | Joel Hodgson |
| Portrayed by | Kevin Murphy (one occasion, character usually mute) |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Robot |
| Gender | Male |
Cambot is one of the fictional robot characters on the
Appearance
Cambot is only seen during the "Robot Roll Call" portion of the opening credits, often with his name reversed, presumably to imply he is shooting his own image in a mirror. His appearance was changed with almost every reshooting of the opening credits.
In the original KTMA season, Cambot was depicted as a robot operating a separate camera. Season 1 Cambot was a modification of the KTMA Gypsy, with an integrated camera, whereas later Cambot incarnations more closely resembled television recording equipment. In episode #507, I Accuse My Parents, Gypsy presented a drawing that depicted the Satellite of Love's crew as her "ideal family"; in the drawing, Cambot's torso was shown as a long and snakelike tube, not unlike Gypsy's.
Midway through the fifth season of the series the opening was once again reshot, and Cambot was again redesigned, this time with a more compact shape, becoming a round hovering ball with a TV camera
With the relaunch of the series with Season 11, Cambot underwent another drastic redesign, now appearing much more like a giant lens now with mock studio lighting camera reflectors. He appears to be attached to the ceiling by some kind of long mount.
Overview
Cambot acts as an audio-visual conduit between the crew of the Satellite of Love and their observers. He also joins Joel, Mike,
Cambot also frequently provides music, video clips, and other enhancements to host segments. When Joel or another character requests to see through "Rocket Number Nine" (the ship-mounted camera that allows the crew to see the ship's exterior and anything in its vicinity), it is Cambot who provides the image. During the first seven seasons, when Joel or Mike would read fan mail sent to the show, they would request Cambot to put the letter on "
Cambot was voiced a single time during the original KTMA run by Kevin Murphy.
At the end of Season 7, Cambot was shown joining his fellow crew-members ascending into pure energy at the end of the universe. When the Satellite of Love crashed on Earth in the show's final episode, it is not specified whether Cambot survived the crash (although one could assume that he is the one filming the final scene). Cambot was not mentioned in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie. Cambot is revealed to have survived the crash in the Netflix revival of the series.