Rick Moranis Reprised His Most Beloved Role In A Hilarious The Goldbergs Episode

Canadian character actor Rick Moranis is one of the most beloved comedic performers of the 1980s. Following his breakthrough on "Second City Television" (SCTV) on NBC, Moranis would appear in several cinematic comedies such as "Ghostbusters," "Little Shop of Horrors," "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids," and "Parenthood," among others. His most prominent roles since the 1990s have been voice acting opportunities, including the 2003 Disney animated film, "Brother Bear."

Despite being out of the mainstream limelight for roughly three decades, one of his more surprising credits comes in the form of the ABC sitcom, "The Goldbergs," in which he reprised arguably his most beloved role in his career: Dark Helmet from "Spaceballs."

In "The Goldbergs" Season 5 episode, fittingly titled "Spaceballs," Adam Goldberg (played by Sean Giambrone) attempts to start a Mel Brooks club at his school after watching the comedian's 1987 sci-fi comedy, which was a parody of George Lucas' "Star Wars" franchise. Toward the end of the episode, Adam wields a Schwartz-ring (Lightsaber ripoff) against the original film's antagonist, Dark Helmet.

Although another actor donned the helmet and black cloak in "The Goldbergs," Moranis lent his voice to Dark Helmet for the first time in more than 30 years. He will reprise the role in the long-awaited sequel, "Spaceballs 2," which is set for a 2027 release, 40 years after the original film hit theaters.

Since the "Spaceballs" episode of "The Goldbergs" aired, Rick Moranis' only television credit is an episode of the Disney+ documentary series, "Prop Culture," in which he reflected on the production of "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids." A legacy sequel, titled "Shrunk," which was being developed by Josh Gad, was initially set to be Moranis' first live-action role in roughly 30 years. However, Gad revealed that the project stalled at Disney due to budget reasons.