Lego’s First ‘Star Trek’ Set Ought to Be a Signal of Nice Issues to Come

After what’s felt like years of ready, hoping, and speculating, earlier this 12 months, Lego finally confirmed it could be boldly going ahead with a Star Trek set that has turn into the centerpiece of the brick-maker’s annual Thanksgiving celebrations. Can it dwell as much as the hype?

Fortunately, the reply is a powerful sure. Lego’s first foray into Star Trek, the Enterprise-D from The Subsequent Technology, is an enchanting tribute to the legendary collection whereas additionally being a particularly compelling construct expertise for diehard Lego followers, filled with enjoyable methods to keep up Star Trek‘s famously smooth-lined starship design on the planet of Lego. io9 lately obtained a evaluation copy of the Enterprise from Lego, so we’re right here to take you inside and see what makes it so good—and why we hope it means it’s the first of many.

How lengthy does it take to construct Lego’s Star Trek Enterprise-D set?

Clocking in at 3,600 items, the Lego Enterprise-D is a reasonably sizeable mannequin, leading to a reproduction of the Galaxy-class starship and a sturdy show stand to pose it mid-flight on that measures round 23.5″ from fore to aft and 10.5″ tall (aided by the very fact the ship is held at an upwards angle on its stand). Whereas it’s a main endeavor, the construct is damaged into three distinct sections: the secondary hull and the Enterprise‘s nacelles, the stand itself, after which half of the 30 luggage within the set are devoted to the principle saucer.

Given the character of the Enterprise-D’s design, when you get going, there are lots of comparable methods repeated again and again, so in the event you’re a well-known builder, you’ll be able to go fairly rapidly and even duplicate some steps to hurry up the method. Total, although, in the event you’re taking issues leisurely, you will be finished in 9-10 hours… or round 12 episodes of Deep Area 9, in the event you’re like me and prefer to put one thing on whilst you’re constructing (sorry TNG followers, however I’d lately simply restarted a rewatch and determined to proceed that fairly than placed on a extra thematically applicable little bit of background noise!).

What number of minifigures are in Lego’s Star Trek Enterprise-D set?

Regardless that the main focus of the set is the ship reproduction fairly than a playset atmosphere, it could be a criminal offense if Lego’s first Trek set didn’t go all in on minifigures. Fortunately, the Enterprise-D comes with 9 minifigures to faithfully recreate the bridge crew you recognize and love: Picard, Riker, Troi, Worf, La Forge, Information, Dr. Crusher, and Wesley Crusher in his well-known jumper. Becoming a member of them to spherical out the set is a welcome however barely oddball selection in Guinan, hostess of the Enterprise lounge Ten Ahead, however she, like Wesley, breaks up the ocean of comparable Starfleet uniforms with some pretty distinctive components to recreate her modern wardrobe.

Every minifigure comes with an adjunct, some extra distinctive than others, even when they’re all applicable. Wesley will get a really distinctive accent within the type of a mini reproduction of the transportable tractor beam generator from “The Bare Now,” as does Riker along with his beloved trombone. Picard naturally comes with a teacup, Guinan has a inexperienced bottle of one thing from Ten Ahead (it’s by no means explicitly famous what it’s, but it surely looks like a nod to the Aldebaran whiskey Information affords Scotty in “Relics”), Information will get Spot the cat, and Geordi comes with an engineering package. Maybe the least fascinating ones are sarcastically essentially the most sometimes Star Trek: Worf will get a handheld phaser, which is cleverly constructed with a wedge piece and a deal with, a minimum of, whereas Deanna and Beverly get a PADD and medical tricorder… each of that are simply printed 1×2 tiles. That are fantastic and possibly the perfect Lego might do at minifigure scale, however simply type of boring.

What is good is that, in a uncommon transfer, the Enterprise-D comes with somewhat separate stand to place the minifigures on in a row, full with a cute little Subsequent Technology title card (albeit as a sticker, fairly than a printed piece). It’s a pleasant acquiescence to the truth that the construct is extra concerning the show mannequin than the minifigures themselves, but it surely was nonetheless good that Lego constructed one thing extra structured to show them on, as a substitute of simply leaving them as-is.

