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In 1989, [[LEGO]] pulled a [[Genre Shift]] on the Space theme from the semi-plausible [[Twenty Minutes Into the Future]] motif into full-on [[Mohs Scale of Science Fiction Hardness|soft sci-fi adventure]]. With this shift came the introduction of several [[Color-Coded Armies|factions]], one per release (with the exception of the original two), all tied together into a loose narrative through increasing amounts of fluff text and art found in [[Merchandise-Driven|pack-in catalogs]], [[All There in the Manual|instruction manuals]], and [[Expanded Universe|tie-in comics]].
''[[LEGO Space]]'' ran in this format from 1987 (the basic design of [[Classic LEGO Space]] carried over into the Futuron faction) to 1999 (the final release in the Insectoids line). [[Lego Life
See also: [[LEGO Space Police]], which partially ran concurrently, is counted as such and has sections here, but has its own page; and [[LEGO Alien Conquest]], the most recent science-fiction-related LEGO theme.
{{tropelist}}
* [[Absent Aliens]]: Up until the release of UFO in 1997, at least.
** In the early ‘90s prototype sets were created for an underwater alien faction called Seatron. It never saw the light of day, [[Word of God]] stating it was too early to introduce aliens. This was probably the inspiration for the [[LEGO Aquazone|Aquazone]] theme, which includes recolors of several of the new pieces created for Seatron. [http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110102030042/lego/images/f/f4/Seatron.png The prototypes can be seen here.]
* [[The Aesthetics of Technology]]: Even the first sets following [[Classic LEGO Space]] are incredibly streamlined compared to the [[ISO Standard Human Spaceship|oblong, boxy designs]] that came before, and between this and the [[Genre Shift]] they’re considered to be far more advanced.
* [[Casual Interstellar Travel]]: Several factions are explicitly mentioned to be civilian in nature and their levels of technology seem roughly equivalent to those of the more militant factions.
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* [[In Space Everyone Can See Your Face]]: With the odd villainous or alien exception, all space helmets feature a transparent (as well as [[Color Coded for Your Convenience|theme-colored]]) visor which clearly displays the minifigure’s face.
* [[NameTron]]: Boy, LEGO loved this trope in the eighties/early nineties...
* [[Planet of Hats]]: More like Culture of Hats, since [[Exactly What It Says
* [[
* [[Sci Fi Name Buzzwords]]: And how! Set names like Celestial Sled and Pulsar Charger are the norm here.
* [[Space Base]]: Played straight by all criminal factions, but with few exceptions all factions have stationary planetary bases; The rest just aren’t terribly villainous.
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* [[Space Suits Are Scuba Gear]]: Helmets, hosed oxygen tanks and cool uniforms are the only things between a minifigure and the cold, unforgiving void.
* [[Standard Sci-Fi Fleet]]: No set builds a craft bigger than a scale corvette or frigate (probably due to the economy of making sets large enough to accommodate larger craft), but everything from there down is represented fairly thoroughly.
* [[What Could Have Been]]: Many concepts for [[LEGO Aquazone]] were originally created for use in a Space theme, Seatron, taking place on an aquatic planet. However, when Aquazone was actually released, it was as a separate sci-fi theme with no stated location.
=== Individual factions provide examples of the following: ===▼
=== Blacktron I (1987-1990) ===
Both the first criminal faction and the first truly defined faction. Blacktrons carry an air of mystery and intimidation with them, which comes just as much from their [[
▲Both the first criminal faction and the first truly defined faction. Blacktrons carry an air of mystery and intimidation with them, which comes just as much from their [[Added Alliterative Appeal|menacing monochromatic motif]] as from the lack of additional materials to flesh their characters out. They antagonize the Futurons for unclear reasons.
* [[Aerith and Bob]]: Let’s take a look at their sets: Renegade, Invader, Battrax, Alienator, Meteor Mo… ''Battrax?''
* [[Black and White Morality]] / [[Red Oni, Blue Oni]]: Played very straight against Futuron, both in sensibilities and actual colors.
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=== Futuron (1987-1990) ===
Their identities half their own and half [[Spiritual Successor|grandfathered in]] from the [[Classic LEGO Space]] line, Futuron is a society of civilian scientists and explorers featuring mechanical designs that somehow skirt the lines of both [[Zeerust|retro]] and ultra-modern. They often find themselves defending against encroachments by Blacktron I and are known to collaborate with M-Tron forces.
