Classic Space Color meanings

[GeoBrick]

4 hours ago, Blip said:

When designing space MOCs, do any of you put your minifigs in "regular" clothing (ie, uniforms or off-duty garb vs pressurised spacesuits) for when they're inside "sealed" spaces with atmospheres?  I ask because I used to do so in Lego Digital Designer, back when I first figured out how to create upload my own textures (admittedly if it were real Lego I might not bother! )

Well, there's this black&red torso coverall outfit with a Classic Space logo on it. I liked to use that one for indoor activities of the classic astronauts.

[Blip]

On 12/6/2023 at 4:03 PM, TeriXeri said:

Other then that, City space themes  , especially the 2022 version, did differ between pilot suits (yellow), normal uniforms (blue), and space suits (white with azure) depending if they were in a living space, ship, or spacewalk, but I haven't seen regular clothed figures in a space set, the most regular figures would be the scientist or base workers back on earth.

Yep, this is what I primarily meant by "regular clothed"; ie, not a pressurised spacesuit, but a regular uniform of some kind. :) 

When doing any neo-classic or Futuron MOCs for example I used to have uniform colors that would essentially just be a darker version of the spacesuit colors, while for M-Tron and Unitron I had darker red & blue coveralls respectively, with drab (sand blue & green, tan, grey, etc) undershirts to mimic the classic space departmental colors.

For Space Police meanwhile I put them largely into (as I recall; it was a while back) a variety of dark blue and black uniforms, while Blacktron received essentially the pinnacle of "neo-grunge pirates in space" fashion :D

On 12/6/2023 at 8:30 PM, GeoBrick said:

Well, there's this black&red torso coverall outfit with a Classic Space logo on it. I liked to use that one for indoor activities of the classic astronauts.

I know the one you mean! :)

[ARC2149Nova]

Sorry for bumping this thread, but I've been on a Star Trek binge recently, and it reminded me of this thread.

I actually think that the original colors could work as they do in Star Trek, but as there are so many colors, more ship functions can be assigned.

Yellow - Command. Not necessarily command of the crew, but also command functions, such as piloting and navigation.

Blue - Science. Collecting rock samples, radiation readings, etc.

Red - Operations. Computer Ops in particular.

White - Medical.

Black - Tactical. Ship security.

Orange - Recon. In charge of initial landings as well as first contact.

Green - Engineering. Internal Systems.

Grey - Engineering. External Systems.

Pink - Home-Economics. This is crew care and maintenance duties.

Purple - Communications. Occasionally accompanies Orange in First Contact. Handles both homebound and intraship communiques, as well as translation and xeno-linguistics.

Brown - Nursery. For any newborn crewmates, or the occasional alien animal.

Some of these are typically reserved for larger vessels/colony ships (like Brown), but I think each of these represent a critical ship function.

[Mandalorianknight]

On 12/14/2024 at 1:22 PM, ARC2149Nova said:

Sorry for bumping this thread, but I've been on a Star Trek binge recently, and it reminded me of this thread.

I actually think that the original colors could work as they do in Star Trek, but as there are so many colors, more ship functions can be assigned.

Yellow - Command. Not necessarily command of the crew, but also command functions, such as piloting and navigation.

Blue - Science. Collecting rock samples, radiation readings, etc.

Red - Operations. Computer Ops in particular.

White - Medical.

Black - Tactical. Ship security.

Orange - Recon. In charge of initial landings as well as first contact.

Green - Engineering. Internal Systems.

Grey - Engineering. External Systems.

Pink - Home-Economics. This is crew care and maintenance duties.

Purple - Communications. Occasionally accompanies Orange in First Contact. Handles both homebound and intraship communiques, as well as translation and xeno-linguistics.

Brown - Nursery. For any newborn crewmates, or the occasional alien animal.

Some of these are typically reserved for larger vessels/colony ships (like Brown), but I think each of these represent a critical ship function.

I'm not a huge fan of them being the same as another franchise, but I think your list works pretty well overall (and is your list- you aren't "wrong" jut because I'd prefer it another way.)

 

This is my list of color meanings now:

Aurek Level: - At least one of each Aurek-level color should be on an outpost or Explorer-level craft at any given time. Aureks, also known as Primaries, all feature some skills in every Aurek-level class.

