LEGO 1997 / Space Sets

The LEGO Space theme is one of the earliest and expansive themes that began in 1978 and features sets around features astronauts, spaceships, and extraterrestrial life. The first Space themes included an emphasis on space exploration with ships and basic wheeled vehicles and later consisted of more science fiction based sets which consisted of robots, small and large spaceships, and bases. The theme expanded over the years into various subthemes that included space factions and more story lines such as Futuron, Blacktron, Space Police, M:Tron, Spyrius, Unitron, Exploriens, Life on Mars, Alien Conquest and many more.

1997 LEGO Sets

1997 saw LEGO’s first major sales decline, prompting experimentation and digital expansion. LEGO Island introduced the brand’s first open-world video game, setting the stage for future digital storytelling. New subthemes included Divers for underwater exploration, Fright Knights for gothic medieval fantasy, and Time Twisters as a sequel to Time Cruisers. LEGO Space added Roboforce and UFO, shifting toward alien-focused designs, while Aquazone expanded with Aquaraiders. Despite challenges, LEGO’s creativity remained strong across both physical and emerging digital platforms.