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 might be boldly going ahead with a Star Trek set that has develop into the centerpiece of the brick-maker’s annual Thanksgiving celebrations. Can it stay 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 interesting tribute to the legendary sequence whereas additionally being a particularly compelling construct expertise for diehard Lego followers, filled with enjoyable strategies to take care of Star Trek‘s famously smooth-lined starship design on the planet of Lego. io9 just lately obtained a assessment 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 actual 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 baggage within the set are devoted to the primary saucer.

Given the character of the Enterprise-D’s design, when you get going, there are plenty of comparable strategies repeated over and over, so for those who’re a well-recognized builder, you may go fairly shortly and even duplicate some steps to hurry up the method. General, although, for those who’re taking issues leisurely, you will be accomplished in 9-10 hours… or round 12 episodes of Deep Area 9, for those who’re like me and wish to put one thing on whilst you’re constructing (sorry TNG followers, however I’d just 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?

Although the main focus of the set is the ship duplicate fairly than a playset atmosphere, it might be against the law 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 and love: Picard, Riker, Troi, Worf, La Forge, Knowledge, 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 beautiful distinctive components to recreate her trendy 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 duplicate of the transportable tractor beam generator from “The Bare Now,” as does Riker together 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, however it looks like a nod to the Aldebaran whiskey Knowledge provides Scotty in “Relics”), Knowledge will get Spot the cat, and Geordi comes with an engineering package. Maybe the least fascinating ones are paradoxically probably the most usually Star Trek: Worf will get a handheld phaser, which is cleverly constructed with a wedge piece and a deal with, at the very least, whereas Deanna and Beverly get a PADD and medical tricorder… each of that are simply printed 1×2 tiles. That are tremendous and doubtless the very best Lego may do at minifigure scale, however simply form of boring.

What is sweet is that, in a uncommon transfer, the Enterprise-D comes with just a little 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, however it was nonetheless good that Lego constructed one thing extra structured to show them on, as an alternative of simply leaving them as-is.

Is Lego’s Star Trek Enterprise-D set troublesome 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, effectively, it’s largely gray. However Lego places plenty of fascinating strategies in all through the construct to not solely successfully seize the curvature and shaping of the Galaxy-class but additionally to maintain your fingers busy and never have issues blur into a protracted sequence 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 cut up into two halves, for instance, earlier than you construct the 2 nacelles which can be an identical in construction. When you’ve constructed the skeleton of the primary saucer, you’re then basically repeating little plate sections of the hull to sandwich over it. Whereas the repeating is usually a bit, effectively, repetitive, there are sufficient fascinating strategies used for knowledgeable builders and sufficient easy patterning for Trek followers who is likely to be embarking on their first-ever Lego construct of this scale.

On prime of that, despite the fact that the Enterprise-D is a show set fairly than a playset, the design staff nonetheless snuck in just a few enjoyable little options and Easter eggs. The aforementioned most important saucer part, for instance, is secured into place by just a little floating shuttlecraft coming in to dock at its aft shuttle bay—which will be eliminated so you may separate the saucer from the secondary hull to duplicate the Galaxy-class’ distinctive function. And despite the fact that you don’t get to construct its iconic bridge, the middle of the saucer does maintain just a little duplicate of the Enterprise‘s dedication plaque! At the same time as somebody who’s on the report on the D being removed from my favourite Enterprise design, I couldn’t assist however be charmed at simply how effectively Lego managed to convey 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 might not be fairly so eye-watering as a few of Lego’s different latest set costs, however it’s nonetheless an enormous ask, and particularly troublesome contemplating it’s the primary time (and doubtlessly final) the corporate has tackled Star Trek. You’re undoubtedly getting one thing that feels well worth the value when it comes to dimension and scope, however it’s not arduous to surprise if Lego ought to’ve began out at a smaller scale or with totally different concepts past ship replicas to check the waters and see if Star Trek may develop into simply as enduring a Lego sequence as Star Wars has, if the choice was a really dear one-off.

We don’t know what the longer term for Lego Star Trek holds past the Enterprise-D—this may very well be the beginning of a yearly launch schedule akin to Lego’s strategy 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 sequence’ most well-known starships, the Enterprise-D is a Star Trek and Lego fan’s dream: it appears nice, it’s a enjoyable, large construct, and it’s obtained an excellent assortment of minifigures that feels full in the way in which that, if that is it, at the very least you bought all the things you’d need.

Nevertheless it’s equally simple that plenty of Star Trek followers and plenty of Lego followers are going to be postpone by Lego’s determination 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 remains to be $400.

If there was some form of indication from Lego that this wouldn’t be it and that there can be extra, smaller-scoped units, it is likely to be a neater capsule to swallow, figuring out Trek followers can wait and see what else the corporate does in the event that they don’t need to throw down this a lot money in a single go. At the same time as nice a set as it’s, it’s a troublesome promote to anybody however a few 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 most recent Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on film and TV, and all the things it’s essential to find out about the way forward for Doctor Who.