White: Pilot. Standard spacecraft pilot. While all Aureks have base level skills with the other classes within their level, Whites are the most generalist of any class, with a specialization in piloting. common color, classic astronaut color in the real world.

Red: Engineering. Standard Mechanical/astronautical engineers. Reds are tasked with maintaining, repairing, and developing ground and space vehicles as well as outpost machinery. Another common color for another common occupation- plus the reds are my favorite.

Blue: Security. While Classic Space is not a military organization, Blues provide security for CS assets against hostile organizations such as Blacktron, as well as protecting the other spacemen in the event of encountering hostile aliens or outlaws. Blues put their lives on the line more than any other class, and correspondingly are frequently in need of suit repairs. Again, common color- common occupation needed. Benny helmets and scratched torsos fit right in with the occupation resulting in the most damage to their suits.

Yellow: Communications. In faraway regions of space or newly discovered planets, a myriad of atmospheric and solar conditions make communications specialists a must for creating and maintaining contact channels with CS command and the galaxy as a whole. Yellows might have the least flashy job of the Aurek-levels, but it's a crucial one. Another common color and important role. I also always picture the yellow guys holding the radios for some reason.

Black: Scientist/analyst. The black spacemen are tasked with a wide variety of analysis jobs. Between dissecting alien fauna, analzying alien flora and natural resources for usage, or even learning about the anatomy of sentient alien life, the black spacemen are simultaneously xenobiologists, xenobotonists, and xenochemists. The most specialized of the Aurek-level roles, black spacemen are the least numerous of their level but have an important skillset. The last of the 5 classic colors, with the last Aurek-level role.

 

Besh level: Besh-level spacemen are more commonly found on larger outposts or transport to capital level ships. They have more specialized roles at the expense of a lack of the basic Aurek skillset.

Orange: Logistician/requisitions. The orange suits are worn by logisticians, who deal with cargo manifests, passenger organization, and at higher ranks, the dispersal of ships and expeditions. Due to their role taking them into the field or smaller ships/outposts less frequently, Logisticians aboard capital ships or larger bases can frequently be seen without their air tanks. Orange torsos are more common then when I last assigned roles to the colors, so I've reassigned them from their original admiral ranking.

Green: Roboticist. More commonly referred to as mech jockeys, the green spacemen are the pilots and engineers specialized in jaeger-class and cyber-class mechanized operations. Purely due to their appearance alongside the Exo-suit set

Pink: Medical, or Pilot who accidentally put his suit in the wash with an Engineer. The former is an extremely important role, and while their medicinal specification places them in Besh-level, Pinks are in high demand on most expeditions and on most outposts. While all Aurek-level spacemen have rudimentary medical training, the breadth of knowledge and skill Pinks provide makes them an encouraging sight on any vehicle or at any outpost. The latter is an unfortunately common occurrence. These pilots are more commonly seen on ground vehicles due to washer mishaps being more common on planetside outposts, where newly-set up machinery can often be faulty, and engineers have more pressing matters to attend to. I've long flip flopped between the two roles and figured it might as well be both, since the latter is obviously an official designation.

Purple: Diplomat. In the event of a first contact with a new alien species or civilization, Purples are dispatched to open a line of communication and determine the relationship classic space will have with the alien group, whether it's joining humanity's Coalition, forming an alliance with them, or simply steering clear of that civilization's controlled territory. Due to the diplomacy traditions of some cultures, aliens can occasionally be seen wearing Classic Space purples. Another necessary role, it fits with the CMF figure, and lego's official "dreamer" designation is both ironically uninspired and goes against my preferred concept that everyone gets to headcanon the roles.

 

 

Zeta-Level: Zeta-Level spacemen lack a specific role and have only base civilian access to equipment and locations, but have no less bravery and often form the settlers of new planets, pioneering humanity's expansion into the stars.

Gray: Cadet: With multiple shades of grey representing multiple class options, Cadets are commonly seen on training bases and capital ships. IV and III rank cadets wear dark gray helmets as they have not yet chosen an occupation. Once a cadet completes their rank III testing and chooses an occupation, they are allowed to don a helmet of the color representing the class they aspire to reach as they move to rank II and I cadets. This would give a lore reason for the LBG spacemen's helmets not fitting with their torsos, and being CMF figs they're easy to mass.

