Lego's Star Wars Smart brick sets are leading to fan revolt

The new Star Wars sets, which incorporate interactive tech, might be cool but builders worry about where things are going

Smart bricks and minifigs are coming to Lego, and the implications are exciting as they are alarming. For months now, diehard fans have been arguing over leaks of the tech-fueled playsets and their supposed value. But now that Lego has officially unveiled its Lego Smart Play Star Wars sets, Lego fans have seen the future and... they're not sure if they like it.

Three new sets were announced for Lego earlier this week, and they're all centered around Star Wars:

1. Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter
2. Luke’s Red Five X-wing
3. The Throne Room Duel & A-wing

All will make use of new interactive features, like graphics, sounds, accelerometers, light sensors, synthesizers, and more. You can think of Lego's turn toward smart tech as the evolution of what was released when the company started selling Super Mario sets, which allowed fans to "create" their own physical levels. Mario would react to whatever the player was doing, like stomping Goombas or reaching the flagpole. Though unusual, it was a collaboration with an emphasis that made sense. Video games are interactive, so why not make Lego sets that follow suit?

Turns out, the twist for Super Mario was not a one-off. The Nintendo sets were instead a precursor to the next generation of Lego, which will hinge around special bricks that have dynamic functions. Arguably, this shift was inevitable. Everything from fridges to thermostats are "smart" now. Lego has also dabbled with similar ideas throughout the years, like advanced sets meant to teach children programming. It's also likely Lego will still release sets without smart tech.

Lego has never been a particularly affordable hobby, especially when it comes to bigger sets themed around big intellectual properties. But recent major sets have pushed the limits of what some vocal taking-it-to-TikTok fans find acceptable. Last year, for example, saw the release of a $1,000 Death Star set that only included a cross-section of the famous Star Wars ship. The set, though impressive, also featured empty rooms and appeared to reuse the design of smaller, older Star Wars sets. Those who actually shelled out for the set seemed to appreciate its size and scope, especially when user flourishes like lighting were added into the mix. But the Death Star also became a meme shorthand for the exorbitant direction of high-end Legos. Some found it easier to just make their own Death Star out of existing pieces rather than forking over a sizable percentage of a paycheck for one.

"Lego is starting to do something nobody asked for," Lego influencer Digging For_Bricks said in an October 2025 video with 5.1 million views.

"I am so against this idea," the bearded TikToker said, in reference to the possibility smart bricks would raise Lego prices even further. "We don't need technology worked into everything," the video's caption declared.

"They're ALREADY overpriced as is! $50/60 for WHAT SHOULD be a $20 set!" read a reply with over 30,000 upvotes.

That was before we knew what the new sets would cost. Now we have price tags: the TIE fighter is $69.00, the X-Wing is $99.99, and the Throne Room is $159.99. These prices fall short of more expensive sets, like last year's $379.99 Captain Jack Sparrow set. But the new Star Wars Lego are also considerably smaller than the gargantuan collections that previously commanded hundreds of dollars.

The reaction to these new Star Wars sets has been accordingly mixed. Few deny the new features are cool, or that children might enjoy seeing their Lego sets light up and sound like the things they see in the movies. But few seem to be able to get over the Smart brick pricing either. Others simply don't see the point, or contend that the children who would be actually into the tech won't actually be able to afford it. Ridicule for the idea is seemingly everywhere as well.

"Lego’s don’t need to be smart… they are a toy and intended for use by creative minds," reads one top comment on TikTok with 2.1 million views that showcases the tech.

"Based on the price of current standard Legos, approximately 3 families in the world will be able to afford this for their children," another joked.

"Ask every single person who's ever loved Lego if they'd rather a 'smart brick' or affordable Lego..." one top comment on a TikTok with over 530,000 views postulates.

"Kids should love them but are parents going to buy them?" a Redditor asked in a thread with a video showing off the function of the new Smart bricks. "Sets for kids at adult prices rarely work out."

Even the official Lego channels are seeing blowback. In the Facebook post debuting the new tech, the most upvoted comment says, "When I was a kid you just used your imagination and made the noises yourself."

When all is said and done, many of these reactions could amount to the Lego equivalent of the old man yells at cloud meme. Then again, those opinions might be the ones that matter most. It is not an accident that the Smart bricks are debuting on sets that reference films that are nearly 50 years old rather than the more recent movies younger audiences might be more familiar with. As Circana reported in late 2025, adults, not children, are driving the growth in toy sales — where Lego reigns supreme. Older statistics also note that it's adults who make six figures specifically, in households that have no children, are some of the fastest growing markets for toys. Popular sets like 2020s Super Mario offering were also cheaper than the new Star Wars sets.

The best distillation of the ostensible issue here might come from Digging_For_Bricks, one of the earliest influencers to sound the alarm on Smart sets. Children could the idea of play features, but if it's adults buying these things, there's a fundamental mismatch with how that audience segment actually uses their Lego, Digging_For_Bricks poses.

"Do you know what adults do with their Lego?" the influencer asks in a short video about the new Star Wars sets. "They put them on display shelves, and they don't use play features.

"I am tired of technology being introduced into every single thing in life," Digging_For_Bricks continues. "I build Lego to take a break from technology."