* [[Black and White Morality]] / [[Red Oni, Blue Oni]]: Same as Blacktron I entry.
* [[Cool Train]]: The monorail in the [[Space Base|Monorail Transport System]] set.
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=== Space Police I (1989-1991) ===
Created as a response to the Blacktron threat, the Space Police line [[Long Runner|stretches past this era and endures almost twenty years in its various iterations]]. Space Police I set the standard for their mechanical designs and the practice of carrying interchangeable cells aboard all but their smallest vessels. Space Police I emerged in the transition from Blacktron I to Blacktron II and dealt with both in their respective periods of activity.
See also: the [[LEGO Space Police]] page.
* [[Instant Militia]]: Not confirmed in canon, but their sudden emergence (not to mention some uniform similarities) makes it seem as though they immediately sprung from the Futuron ranks fully trained and equipped to fight space crime.
* [[Palette Swap]]: Their uniforms share the Futuron design but change to more distinct colors evocative of modern police uniforms and squad cars.
* [[Prison Ship]]: With the exception of small, personal transports, Space Police craft carry at least one removable cell for prisoner storage and transport.
* [[Sealed Evil in
* [[Space Police]]: Well, [[Captain Obvious|duh]].
=== M-Tron (1990-1991) ===
The M-Tron (presumably short for Magnet-Tron) faction introduced magnets to LEGO Space, utilized in sets as a means to grasp various cargo containers easily. M-Trons are a civilian group of nomadic miners and techs who maintain at least one [[Base
* [[Asteroid Miners]]: M-Tron’s hat (besides magnets, that is). While not specifically mentioned as asteroids, the cratered surfaces and open starfield skylines present in all depictions certainly suggest this.
* [[Base
* [[Beware the Nice Ones]]: M-Trons are content to mine and explore undisturbed but aren’t afraid to stand their ground when threatened.
** A wing of Blacktron II ships is attacking an M-Tron mining party! Does M-Tron retreat? Hell no! [http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/MTronHeroKodiak/catalog/91catalogmtron.jpg They taunt the enemy with a lone scout while radioing for backup and setting up a forward trench.]
* [[Future Copter]]: The [
** Considering that the overseas name for the set is Cosmicopter, though, the former seems more likely.
* [[Gimmick]]: Magnets; This was done on LEGO’s part as an effort to emphasize sets more as interactive toys than static models.
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=== Blacktron II (1991-1992) ===
[[Epileptic Trees|Possibly the same group with a new tech base and new uniforms, possibly a copycat group, possibly descendants of the original Blacktron]]. The only thing truly known about the nature or motivation of Blacktron II is that they share the antagonistic nature of their namesake. They oppose M-Tron and the scientists in Ice Planet 2002 for reasons known only to them.
* [[Aerith and Bob]]: Giving wheeled land vehicles crazy names seems to be a Blacktron tradition; Just ask the Grid Trekkor [sic] and Tri-Wheeled Tyrax. Ships and mechs are still named with actual words.
** This doesn’t extend to the Spectral Starguider for some reason.
* [[Early-Bird Cameo]]: The [https://web.archive.org/web/20131125004850/http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=1875-1 Meteor Monitor], a Blacktron I set released in 1990 (as a two-year outlier to the faction’s other releases), has a design that incorporates small amounts of white; This could be seen as a sort of missing link between the iterations of Blacktron.
* [[Oddly-Named Sequel 2: Electric Boogaloo]]: Listed on the box as Blacktron: Future Generation. Only oddly named in that no other faction has a name in this format.
* [[Generation Xerox]]: Averted. While the vehicle variety matches its predecessor’s fairly closely, Blacktron II is its own animal in most other senses.
* [[Military Mashup Machine]]: In the same vein as M-Tron’s; instructions for the less-than-creatively named [https://web.archive.org/web/20130731212831/http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=4741-1 Blacktron Super Vehicle] detail the combination of three sets (Allied Avenger, Sub-Orbital Guardian and Tri-Wheeled Tyrax) into a larger vehicle.
* [[Space Pirates]]: Same as Blacktron I.
