The series takes place in the year 2196 and Earth is warring with a race of alien invaders called the "Jovian Lizards". To combat it, a company called Nergal designs a space battleship, the ND-001 Nadesico. While the ship is powerful and its crew consists of the top civilian experts in their fields, these individuals tend to have "some slight personality disorders".

The primary protagonist, Akito Tenkawa, is a boy with a mysterious past; once a resident of Mars' Utopia colony, he escaped its destruction by the Jovian Lizards and arrived on Earth, with no memory of how he got there but a terrible fear of the invaders. He hates fighting and only wants to be a chef, however, he is constantly called on to act as a pilot of one of the Nadesico's Aestivalis - humanoid combat robots. While on board the Nadesico, Akito has more problems to deal with than just the Jovians;nearly all the female members of the crew, especially the vessel's captain Yurika Misumaru, seem to be head over heels in love with him, though all he wants to do is cook and watch his favorite anime, Gekigangar III.

Voiced by: Yuji Ueda (Japanese), Spike Spencer (English)

Anime - Born on Mars and orphaned after his parents died in an apparent military coup, his dream to become a cook stemmed from the quality of the raw food available on the planet. Though he has a nanomachine controller enabling him to pilot machinery, he refuses to become a military pilot; his first time in an Aestevalis was an accident, though he quickly showed capable piloting skill; because of the lack of pilots on the ship, he was officially made one for the duration of the tour. A Gekiganger fan as a child, his devotion to the series is rekindled by fellow pilot Gai Daigoji. He is romantically adored by just about all the girls aboard the Nadesico especially the ship's captain Yurika Misumaru, who was also a childhood friend, but is usually terrified of her over-amorous advances to him.

Manga - The manga version isn't all that different except Akito is a bit more open and not as dorky. His form in the other dimension is powerful and destructive.

Voiced by: Houko Kuwashima (Japanese), Jennifer K. Earhart (English)

Anime - She is the beautiful but ditzy captain of the Nadesico and childhood friend of Akito Tenkawa. She is infatuated with him and gets very jealous when other girls show interest in him, though he considers her crazy; she is also very scatterbrained at times, misinterpreting comments made by others as words of inspiration/devotion, and forgetting or twisting around events from her and Akito's childhood. Nonetheless, she is a very capable captain, and a constant source of cheerfulness and inspiration for the rest of the crew.

Manga - Yurika hands over full control to Ruri. She spends most of her time moping around after that and ends up kidnapped by Inez who works for the mirror Akito.

Voiced by: Omi Minami (Japanese), Kira Vincent-Davis (English)

The "Electronic Fairy", she keeps the ship's computer (Omoikane) running and slowly bonds with it, asking it numerous questions about society and human interaction. Ruri is a child prodigy and somewhat distant from the rest of the crew, whom she considers "nothing but idiots". She is occasionally referred to as "Ruriruri" by fellow bridge crewman Minato and Aestivalis pilot Hikaru. In addition, she co-hosts the "Naze Nani Nadesico" segment, and is the narrator at the beginning of each episode of Nadesico, recapping previous events while adding her own opinion of the situation. Ruri is very cold and extremely knowledgeable of many things and doesn't like getting into the things that most crew members do. Rather she enjoys sitting back in front of the monitor regulating the Nadesico, playing video games and communicating to Omoikane. She does have her spontaneous moments like when during the pageant she dresses up in a bathing suit and sings (however, out of embarrassment, she drops out of the standings).

Manga - Ruri is full captain of the Nadesico. She seems not much different but she is given almost all the attention rather than just half. The mirror copy of her is the same and acts completely the same along with the fact that she is also captain of her ship. Both Ruris seem to also have an internal problem and cough up blood when under extreme stress.

Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki (Japanese), Brett Weaver (English)

Born Jiro Yamada (an average name, similar to John Doe or John Smith in English), he insisted that Gai Daigoji was "the name that belongs to (his) soul", and angrily asserted his "true" name whenever someone used the "other" one. A rabid Gekiganger otaku, he was an official pilot and arrived three days ahead of schedule when he learned they would be piloting actual robots like in the anime. Fueled by his devotion to the show, Gai had a fierce intensity in and out of battle, and was angry and resentful towards Akito for being the first one to engage the enemy, stealing "(his) destiny", even though he had a broken leg and was unable to fight. The two were soon able to bond over Gekiganger, although Gai couldn't understand why Akito would rather be "a dumb cook" than a robot pilot. Although it was Gai's wish to die heroically in battle like one of the characters, he was unceremoniously shot and killed during an escape of prisoners held aboard the Nadesico; Akito took his death very hard, and devoted himself to Gai and the ideals of Gekiganger. In the Super Robot Wars series of video games, the player can save Gai by fulfilling certain conditions, and in Super Robot Wars W, he lives as part of the game's default story, to the point of even having a game exclusive timeskip transition for both him and his Aestevalis Custom.