Is Lego’s Star Trek Enterprise-D set tough to construct?

Constructing a Lego mannequin out of a ship just like the Enterprise-D is a dangerous endeavor, given its peculiar shaping and weight distribution, on prime of the truth that, nicely, it’s largely gray. However Lego places lots of fascinating methods in all through the construct to not solely successfully seize the curvature and shaping of the Galaxy-class but in addition to maintain your fingers busy and never have issues blur into a protracted collection of comparable patterns getting used to construct similar-looking, similar-colored items.

There are undoubtedly just a few locations the place extra seasoned Lego builders can begin duplicating builds to hurry up the method: the construct of the secondary hull of the Enterprise is break up into two halves, for instance, earlier than you construct the 2 nacelles which are an identical in construction. When you’ve constructed the skeleton of the principle saucer, you’re then basically repeating little plate sections of the hull to sandwich over it. Whereas the repeating generally is a bit, nicely, repetitive, there are sufficient fascinating methods used for skilled builders and sufficient easy patterning for Trek followers who may be embarking on their first-ever Lego construct of this scale.

On prime of that, though the Enterprise-D is a show set fairly than a playset, the design group nonetheless snuck in just a few enjoyable little options and Easter eggs. The aforementioned essential saucer part, for instance, is secured into place by somewhat floating shuttlecraft coming in to dock at its aft shuttle bay—which will be eliminated so you’ll be able to separate the saucer from the secondary hull to copy the Galaxy-class’ distinctive characteristic. And though you don’t get to construct its iconic bridge, the middle of the saucer does maintain somewhat reproduction of the Enterprise‘s dedication plaque! Whilst somebody who’s on the file on the D being removed from my favourite Enterprise design, I couldn’t assist however be charmed at simply how nicely Lego managed to carry it faithfully to life.

How a lot is Lego’s Star Trek Enterprise-D set? Is it well worth the value?

Alas, that is going to be the sticking level for lots of Star Trek followers. At $400, the Enterprise-D is probably not fairly so eye-watering as a few of Lego’s different current set costs, but it surely’s nonetheless a giant ask, and particularly tough contemplating it’s the primary time (and probably final) the corporate has tackled Star Trek. You’re undoubtedly getting one thing that feels well worth the value by way of dimension and scope, but it surely’s not exhausting to surprise if Lego ought to’ve began out at a smaller scale or with completely different concepts past ship replicas to check the waters and see if Star Trek might turn into simply as enduring a Lego collection as Star Wars has, if the choice was a really expensive one-off.

We don’t know what the longer term for Lego Star Trek holds past the Enterprise-D—this might be the beginning of a yearly launch schedule akin to Lego’s method to Lord of the Rings, a line that completely stays within the higher echelons of adult-focused, high-end (and high-cost) units. It’s simple that as a construct expertise and as a reproduction of one of many collection’ most well-known starships, the Enterprise-D is a Star Trek and Lego fan’s dream: it seems nice, it’s a enjoyable, large construct, and it’s acquired an incredible assortment of minifigures that feels full in the best way that, if that is it, a minimum of you bought every thing you’d need.

However it’s equally simple that lots of Star Trek followers and lots of Lego followers are going to be postpone by Lego’s resolution to go large because it did right here to justify asking such a excessive value, in an age the place the corporate’s merchandise really feel like they’re solely getting pricier and pricier. There’s much more worth within the Enterprise-D in comparison with a few of 2025’s different big-ticket units, certain, however $400 continues to be $400.

If there was some type of indication from Lego that this wouldn’t be it and that there can be extra, smaller-scoped units, it may be a neater capsule to swallow, realizing Trek followers can wait and see what else the corporate does in the event that they don’t wish to throw down this a lot money in a single go. Whilst nice a set as it’s, it’s a troublesome promote to anybody however a number of the most diehard Star Trek followers with out some Ferengi-level justification to your pockets.

Need extra io9 information? Take a look at when to anticipate the newest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on film and TV, and every thing it is advisable to find out about the way forward for Doctor Who.