* [[Suspiciously Similar Substitute]]: A few Blacktron II designs bear a striking resemblance to Futuron ships, suggesting either technology theft or laziness on the part of the set designers. Compare:
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20130722050811/http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=6981-1 Aerial Intruder] / [
** [
=== Space Police II (1992-1993) ===
Markedly more regimented than in their previous appearance, Space Police II features a police force that finally has its own, distinct uniform and new-yet-familiar updates of older vessel designs in a new color scheme. They’ve only been seen in opposition to their fellow second-generation faction Blacktron II, but it’s possible they also sought out Spyrius agents late in their cycle.
Again, see also: the [[LEGO Space Police]] trope page.
* [[Blew The Budget On The Pilot|Blew the Budget on Ships]]: While all craft types from the previous generation have an upgraded model there’s no upgraded [[Space Base|isolation base]], leading one to believe their precincts are still operating on a dated technology base. I guess space tax dollars can only stretch so far.
** Alternately, the Space Police infrastructure underwent a major overhaul in the intervening years and they no longer operate centrally through a base, but in separate-but-associated [[Incredibly Lame Pun|cells]].
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* [[Oddly Small Organization]]: At least if you’re of the mind that every set is a one-of-a-kind ship in the setting, as Space Police II has one of the lowest number of sets in the Space theme. If not it’s more a case of Oddly Non-Diverse Organization, and with the general theme of increased regimentation this seems the more likely possibility.
* [[Prison Ship]]: In small scale, the same as Space Police I.
* [[Red Armband of Leadership|Red Shoulders of Leadership]]: Galactic Chief wears a striking red pair of naval-style epaulets over his spacesuit.
* [[Sealed Evil in
* [[Space Police]]: Again, [[Exactly What It Says
=== Ice Planet 2002 (1993-1994) ===
The next good/civilian role in the cycle; Ice Planet 2002’s sets focus on a group of scientists stationed on the remote [[Single Biome Planet|ice planet]] Krysto who research new rocket and satellite technologies while carving out a livable colony from the harsh environment. They fend off incursions by Blacktron II and Spyrius (who show special interest in their satellite tech for espionage) and [http://images.wikia.com/lego/images/4/4d/Ice-SpacePoliceII-1995.jpg maintain at least a working relationship with Space Police II].
* [[Alliterative Name]] / [[Awesome McCoolname]] / [[Badass Grandpa]]: Commander Cold, the aging [[Leader]] of the faction, who has no problem doing his share of the grunt work or leading his men in the defense of their colony.
* [[Chainsaw Good]]: The tool of choice on Krysto for pushing back the ice is the now-infamous orange transparent chainsaw.
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=== Spyrius (1994-1996) ===
Thieves and spies, plain and simple. Spyrius grabs information and technology from other factions to further their own (somewhat ill-defined) ends. They show a particular affinity for rocket/missile tech, likely to facilitate a [[Spy Satellite|covert intelligence network]], and as such show great interest in the research happening on Krysto. Unitron opposes Spyrius openly, [http://media.peeron.com/catalogs/id/46/5/ having suffered at least one direct attack by them].
* [[Flying Saucer]]: Spyrius favors generally saucer-shaped designs for their spacecraft, notably [[Exactly What It Says
** Possible [[Fridge Brilliance]] given a few years’ consideration; They may have reverse-engineered their ships from stolen UFO technology.
* [[Good Colors, Evil Colors]]: Their sets are dominated by blacks and reds opposite the prevalence of white and blue in Ice Planet 2002. Faction alignments are played straight here.
* [[Humongous Mecha]]: The Robo-Guardian, in place of the usual flagship set.
* [[Perma
* [[Punny Name]]: "Spyrius" appears to be a portmanteau of "spy" and "Sirius."
* [[Robot Buddy]]: The red Spyrius droids. They’re never mentioned by a proper name, so unlike the Explorien counterpart it can be assumed that there are several.
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=== Unitron (1994-1995) ===
An interstellar paramilitary group and the designated successors to Space Police II as the good faction. A disorganized release schedule, short set list and shortage of fluff left this faction woefully underdeveloped despite recalling elements of old fan favorite sets and creating one of their own. Unitron is primarily seen combating Spyrius on their home turf.
* [[Cool Shades]]: [[Leader|Unitron Chief’s]] got some nifty space-mirrorshades.
* [[Cool Train]]: The Monorail Transport Base features a space monorail, evocative of Futuron’s Monorail Transport System.