Voiced by: Naoko Takano (Japanese), Jenny Strader (English)

Former voice actress and communications officer of the Nadesico, she is a very kind-hearted and devoted person. She was also the first to have Akito return her affections, though he did not feel as strongly for her as she thought, to her great sadness.

Voiced by: Kentarou Itou (Japanese), Mark X. Laskowski (English)

The first officer of the Nadesico, Jun has no small infatuation for Yurika, leaving a position in the Earth's military to join her crew and "look out for her". She is clueless of how he feels and considers him her "best friend", though the rest of the crew realize his feelings. A common running gag is Jun's misunderstanding of Yurika's special efforts, such as preparing food--he believes it is for him, but it always ends up being for Akito, with him being passed by. It seems he has crush on Yukina.

Voiced by: Naoko Matsui (Japanese), Heather Bryson (English)

Developed the Nadesico's Phase Transition system for Nergal on Mars before it was invaded; when the ship returned to the planet, she came aboard, stating that the surviving colonists refused to leave, believing the ship would soon be destroyed; however, an attack immediately afterwards forced the grounded Nadesico to raise its shields, crushing the underground colonists and leaving her the only survivor. She hosts the "Naze Nani Nadesico" segment as a technical consultant along with Ruri and Yurika in an attempt to teach the crew about the ship's workings, as a way of atoning for what happened.

Voiced by: Chisa Yokoyama (Japanese), Tiffany Grant (English)

Aestivalis pilot, she escaped from the L2 space colony when it was destroyed by the Jovians, salvaging four Aestevalis suits and fellow pilot Izumi Maki. The most fiery and combative of the three, but a surprise attack from the enemy left her terrified and crying out for help from Akito; this was noted and would be mercilessly brought up by Izumi and Hikaru many times, to her great embarrassment.

Voiced by: Miki Nagasawa (Japanese), Tamara Lo (English)

Aestivalis pilot, brought in a storage container from the L2 colony by Ryoko. Quiet and reserved, though an incurable punster, cracking up at her own jokes.

Voiced by: Shiho Kikuchi (Japanese), Cynthia Martinez (English)

Aestivalis pilot and rabid Gekigangar III fangirl, she was ejected from the L2 colony in a capsule which crashed into the Nadesico; making her way through the air ducts, she was directly over Akito's room as he was watching a tragic episode of Gekiganger. Moved to tears, her wailing could be heard through the overhead vent, right before she fell out of it and onto him.

Voiced by: Ryotaro Okiayu (Japanese), Jay Hickman (English)

Nagare came into the picture after the Nadesico escaped from Mars; a skilled Aestivalis pilot, Nagare rescued Akito during battle as the latter was in a state of panic and unable to move. He was soon assigned to the Nadesico, bringing along Erina Won, who he had a mysterious relationship with. Nagare disparaged Akito for his devotion to the simplistic ideals of Gekiganger and the fact that he hates Japanese Anime altogether, but the two were still able to get along well enough.

Voiced by: Maya Okamoto (Japanese), Kelly Manison (English)

The main helmswoman for the Nadesico. She gave up her job as the secretary for a large company's president so she could join the Nadesico crew. Her reason being that it sounded much more interesting. She has a mixed-up relationship with Goat Hoary. She helps Tsukomo and falls in love with him after a fight with Goat that ended their relationship.

Voiced by: Yuko Nagashima (Japanese), Emily Carter (English)

Erina joins the Nadesico at the same time as Nagare and proves to be just as irritating to the other characters. Her official post is co-helmswoman, but she ends up pushing orders onto everyone around and even the captain. She has a great fascination with Akito because of his boson jumping abilities and constantly confronts him to become a experiment guinea pig. In episode 22, she seems to cry when Akito leaves which may hint at her feelings for him also.

Voiced by: Kenichi Ono (Japanese), Paul Sidello (English)

Mr. Prospector's real name is never revealed, but he seems to not only be some sort of Nergal accountant, but the recruitment officer for the Nadesico.

Voiced by: Nobuo Tobita (Japanese), John Swasey (English)

Ace mechanic Seiya joins the Nadesico to get away from his wife and child, at the same time chasing around various young women. Most noticeable among them is Hikaru, who he almost has a relationship with.

Voiced by: Juurouta Kosugi (Japanese), Rob Mungle (English)

A serious man of few words, Goat seems to be the crew's guardian. He also has a relationship with Minato Haruka for a time. He is very big and very strong, capable of carrying Megumi and Ruri, one on each arm, and is a skilled marksman.

Voiced by: Miyuki Ichijou (Japanese), Marcy Rae (English)

Head chef on the Nadesico, Howmei is responsible for making sure everything gets cooked correctly, even if it involves teaching Akito about the variety of spices and flavourings available on Earth. Given the very nature of the Nadesico's mission... and the fact that some of them might not live to see another day, Howmei want to make sure that every meal the crew eats is as good as they want... because it may be their last meal.

