The Secrets Behind Lego Star Wars

T3 interviews the man who runs one of the coolest brands in history

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For 20 years, Jens Kronvold Frederiksen has been the resident Jedi Master in charge of Lego Star Wars. As creative director, he’s overseen its transformation from a cool concept into a juggernaut of creativity and desire. Speaking to him, it’s clear he has a deep love for the brand he shepherds. He talks about his work with a personal connection and affection that’s no surprise, given how much of his life he’s been doing this.

The first thing we ask, obviously, is which of the ships over the years has become his favourite. Jens walks us over to a pair of Millennium Falcons – the two versions of the expensive Ultimate Collector Series models that have been released over the years.

The first version was designed by him. It started life as a bit of fun after people online had complained that all the Falcons made up to that point couldn’t fit four mini figures in the cockpit, like in the movies, so Jens started experimenting with what a model of that scale would look like.

When others saw it, he was encouraged to go wild and make the best Falcon he could, no matter the size or how many pieces. For him, it was a kind of freedom that only really came around once. Since then, a new version of the Ultimate Collector Series Millennium Falcon has been released, but it’s that very first one that clearly holds the fondest memories for him.

Here T3 speaks to Jens about all things Lego Star Wars, from the more obscure TIE fighters to fan favourites...

DO YOU HAVE OTHER FAVOURITE SHIPS IN THIS ROOM?