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=== Exploriens (1996) ===
Civilian scientists (with a specific bend towards xenoarchaeology this time) and [[Spiritual Successor
* [[Exactly What It Says
* [[Family-Friendly Firearms]]: Shop at Home catalogs of the time persistently tried to pass off the larger sets' prominent cannons as "telescopic lasers" similar in purpose to ordinary telescopes.
* [[Gimmick]]: The red and blue color filter scanners.
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=== Roboforce (1997) ===
A bit of a [[Sequence Breaking|Sequence Breaker]], skipping the usual villainous faction in favor of another heroic one. Roboforce was unique in their sets’ focus on terrestrial vehicles, specifically [[Humongous Mecha|giant robots]]. Not explicitly listed as military or civilian, Roboforce fills an almost municipal role on the interstellar stage, with separate teams acting as a search-and-rescue force and a sort of space [[Home Guard]]. Likely at least a partial inspiration for the [[Exo-Force]] theme.
* [[The Ace]]: Implied of Green Class, given their role in more military situations, not to mention their [[Cool Shades|sunglasses]].
* [[Animal Mecha]]: Both Green Class [
* [[Color Coded for Your Convenience]]: Roboforce is divided into two classes: Orange Class units are delegated to municipal rescue and domestic-level tactical situations; Green Class units manage heavy combat usually reserved for militaries. Each class has theme-colored mecha and pilot uniforms.
* [[Cool Shades]]: Mirrorshades seem to be standard issue for Green Class Roboforce pilots.
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=== UFO (1997-1999) ===
The first aliens to actually see release in LEGO Space. The aliens of UFO are painted as an aggressive, militant society through their mechanical designs and vessel names, but short of one account of [[Alien Abduction]] and their spot in the cycle as the villainous faction there isn’t much to corroborate this. They’re shown visiting the planet the Exploriens are studying (or at least a similar planet to it), possibly drawn to an ancestral home or lost colony, but when comparing the fossils to them the only real argument for their being the same species is that [[Cybernetics Eat Your Soul|their cybernetic augmentations altered them beyond recognition]].
* [[Alien Abduction]]: Confirmed with Andy Droid; Other instances possible but never explicitly mentioned.
* [[Amazing Technicolor Population]]: Skin colors include transparent orange and green; Whether this is due to [[Bizarre Alien Biology]] or cybernetic enhancements is never made clear.
* [[Awesome McCoolname]]/[[Names to Run Away From Really Fast]]: Alpha Dragonis, the faction [[Leader]].
* [[Cyborg]]: Their entire race is heavily mechanically modified to the point where (when combined again with possible [[Bizarre Alien Biology]]) it’s hard to tell where cybernetics end and natural features begin.
* [[Flying Saucer]]: Played completely straight with the [
** Don't forget the [
* [[Humanoid Aliens]]: Pretty self-explanatory.
* [[I Am Not Shazam]]: They likely don’t refer to themselves as UFO, but for as mysterious as they are it may be their placeholder name for other factions.
* [[Long-Lost Relative]]: [[Punny Name|Andy Droid]], the brother/companion unit to the Exploriens’ [[Robot Buddy]] Ann, was modified into the red droid present in UFO sets.
* [[Name's the Same]]: The UFO [
* [[Shoulders of Doom]]: Armor with generous, imposing shoulders (resembling [[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers|the original Green Ranger’s chest shield/armor]]) is standard issue.
=== Insectoids (1998-1999) ===
The last set in the traditional LEGO Space theme. Insectoids features a race of alien nomads, the Zotaxians, displaced from their home planet after losing a [[Civil War]] against their unjust ruler. They escape to [[Hollow World|Holox]], a planet full of hostile [[Big Creepy
* [[Alien Animals]] / [[Big Creepy
* [[All There in the Manual]]: Don’t expect to glean much of the fluff from the sets themselves.
* [[Amazing Technicolor Population]]: [[Leader|Gypsy Moth’s]] skin is a rich blue. The other Zotoxians are grey.
* [[Animal Mecha]]: Many sets, specifically the larger ones, are modeled after insects. This was a choice of necessity, not style.
* [[Base
* [[Cyborg]]: Similar to the UFO aliens, the Zotoxians’ entire race seems to have cybernetic qualities. It’s a bit easier to tell which parts are which this time, however.
* [[Dub Name Change]]: In some countries' catalogs, the Zotaxians are instead called Otopians.
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[[Category:The Nineties]]
[[Category:LEGO Themes]]
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