Voiced by: Houko Kuwashima (Japanese), Kelli Cousins (English)

Itsuki came on as a replacement pilot when Akito left the ship with Megumi during the Christmas return of the Nadesico to Earth. She is known as a great team player and an excellent pilot. During production, she was unnamed, so she was referred to in-series as "Newbie" and "Seelie" (by Ryoko both times). She was originally named Sayuri Terasaki, but this name was retconned by her appearance as one of the lead characters in the Blank of Three Years video game.

Voiced by: Yuko Mizutani (Japanese), Hilary Haag (English)

The rich daughter of the Crimson family, Aqua appears briefly for one episode, as an analogue to Aquamarine: a character from Gekiganger III. Much like her namesake, she initially appears as a caring, beautiful, and respectful teen, only to later be shown as somewhat of a psycho, wanting to die along with Akito. She believes that by doing so, she will escape from her rich and boring lifestyle, and become a tragic heroine. Aqua also seems to be a remarkable cook, though it is implied that she always includes in her food a powerful paralyzing drug, making this point somewhat moot.

Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki (Japanese), Brett Weaver (English)

Tsukumo is a commander of the Superior Jovian Male Forces and a mecha pilot. He is similar in appearance and personality to Gai Daigoji, and ultimately dies in the same way. In the video game Super Robot Wars W for the Nintendo DS, he survives his assassination after Gai, with whom he had develeped a comrade-in-arms relationship with, took a bullet meant for him. During the six-month time period between the halves of the story, he marries Minato, ends up helping Kaname Chidori and her friends deal with the "Poniman" incident when things get far out of hand (in one version of the mission, he makes things worse, getting into a battle with Sousuke Sagara, another character voiced by Tomokazu), and participates in the events of the Prince of Darkness storyline.

Voiced by: Ikue Ohtani (Japanese), Hilary Haag (English)

Yukina is Tsukumo's younger sister, and is horrified to find out that her older brother has fallen in love with an earth woman (Minato). She promptly leaves for the Nadesico to assassinate the woman in question, but after meeting her, she realizes Minato is a very nice woman and understands why her brother fell in love with her. When her brother is murdered, Minato becomes her only family. Within the next few years, Minato becomes like a mother to Yukina. She often bullies Jun, but it seems because she has crush on him.

Voiced by: Toshiyuki Morikawa (Japanese), Jason Douglas (English)

Tsukumo Shiratori's best friend and comrade in battle and off the field, however later jealousy forms within him for abandoning their Gekigangar 3 ideal of woman hood Mrs Nanako; Tsukumo still leaves despite Gen-Ichiro's protests. Later on Gen-Ichiro, believing Tsukumo had defected to the Earth Alliance's side and under special orders from Vice Admiral Hiroki Kusakabi, has Tsukumo shot to stop him from defending the Earth and plans to conquer Earth and Mars. Although later on during the series Gen-Ichiro has some slight doubts about where he should be and in the movie Martian Successor Nadesico: Prince of Darkness, Gen-Ichiro now works for Nergal in an attempt to stop his former commander and the Martian Successors.

Martian Successor Nadesico anime was directed by Tatsuo Sato and produced by TV Tokyo, Xebec, and Yomiko Adverttising, Inc. The series aired on the Bandai Channel and TV Tokyo from November 1, 1996 to March 24, 1997. Martian Successor Nadesico was licensed for released by ADV Films. The company released the series originally on 12 VHS tapes. Later, the series was released on a total of 6 DVDs. On September 24, 2002, ADV Films released a boxset containg all of the DVDs entitled Martian Successor Nadesico - Complete Chronicles. and, on January 1, 2008, a collection of all the episodes entitled Martian Successor Nadesico - Perfect Collection.

Martian Successor Nadesico's opening song is You Get to Burning by Yumi Matsuzawa.[8] The main ending song is Being Myself (Watashi Rashiku, Being Myself?) by Houko Kuwashima, with episode 26 featuring Itsuka...Shinjite by Matsumura Kazumi as its ending.

A Gekigangar III compilation OVA was also released.

A sequel movie called The Prince of Darkness that takes place several years after the main series. It won the Animage Grand Prix in 1998.

Four games based on the series were released in Japan. As of 2007, none of them have been released in the US. The first game, released for the Sega Saturn in 1997, is entitled Mobile Battleship Nadesico. It is a dating sim game with a few mecha elements included. A second game, also for the Sega Saturn, was released in the following year under the title Martian Successor Nadesico: The Blank of Three Years. It is an interactive story of the events which occurred in between the television series and the movie. Released on the Dreamcast in 1999, Martian Successor Nadesico: The Mission, continues the story from Prince of Darkness. Finally, a mahjong variant game was released for the Game Boy Color entitled Mobile Battleship Nadesico: Ruriruri Mahjong. Nadesico also appears in games in the Super Robot Wars series, where the setting is combined with other mecha series' such as Gundam SEED, Mazinger, Full Metal Panic! and Tekkaman Blade.