LEGO says the UCS Venator’s minifigures were ‘clear-cut choices’

The LEGO Star Wars team says the minifigures for 75367 Venator-Class Republic Attack Cruiser were ‘pretty clear-cut’, with little discussion around which characters should be included.

The latest – and certainly the biggest – LEGO Star Wars prequel-era Ultimate Collector Series set debuted earlier this month, bringing with it the first-ever Clone Wars Admiral Yularen minifigure and an updated Phase II Captain Rex. Both of those minifigures are currently exclusive to 75367 Venator-Class Republic Attack Cruiser, and – if previous UCS sets are anything to go by – could well remain that way (though Rex is rumoured to return in some capacity in 2024).

Given how frequently the Venator shows up across prequel-era canon – in both Revenge of the Sith and the Clone Wars TV show – the LEGO Star Wars designers could feasibly have picked any number of memorable characters to stand on the 5,374-piece set’s base. But according to the team, there were really only two characters ever in real contention for the honour of accompanying the Venator.

“Admiral Yularen was a pretty clear choice for something like this, just because we always see him on the bridge,” graphic designer Madison O’Neil explains to Brick Fanatics and other LEGO Fan Media. “As far as characters associated with this specific vehicle, he’s definitely up there. And then Rex, I think the discussion was, ‘[Which] characters are people going to be most excited about?’

“And of course, he was right there at the top of the list as well. So I don’t think there was a tonne of discussion, to be honest, regarding who we were putting in. [There were] pretty clear-cut choices for us in that regard.”

The excitement for Captain Rex – who last appeared as a minifigure all the way back in 2013’s 75012 BARC Speeder with Sidecar – was definitely not underestimated, even if there has been a mixed reception to the finished product (segments of the community have called out his lack of a fabric kama, for example). But there was another reason both these characters made sense: together, they bookend the Clone Wars series from which the Venator takes specific inspiration.

Admiral Yularen’s is the first voice you hear in the animated series, which opens each episode (and the 2008 movie that kicked off the entire show) with a voiceover from actor Tom Kane. Rex’s new minifigure, meanwhile, has a bandage on his head in a nod to the removal of his inhibitor chip, which took place in the seventh and final season of the show in 2020.

“[They’re] kind of capturing the whole gamut of Clone Wars in a way,” Madison confirms. “I think at the time we were working on [the Venator], that last season of Clone Wars was very popular with everyone. We were talking about it a lot. So adding that little extra detail to Rex makes it something a little special, a little unique.”

It’s that unique detail which may allow the LEGO Group to keep this particular Captain Rex minifigure exclusive to 75367 Venator-Class Republic Attack Cruiser, while still making a less detailed version of the character more accessible in a future LEGO Star Wars set. Time will tell if that ends up being the case, but it’s tough to imagine the team truly restricting availability of a character that has – by their own admission – substantial appeal with LEGO Star Wars fans.

75367 Venator-Class Republic Attack Cruiser is available now at LEGO.com, and qualifies for both of the current gifts-with-purchase (40599 Houses of the World 4 and 40659 Mini Steamboat Willie). You’ll also earn £28 / $32.50 / €32.50 back in LEGO Insiders points to spend on future purchases. Alternatively, check out the latest LEGO Star Wars Black Friday deals as we head into November for more ways to maximise returns on the latest UCS set.

• LEGO explains why Captain Rex doesn’t have a fabric kama in the UCS Venator
• LEGO tried to copy another UCS set for the Venator – ‘it’s not working at all’

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