Trekkies will always fondly think of Tim Russ thanks to his memorable portrayal of their beloved Tuvok in Star Trek: Voyager. However, for those who may not be familiar with the actor’s impressive and lengthy resume, Russ also appeared outside of the Trek universe in many projects spanning his prolific, 40-year acting career. And he popped up briefly in another popular science fiction realm, too.
Four decades ago, Russ starred in Mel Brooks’ immensely popular sci-fi comedy, Spaceballs, which is an out-and-out spoof of yet another beloved saga set among the stars, George Lucas’ Star Wars. Russ portrayed a minor role as one of the troopers in Spaceballs, but he’s certainly open to returning for writer and producer Josh Gad’s Spaceball 2, which is expected to hit theaters in September 2027. Russ said while appearing At Creation’s Trek to New Jersey event (via TrekMovie.com):
“They may bring me back, because they’re talking about wanting to cast as many people from the original movie in the follow-up sequel. So, we will see about that. They’ll reach out to my agent at some point in time and say, ‘Is he available for such and such dates? And they’d like to bring him on. Here’s the offer.' That’s how it’ll happen. So, this possibility there we’ll and we’ll do it again, and we’ll have another 25 years of that.”
Russ joining the Spaceballs 2 project would be wonderful, but the real buzz picked up earlier this year when the trades announced that Rick Moranis had come out of retirement to reprise his role as Dark Helmet. Moranis joins the original film’s other beloved actors Bill Pullman, Mel Brooks, Daphne Zuniga, and George Wyner. The sequel will be directed by Josh Greenbaum, but, sadly, the heart of the seminal movie will be missing as the immensely talented John Candy passed away back in 1994.
Should Russ not receive the Spaceballs 2 phone call, though, the actor is still incredibly busy. According to IMDb, he is filming several projects. And, as Trekkies are fully aware of, Russ has also returned to Roddenberry’s Star Trek universe portraying Ensign Tuvok in the Star Trek: Khan podcast.
The audio program features Tuvok as a member of the USS Excelsior under the command of none other than George Takei’s Captain Sulu. At the behest of Dr. Rosalind Lear, the starship has returned to the planet Ceti Alpha V to retrieve the historical logs of Marla McGivers, a former Starfleet offer who was marooned on the infamous planet by Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode, “Space Seed.”
For those Trekkies who haven’t listened to the audio drama yet, the story revolves around Lear listening to the lost log entries of Khan Noonien Singh and his “beloved wife,” Marla. Lear’s purpose is to understand the Star Trek villain better and to discover if the late Captain James T. Kirk deliberately left the leader of the Augments and his people to die on a world he knew would be destroyed by Ceti Alpha VI’s imminent explosion. The podcast is a chilling and wonderfully written story, which sheds light on Khan as a tragic hero, and whose heartbreaking story will eventually end in nothing but wrath.
Would you like to see Tim Russ return in Spaceballs 2 and revisit the magical world of The Schwartz? Have you listened to the must-experience Star Trek: Khan podcast, which features Russ’ Ensign Tuvok? Share your thoughts and comments with us on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages. And new episodes of Khan drop every Monday through Nov. 3.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!