As Ultimate Collector Series 75419 Death Star aims to rule the galaxy, it needs to be manned by Stormtroopers, officers, gunners and more, so Blocks delves into the new minifigures with the LEGO Star Wars Design Manager Madison O’Neil.
LEGO Star Wars has unveiled the largest ever set in the theme – Ultimate Collector Series 75419 Death Star – and it contains an unprecedented 38 minifigures. If you preorder it early, you can get a free gift with purchase set that includes an additional three LEGO characters; 40771 TIE Fighter with Imperial Hangar Rack.
With the Death Star taking more than 20 years for the Empire to complete, it underwent multiple changes in leadership. Originally the brainchild of Galen Erso under the command of Director Orson Krennic, Grand Moff Tarkin takes control after the Rebel Alliance steal the plans for Project Stardust. Once complete, the space station is manned by thousands of troops, so it’s no wonder that 75419 Death Star required a record number of new minifigures.
There are 38 minifigures in this set, including some never-before-seen characters like Galen Erso and the Hot Tub Stormtrooper. “When we decided that this Death Star was going to be a combination of the first one and the Death Star II, you need have to have certain minifigures there to fulfil the scenes present,” explains Design Manager Madison O’Neil. “So that determined the majority of the lineup. Then, of course, you also need the Stormtroopers, staff and Imperial crew members. I don’t think there were any specific characters that we had tossed around the idea for that we didn’t get to include.”
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Two of the exclusive minifigures are Galen Erso and Orson Krennic, based on their appearances in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the film in which the rebels plot to steal the Death Star plans. “Krennic was in some of the Rogue One sets before, but this is an updated version of the character with new arm and leg printing. We’ve never had a chance to make Galen before,” continues Madison. “I got references directly from Lucasfilm and then I created the new design for his minifigure. We wanted to include a 1×2 printed tile, which has the Death Star plans on it, that Jyn steals later in Rogue One. It’s the data disk that they take from Scarif. That’s kind of a fun little easter egg.”
That wasn’t the only fun reference the team wanted to add. A unique character in 75419 Death Star is the aptly named Hot Tub Stormtrooper. This is inspired by a hidden areas in LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy – they can also be found when escaping the Tantive IV in the beginning of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, hanging out within one of the escape pods. “We wanted to make sure there were some fun ones,” says Madison, who was delighted to create a homage to these games. “You go into the little secret room and there’s all these stormtroopers in there in their bathing suits and it’s hilarious.”
Then on the more serious side is a character based on the grim arrival of Emperor Palpatine to the second Death Star. “The Imperial dignitary character is one that we really have never had a lot of opportunity to include, but it’s a character that I was always a little bit curious about,” he says, noting that the dignitaries are not even named in Return of the Jedi. This particular one is Sim Aloo, originally an agricultural kingpin from Noomis Riga in the Outer Rim. “You only see him for a few seconds, but this was the perfect opportunity to get that character in there.”
Alongside perfecting each and every character, no matter how brief their screen time, Madison also designed the graphics for the sticker sheet. “My favourite one is the wall sticker that goes inside Vader’s office,” the experienced designer sats. “This was based on me wondering, ‘What if Vader was more nostalgic and he kept mementos from his previous life?’ So there’s a Boonta Eve Classic poster in there from the first podrace he won. But there’s also a picture of Vader and Palpatine, who are enjoying their summer vacation from the previous animated special we did [LEGO Star Wars: Summer Vacation]. I think they’re probably my favourites!”
If you’re eager to build your own space station when 75419 Death Star releases on October 1, 2025, then preorder it via our affiliate links to help support the work we do at Blocks.
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