[For a Talking Like a Pirate audio version of this essay, listen here] 𝓡𝓔𝓒𝓐𝓛𝓛 𝓨𝓔 𝓐 𝓣𝓘𝓜𝓔 when the internet were an open sea, ripe for the taking? When the abyssal floor of the vasty deep lay yet unblemished by … Continue reading The 9/19 Day Thread Remembers Talking Like a Pirate
In 2013, the very same year that the sun set on Lego Space themes with the release of Galaxy Squad, Lego was made to realize just how much love people have for the history of the entire Lego Space concept. … Continue reading Classic Space Nostalgia Revival Day Thread (July 15th)
After Galaxy Squad, Lego abandoned its original Space efforts. Evocative box art and comics in a free magazine just didn’t move the needle with children anymore, not when Star Wars and Marvel sets were sitting right there on the same … Continue reading Lego Space Leftovers Day Thread (July 14th)
In 2013, after a one year gap, Lego released its final original Space theme (thus far). The action once again returned to the outer wilds of the cosmos, where a race of “bugoids” is assimilating world after world, and only … Continue reading Galaxy Squad Day Thread (July 13th)
2011 brought Lego Space to a bold new location it had never visited before: Earth. This was Alien Conquest, where the little green men decided to turn the tables on those imperialist Mars Mission miners and see how we liked … Continue reading Alien Conquest Day Thread (July 11th)
In 2009, Lego revisited an old Space subtheme concept with a whole new approach. The previous two Space Police themes in the early 90s were only out to arrest the members of the human Blacktron faction, making them seem more … Continue reading Space Police 3 Day Thread (July 10th)
For several years after the end of Life on Mars in 2001, Lego did not attempt an original space theme. Waves upon waves of Star Wars sets filled that niche and then some, with a few officially licensed NASA sets … Continue reading Mars Mission Day Thread (July 8th)
The Lego company licensed Star Wars in 1999. It was the first time they had brought in outside IP to be rendered in Lego bricks, and it was a smashing success: it’s widely credited with saving the company from bankruptcy … Continue reading Life On Mars Day Thread (July 5th)
1998 saw the debut of a high-concept Lego Space theme that holds a special place in my heart: Insectoids. These creepy-crawly guys mark a major turning point in the history of Lego Space – the were the first Space subtheme … Continue reading Insectoids Night Thread (July 3rd)
In 1997, Lego finally released a space theme that was a pure, clean break from the Classic Space -> Exploriens continuum that had been their vernacular for almost 20 years. Its name was appropriate for its novelty: these were the … Continue reading UFO Day Thread (July 3rd)
In 1997, Lego was entering a bit of a rough patch. The number of types and colors of pieces they manufactured had exploded in the 90s, and their inventory management systems were not up to the task of making all … Continue reading Roboforce Day Thread (July 2nd)
In 1996, Lego decided to ditch the Unitrons and introduce a second civilian Space faction in a row in the form of Exploriens. Returning to a Futuron-esque aesthetic of white and black liveries with transparent blue windscreens (and some transparent … Continue reading Exploriens Day Thread (June 29th)
In 1994, a new Lego Space civilian faction hit the scene in the form of Unitron. With black, white and blue liveries absolutely slathered in transparent blue and transparent neon green, they seemed like a visual melange of several themes … Continue reading Unitron Day Thread (June 28th)
In 1994, Lego introduced the first non-Blacktron villain faction to Lego Space in the form of Spyrius. Their sinister color scheme was black and red with transparent blue windscreens and transparent neon green highlights, and their guys tended to have … Continue reading Spyrius Day Thread (June 26th)
In 1993, Lego Space changed forever. All of a sudden, there were characters – characters with names and facial features. There was a specific setting (an ice planet called Ice Planet). There was a year (the inexplicably close 2002). And … Continue reading Ice Planet 2002 Night Thread (June 25th)
The third of the early-90s Lego Space factions arrived in 1992 to smooth out relations between the M-Trons and the Blacktrons – with extreme prejudice if necessary. That’s right, the Space Police are back! Of all the original cycle of … Continue reading Space Police 2 Day Thread (June 25th)
The peaceful M-Tron faction wouldn’t be left to their own devices for long. In 1991 Blacktron came back with a brand new look and, in the US at least, the sobriquet “Blacktron Future Generation”. The namesake black fuselages were still … Continue reading Blacktron 2 Night Thread (June 19th)
In 1990, a new Lego Space faction appeared on shelves, with a new windscreen color (transparent neon green), a new fuselage color (red), and a new gimmick (magnets!) M-Tron marks the start of Lego really starting to take an interest … Continue reading M-Tron Day Thread (June 19th)
The third and final late-80s Lego Space faction on the scene were the Space Police, whose first incarnation ran entirely in the year 1989. In design terms, the Space Police were surprisingly villain-coded: a limited palette of black and blue … Continue reading Space Police I Day Thread (June 14th)
Butterfly Pea Flower (in syrup, extract, spirit infusion, ice cube, or tea form) is a trendily instagrammable cocktail ingredient that has risen to prominence in the last few years. It doesn’t really taste like much, but it has a beautiful … Continue reading Butterfly Pea Flower Night Thread (June 13th)
While the Classic Spacemen got snazzy new duds and became Futuron in 1987, there was also trouble brewing in the previously serene and conflict-free Lego Space galaxy. Trouble by the name of Blacktron. Blacktron, with its sleek black and yellow … Continue reading Blacktron Day Thread (June 13th)
