LEGO's First Star Trek Set Is A Daunting, Beautiful, And Often Blistering Build

I grew up a "Star Trek" fan, and I grew up a LEGO fan. But as I grew older, and my time for hobbies grew more in-demand, one slipped away, and the other attached to my core with a death grip that would never truly let go. The LEGOs fell by the wayside, while I continued (and continue) to be a loud advocate for the greatest genre franchise ever created. Sorry "Star Wars" and everyone else.

So, when it was announced that LEGO would be releasing its first-ever "Star Trek" set, and that it would be a massive recreation of the Enterprise-D from "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (the show that defined not just my childhood, but perhaps my entire worldly perspective), I saw an opportunity. I could indulge one current fandom to awaken another. I could resurrect the kid who loved LEGOs using the fuel of the grown-ass man who loves "Star Trek" a little too much. Sure, it had been many, many years since I had built a proper LEGO set, but those muscles were probably just lying dormant. This was going to be easy, and it was going to be fun!

Now that I'm on the other end of the build, I'm slightly humbled. Building LEGO's giant Enterprise was definitely fun, and something I would recommend to any "Star Trek" fan with some disposable income, but it wasn't easy. As a total LEGO amateur, my skills diminished with age, I found the build to be tricky and occasionally punishing. But you know what? The final result speaks for itself.

First things first: this set is huge. As a professional "Star Trek" lover but modern LEGO neophyte, I was simply not prepared for just how many LEGO bags the box would contain (a couple dozen!), much less how long it would take to finish this behemoth. I didn't keep a stopwatch running, but I'd estimate it took around 10 hours across four or five sittings to work my way through the two catalogue-thickness instruction manuals.

And yes, I can hear all of you veteran LEGO builders leaning back in their chairs, chuckling at my ignorance. I'll never doubt your skills again.

There were some early stumbles. I quickly learned that LEGO instruction manuals aren't especially useful for those with color blindness, as I was left to squint through the less intuitive instructions that rely on a light red highlight to indicate where new pieces should be inserted. And because of the Enterprise's unique shape, the LEGO designers had to get very creative to create the ship's largely curved elements using mostly squared blocks. Some of the more complex components were a puzzle unto themselves. ("Wait, those pieces are supposed to go together like that and do what?")

Eventually, though, I found myself grooving with the build, trusting that the utterly bizarre little constructs the manual asked me to construct would make sense. Seeing it all come together, often in the most unlikely ways, was a real joy. I may not be able to indulge in play time like I did as a kid, but these days, I can absolutely understand the appeal of the actual building process. I found the sight of the Enterprise taking shape in slow-motion to be nothing short of beautiful.

When the dust had cleared, with everything in its proper place, I had exactly what the box promised: an utterly massive Starship Enterprise constructed out of tiny connective blocks, plus a wonderful set of minifigs depicting the show's cast. (Serious props for Commander Riker's little LEGO trombone.) Now, I'm tasked with finding a way to keep and display this behemoth, but in the grand scheme, there are far worse problems to have.

That brings us to the big question: Is it worth the cost? I was fortunate enough to receive a sample copy from LEGO, so I have to think theoretically here. If you're both a major "Star Trek" fan and a true LEGO connoisseur, that $399 price tag may be easy to swallow. After all, this is the kind of build fans have wanted for years. And for that price, you're getting nearly a dozen hours of assembly, a lifetime of display/play, and an object that will make people literally turn their heads.

So, is it worth it? I'd give a tentative yes, but with several qualifications. If the LEGO/"Star Trek" combo strikes all the appropriate nerd nerves, then this splurge is justifiable. But if that price tag is your biggest barrier, you shouldn't talk yourself around it. It's an amazing set, but this feels like a true luxury geek good. No one should spend that kind of money on anything without serious thought.

I'll say this much: I'm already itching for more. Those minifigs need homes. Picard needs his ready room. Geordi needs the warp core. Dr. Crusher needs sickbay. Guinan needs Ten Forward, and maybe Worf needs the holodeck. At the very least, we need the transporter room.

Look at that LEGO: you've got me.