LEGO Star Wars was the first LEGO theme to include minifigures based on licensed Star Wars characters.
The theme launched in 1999 and brought recognizable characters such as Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi into LEGO’s minifigure format. It also introduced licensed versions of vehicles and locations from the Star Wars films, making the theme a landmark in LEGO’s use of major entertainment properties.
LEGO had previously produced themes with original characters and settings, including Space, Castle and Pirates. Those themes are sometimes mistaken for licensed ranges because they developed strong fictional identities, but their characters were created for LEGO rather than adapted from films.
The theme’s first release year is also significant because it established a partnership that continued across later films, animated series, games and collector-focused sets. LEGO Star Wars remains one of the company’s longest-running licensed themes.