Brown: Pioneer: Containing a mundane, muted color scheme, the Brown spacemen are the men and women who, without formal training or employment in the Classic Space organization, nonetheless move to settle outposts on newly discovered planets and set out into the stars. Civilians taking passage on Classic Space transport ships between developed worlds may also be required to don Brown uniforms if any risk of life-support loss is reported on their craft. Another easy to mass CMF fig, and the baby spacemen ends up just representing that spaceman's kid. 

 

 

Kresh-Level: The ranking officers of Classic Space

Dark Blue: Commander: Commanders lead Classic Space organization outposts and ships. Navies, as they're commonly referred to, wear the helmet of their original role before they advanced to a higher rank. Going full circle with the lack of a matching helmet, as it now refers to both the lowest and highest ranking members of classic space.

 

I'd like to get some more colors on the board: Another secondary color like a light blue or something would help round out the Besh rank, and a Gold spaceman or something would be a nice choice for the missing rank of the actual leader of the full organization.

As for the full lore present, essentially my idea of Classic Space is an organization loosely part of an earth government that also includes private companies and contracted civilians. Essentially, any group of civilians can apply to settle a classic space outpost to colonize the planet. The engineers responsible for the design of many vehicles and machines often work in firms that get first dibs on the resources they discover, and other roles have similar firms, guilds, etc, though base galaxy-class expeditions contain only firmless spacemen who work directly for the Classic Space organization, as is the same with Purples, who work directly for the governing body.

Edited March 23 by Mandalorianknight

[Renny The Spaceman]

You know I've always thought the same thing about the yellow astronauts, wonder if it's an after effect of this Box art being so commonly used when people talk about CS

My personal take has always been CS is the most optimistic Space faction, it's a mix of the lack of visors covering their smiles and the quaint absurdity of their aesthetic. I don't think they've got a leader, I think they're the plutonic ideal of a space fairing society where science and research is it's own reward and that's what they do. Simplicity and boundless charm in the face of cynicism is what they are at their core to me, that's why the lack of visors works so well for me, if you're asking how they can breathe you're not operating on their wavelength. They're gonna spend their week driving an impractical spaceship with a steering wheel to brick up some rock samples to study and they couldn't be more excited.

 

[Mandalorianknight]

1 hour ago, Renny The Spaceman said:

You know I've always thought the same thing about the yellow astronauts, wonder if it's an after effect of this Box art being so commonly used when people talk about CS

My personal take has always been CS is the most optimistic Space faction, it's a mix of the lack of visors covering their smiles and the quaint absurdity of their aesthetic. I don't think they've got a leader, I think they're the plutonic ideal of a space fairing society where science and research is it's own reward and that's what they do. Simplicity and boundless charm in the face of cynicism is what they are at their core to me, that's why the lack of visors works so well for me, if you're asking how they can breathe you're not operating on their wavelength. They're gonna spend their week driving an impractical spaceship with a steering wheel to brick up some rock samples to study and they couldn't be more excited.

Entirely possible. Blue one fits my security headcanon to as he has the "bazooka" (obviously it's a technically a video camera, but you know. While classic space's security officers aren't a military branch and as such aren't carrying that type of thing for combat, I do think they'd be in charge of operating explosives for the purposes of clearing debris or mining)

I agree with that first sentence. I like to go a bit deeper with my lore- for me they ARE wearing visors, it's just more of an invisible field in front of the helmet, and as for leadership any organization needs some form of leadership. But again, nothing off with your statement- with classic space nobody's wrong. 

[Renny The Spaceman]

6 hours ago, Mandalorianknight said:

But again, nothing off with your statement- with classic space nobody's wrong. 

Yeah of course, everyone's interpretation is valid. I do like the idea of in a way recontextualising the statue from Space police as not a tribute to the first LEGO Space explorationinstead being made of the ultimate ideal of Space travel, that eventually gets realised. In a metatextual way that could explain why CS is the ever present LEGO Space theme though I don't know if I want that headcanon.

