The first LEGO Star Wars sets were released in 1999.
The launch accompanied the release of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and marked LEGO’s first major construction-toy partnership with the Star Wars franchise. The initial range combined vehicles and characters from the prequel film with classic Star Wars subjects such as the X-wing and landspeeder.
LEGO Star Wars became a long-running theme because it combined recognizable film designs with LEGO’s building system. Sets have since covered locations, spacecraft, vehicles and characters from across the Star Wars saga. The theme also became closely associated with LEGO video games, animated productions and collectible minifigures.
A common date error is 1997, when some Star Wars merchandise and related activity preceded the LEGO theme. The LEGO construction sets themselves debuted in 1999, making that year the key date for the partnership.