Celebrating 60 Years of Star Trek
Back to Where It All Began
Few television series have shaped science fiction quite like Star Trek. What began aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise in 1966 introduced us to strange new worlds, impossible technology and a crew that would become icons of the genre.
Sixty years later, we are heading back to that bridge.
The LEGO® Icons Star Trek: U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701™ Bridge (11385) recreates the command centre and transporter room from Star Trek: The Original Series. And before you even start building, there is already an Easter egg: 1,701 pieces for NCC-1701. Nice.
The bridge itself is instantly familiar. There are opening turbolift doors, the colourful command consoles, a captain’s chair that rocks when the Enterprise inevitably runs into trouble, and even a working transporter mechanism that lets the crew “beam” away.
But start looking around the ship and things get even better.
Look Closely Trekkies
Look closely and the Enterprise is packed with references to The Original Series.
A Gorn appears on one of the bridge displays, calling back to Kirk’s famous encounter in “Arena”, while another screen features a Klingon warrior. Around the bridge, fans can also spot Spock’s Vulcan harp, Vulcan lirpas and Sulu’s fencing foil, a nod to his memorable sword fight in “The Naked Time”.
And, naturally, there are Tribbles.
Inspired by “The Trouble with Tribbles”, the tiny creatures are hidden around the set, including beneath the helm console and inside the transporter room. It is exactly where you would expect to find them: somewhere they probably should not be.
Kirk, Spock and The Gang Are All Here
The bridge reunites eight Starfleet minifigures: Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Sulu, McCoy, Chekov, Chapel and Scotty.
And LEGO® did not stop at putting everyone in the right uniform.
Spock gets a specially designed hairpiece with his Vulcan ears built in, along with an alternate expression featuring that unmistakable raised eyebrow. Uhura has her signature communications earpiece, while phasers, communicators and tricorders help complete the crew.
There is even a bowl of Vulcan plomeek soup. It is the kind of completely unnecessary detail that, for a fan, makes the set so much better.
Two Enterprise. Two Generations.
Of course, this is not LEGO® Star Trek’s first trip aboard the Enterprise.
The LEGO® Icons Star Trek: U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D™ (10356) brought Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s Enterprise from Star Trek: The Next Generation into LEGO® bricks as a massive 3,600-piece model.
Kirk. Spock. NCC-1701.
Picard. Data. NCC-1701-D.
Together, they represent two defining generations of Star Trek. Different crews, different Enterprises, same mission.
60 Years and Still Boldly Going
That is ultimately what makes 11385 feel right for Star Trek’s 60th anniversary.
It is not just the bridge. It is 1,701 pieces because the ship is NCC-1701. It is finding a Tribble somewhere it should not be. It is spotting Sulu’s fencing foil and immediately remembering the episode. It is Spock’s eyebrow, Uhura’s earpiece and a tiny bowl of Vulcan soup that absolutely did not need to be there, but is.
They are little pieces of Star Trek history hidden inside a LEGO® set.
And six decades after Kirk, Spock and the Enterprise first set out into the unknown, there are still strange new worlds to explore.
Some of them just happen to be made of bricks.
Check out The LEGO® Icons Star Trek: U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701™ Bridge (11385) !