6 hours ago, Mandalorianknight said:

 as for leadership any organization needs some form of leadership. 

Depends on how optimistic your future is, if I were to do CS leadership though it definitely wouldn't be a single leader drenched in gold, sorta goes against the core of it in a clear, thematic and literal way. The latter being the obvious element of part of the charm being a Smurf like thing were all the astronauts looking the same yet being different able to tell eachother apart, if I were to do leaders it'd need to be multiple to work for me. But also Thematically, I just hate the gold astronaut look, it's tacky and obviously implies a culture way too similar to ours. A single total leader drenched in the garbage metal we assigned value in doesn't fit in with the CS aesthetic (I don't think any metallic colours do tbh) and just visually implies a king.

More power to you if it works for you but I, personally l, hate that colour for CS

[MAB]

11 hours ago, Mandalorianknight said:

... for me they ARE wearing visors, it's just more of an invisible field in front of the helmet, and as for leadership any organization needs some form of leadership.

That was always my take on it too, but more that the visors were (thin) glass that you couldn't see.

[Mandalorianknight]

6 hours ago, Renny The Spaceman said:

Depends on how optimistic your future is, if I were to do CS leadership though it definitely wouldn't be a single leader drenched in gold, sorta goes against the core of it in a clear, thematic and literal way. The latter being the obvious element of part of the charm being a Smurf like thing were all the astronauts looking the same yet being different able to tell eachother apart, if I were to do leaders it'd need to be multiple to work for me. But also Thematically, I just hate the gold astronaut look, it's tacky and obviously implies a culture way too similar to ours. A single total leader drenched in the garbage metal we assigned value in doesn't fit in with the CS aesthetic (I don't think any metallic colours do tbh) and just visually implies a king.

More power to you if it works for you but I, personally l, hate that colour for CS

Not to get too philosophical but I don't think there's ever been a single functioning civilization without some form of leadership, nor that something like that would be possible in reality. Obviously for your "if you're asking why they can breathe without visible visors you're not on their wavelength" style lore it isn't necessary to work in stuff like that, but like I said, I like a deeper lore.

As for a gold leader, it might go against your headcanon's themes but as, again, it's all headcanon, it fits perfectly within mine. I like my culture and I like my headcanon that makes Classic Space an evolution of that culture, and similarly, with gold holding the value it does in our culture, that if roles are signified by color, gold would signify leadership. (I used the word culture too many times and now it doesn't sound like a word.) But again, your interpretation seems to be more fantastical/whimsical than mine, so it makes sense you wouldn't want to imply ties to real-world cultures. 

For further lore on the roles/colors I want for classic space:

Besh level: 

Teal: Instructor: Teals are tasked with helping Cadets find their desired class and teaching them the skills and knowledge required for that class. Due to this, they are primarily found on capital ships, colonies, and larger bases.

 

Kresh level: 

Gold: Architect: Chosen from the pool of Navies, which they return to after their period in gold, Architects, or Goldies as they are informally known, are the leaders of classic space, tasked with upholding the adherence to Classic Space's founding documentation and ideals. The rarest of the classic space colors, only seven Goldies exist at a time.

 

Dorn level: Some Aurek-levels specialize their roles over time to the point that they move from the standard galaxy-class expeditions or base crews to Dorn Level, a specialized version of their previous role. Their specializations often lead them into contact with or working alongside other organizations within the minifig civilization.

Aqua: Test pilot: For pilots who exhibit an exceptionally high adrenaline seeking level or risk tolerance, if they still prefer classic space to more risk-involved organizations like the Space Police, the Aquas are always looking for new test pilots. Aquas fly new ship models, with a stark focus on faster-than-light technology, which does run the risk of propelling them into unknown corners of space. The spaceman known as Benny was formerly an Aqua, though with how long he'd been out in the far reaches of space with just the one uniform, it darkened over time and ended up looking more similar to a Security uniform.

Light Blue: Liason: For Blues who get tired of galaxy-class explorations and want a mellower pace, the Light Blues are a class serving as liaisons to other intracivilization spacefaring organizations such as the Space Police or M-Tron miners. For this reason, Light Blues can frequently be seen at space police headquarters or on M-tron capital ships.

