Voyager's Tim Russ spitballs potential return to Spaceballs!

The Schwartz could be with Tim Russ again. It would be, to quote an old Vulcan friend, the logical thing to happen.

According to the Internet Movie Database, Russ has amassed more than 250 credits as an actor, producer, writer, and/or director. But it’s fair to say that he is best known for two roles. He’s most well-known for his seven-year stint at Tuvok on Star Trek: Voyager. He also played various roles before and after his time on Voyager, with appearances on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek Generations, and, most recently, Star Trek: Picard.

His other iconic role? He popped up briefly in director Mel Brooks’ sci-fi spoof, Spaceballs, as an unidentified trooper who uses a massive pick to literally comb a planet. And Russ got to deliver one of the movie’s most-quotable lines: “We ain’t found sh-t!” Russ, at conventions, has signed countless photos of himself as the trooper, often adding that tag line.

On June 12, Amazon and Mel Brooks teamed up to announce that a new Spaceballs is on the way. Amazon unveiled an amusing teaser trailer that name-checks numerous other sci-fi franchises, including Star Trek, and features Brooks on camera sharing his excitement about the project. That same day, Deadline reported that original Spaceballs stars Bill Pullman and Rick Moranis were on board, with Moranis coming out of retirement to again portray Dark Helmet. The site also noted Keke Palmer would be co-starring in film, adding, via Variety, that Pullman’s son, Lewis Pullman, would join the cast. Josh Gad is also set to co-star, co-wrote, and co-produce the new Spaceballs, which may be a reboot, a sequel, a prequel or some combination thereof.

But back to Tim Russ. On June 13, Russ took to X (previously Twitter) to write, “I may be ….. combing the desert again..!!!” And he added a link to Amazon’s trailer featuring Brooks. What remains a mystery is this: Is Russ low-key stating that he'd be happy to return as the desert-combing trooper, or is he teasing that it’s already in the works?

We’re rooting for the latter, of course. Meanwhile, the only thing we know for sure is that Spaceballs will be released in 2027.