LEGO Star Wars team reveals 25th anniversary set selection process

In an exclusive new interview, the LEGO Star Wars team has revealed why specific sets were selected to become 25th anniversary models.

It’s a massive year for LEGO Star Wars in 2024, as the hugely-popular theme celebrates its 25th anniversary and a quarter of a century since The Phantom Menace was released. So far we’ve had multiple set launches, three of seven exclusive minifigures revealed to date, plus GWPs and Insiders rewards, with more models rumoured to be on the way in the months to come.

Selecting exactly which sets should be released to mark 25 years of the theme has proven to be a unique challenge for the LEGO Star Wars design team though, as discussed in a new interview with the latest issue of Star Wars Insider magazine.

“We’re closely connected,” said Jens Kronvold Frederiksen, LEGO Star Wars’ design director, of the LEGO Group’s partnership with Lucasfilm. “Especially in the phase where we are discussing a new assortment, whether those are brand-new ideas for products or are ideas that are related to new content.”

“We brainstorm and generate concepts together,” Jens continued, “but we also have designers from other parts of the organisation who are passionate about Star Wars that sometimes bring us totally new ideas we hadn’t thought of within the LEGO Star Wars team.”

“For an individual building set,” said Chris Gollaher, Lucasfilm’s director of product design for hardlines, “we know the planned timing for the release, so we know what story content will be important, whether a set is from a new series, a new movie, or a key anniversary that is meaningful to fans, and we’ll plan the releases around those.”

“(For example,) 75387 Boarding the Tantive IV is one of the  most memorable, signature scenes from the film that launched the Star Wars saga,” Gollaher revealed, “and having captured it in LEGO set form with all these great details, from the blasted-open doors to the way we found to show Darth Vader’s Force abilities, demonstrates how we can reimagine these great moments in fun, new ways.”

In addition to 25th anniversary sets, Gollaher also shines a spotlight on the theme’s limited edition minifigures. “The exclusive minifigures showcase this anniversary well,” he said. “They really illustrate that even though we have 25 years of amazing LEGO Star Wars products, there are still new characters and building sets to discover.”

“The themes raised by the anniversary are really our blueprint for future lines,” Gollaher concluded. “We want to celebrate the core stories of the brand while continuing to innovate with new entertainment and creative new builds.”

You can check out the full interview in Star Wars Insider magazine issue # 226, which is available in the US and Canada from today and will be published in the UK on July 25.

Featured image: Titan Comics

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