Before Star Trek, Tim Russ Starred In The Greatest Sci-Fi Parody Ever

Tim Russ' first screen credit came in 1985 when he appeared in an episode of the rebooted "The Twilight Zone." The following year, he starred in his first major motion picture, the actioner "Crossroads," opposite Ralph Macchio, followed by a small role in "Death Wish 4: The Crackdown," a truly absurd actioner with a spectacular death-by-bazooka scene. Russ then worked with Clint Eastwood on the film "Bird" and expanded his TV credits with roles on shows like "Amazing Stories," "Cop Rock," "Alien Nation," and "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air." 

His most high-profile acting gig finally came in 1995 with the debut of "Star Trek: Voyager," in which he portrays the Vulcan security officer Tuvok. Tuvok, as /Film has noted before, is the best Vulcan in the franchise's history. He, unlike Spock, has never been given to human-like bursts of emotion and doesn't have all that pesky internal conflict. Instead, he's a fully-formed aspirational figure who brings a marvelous balance to "Voyager," especially in the face of the authoritarian Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew).

Russ has been associated with "Star Trek" ever since. He continues to appear at conventions and reprised his "Voyager" role in a 2023 episode of "Star Trek: Picard," having become deeply beloved by fans. He also continues to act in non-"Star Trek" projects, including an episode of "NCIS" and the animated feature "Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham" (where he voices Lucius Fox). Of course, some attentive comedy fans will recognize Russ from his cameo appearance in a famous sci-fi parody (one in which Russ delivers an almost equally memorable single line of dialogue).

Mel Brooks' 1987 spoof "Spaceballs," a sendup of the "Star Wars" franchise and other sci-fi properties, is replete with silly visual gags and hilarious slapstick that appeals to one's lizard brain. It has entrenched itself so deeply in the pop consciousness that, several decades after its release, an official "Spaceballs" sequel is now moving forward (though it is unknown as of this writing if Russ will be involved).

In "Spaceballs," the hero Lone Starr (Bill Pullman), his dog-like friend Barf (John Candy), the Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga), and her droid Dot (voiced by Joan Rivers) have escaped the titular Empire of screwups and gone into hiding in the deserts of Planet Vega. As such, President Skroob (Brooks) orders his underlings to comb the planet's deserts to find them. The clownish Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) and his co-conspirator Colonel Sandurz (George Wyner) take Skroob literally and order their officers to drag literal giant combs through the sand. No, they don't find anything. At one point, in a strange visual gag, the camera even pans over to two Spaceball officers holding a gigantic afro pick. Have they found anything? 

The Spaceball played by Russ, who sports a silly-looking spherical helmet, then looks up in response to Helmet's inquiry and angrily declares, "We ain't found s***!" A voice of Black outrage in a bizarre sci-fi context, it's one of the funnier lines in a film full of them. Russ wasn't exactly playing a rich, interesting role here, but he did prove he has great comedic delivery. 

Russ was also one of many notable comedians and rising actors who had a bit part in "Spaceballs," as he was joined by Sal Viscuso from "Soap," prolific character actor Stephen Tobolowsky, Robert Prescott from "Real Genius," Rick Ducommun from "The 'Burbs," and Rob Paulsen, who's best known for his prolific voice acting (he voiced Yakko and Pinky on "Animaniacs"). "Spaceballs" was a petri dish for talent. It's a good thing we were treated to so many growing bacterial cultures. 

(That wasn't the best metaphor.)