Brick Yellow: Finder: Restless Yellows who get tired of simply sharing communications and want to make their own can join the Finder Class, where Brick Yellows (or Bricyees) search for interesting stories. They can often be seen hitching rides on Galaxy Explorers or even sticking around the far reaches of the galaxy like Ice Planet. One of the biggest goals of the largest Finder's Guild is to locate the fabled planet Seatron.

Dark Red: Designer: Some Reds want to work more on design of Classic Space - wide ships and vehicles rather than repair and upkeep on expeditions, joining the Maroon Class of designers. Maroons primarily work on Classic Space ships but have also taken contracts for other groups, typically M-tron.

Pearl Dark Grey: Geneticist: Some Black Spacemen become particularly fascinated by alien cultures on their travels and become Pearlies, geneticists specializing in alien cultures, unraveling the mysteries of how different civilizations evolved over time.

2 hours ago, MAB said:

That was always my take on it too, but more that the visors were (thin) glass that you couldn't see.

That one makes a lot of sense as well. I'd be interested in seeing a hypothetical neo-classic spaceman who has a dual-molded helmet resembling the CS helmet but with a molded-in visor.

[ARC2149Nova]

If we were to get Gold CSMen, they would represent CS Command (AKA The Admiralty) as a whole, rather than one distinct individual.

If we were to get the proposed colors @Mandalorianknight suggested (Dark Red, Tan, and PDG), this would be my revised division structure:

• Gold - CS Command/The Admiralty/"The Brass"
• Dark Red - Command Officers - Captains & Commanders
• Red - Security
• Yellow - Navigation/Piloting
• Tan - Ops
• Blue - Science
• White - Medical
• Black - Intelligence
• Navy - Diplomatic Corps
• Teal - Ambassador Protection (They accompany Navy)
• Purple - Linguistics & Communications
• Orange - Long Range Reconnaissance
• Green - Tech Specialist
• Grey - Engineering
• Pink - Home Economics
• Brown - Culinary Officer
• Pearl Dark Grey - Mining

[Daiman]

What a good read, For my pennys worth I think they did something very sneaky with the red brown space goer when it was released.

Personally what I saw concept wise was not brown at all but that it is an aged 'RED' spacesuit ,so discoloured and the baby it carries reflects that AND that they are female suggesting that there were always females in lego space.

Quite tricky...

[Dr_Groggy]

Here is my choice :

Black - CS Command (I have only one !)
Bright Red - Navigation/Piloting
Bright Yellow - Engineering
Bright Blue - Security
White - Long Range/Reconnaissance

Dark Green - Mechanist
Light Bluish Grey - Cadets
Bright Orange - Miners
Dark Pink - Medics
Purple - Communications
Brown - Management/Administration
Earth Blue - Intelligence
Gold - Diplomatic
Teal - Ambassador Protection

Bright light Blue - ?

any ideas for the new color "Bright Light Blue" (from the BAM) ?

Edited June 17 by Dr_Groggy

[GeoBrick]

4 hours ago, Dr_Groggy said:

Bright light Blue - ?

any ideas for the new color "Bright Light Blue" (from the BAM) ?

Kindergarten/Daycare

[hikouki]

On 3/27/2025 at 5:20 PM, ARC2149Nova said:

If we were to get Gold CSMen, they would represent CS Command (AKA The Admiralty) as a whole, rather than one distinct individual.

If we were to get the proposed colors @Mandalorianknight suggested (Dark Red, Tan, and PDG), this would be my revised division structure:

• Gold - CS Command/The Admiralty/"The Brass"
• Dark Red - Command Officers - Captains & Commanders
• Red - Security
• Yellow - Navigation/Piloting
• Tan - Ops
• Blue - Science
• White - Medical
• Black - Intelligence
• Navy - Diplomatic Corps
• Teal - Ambassador Protection (They accompany Navy)
• Purple - Linguistics & Communications
• Orange - Long Range Reconnaissance
• Green - Tech Specialist
• Grey - Engineering
• Pink - Home Economics
• Brown - Culinary Officer
• Pearl Dark Grey - Mining

 

11 hours ago, Dr_Groggy said:

Here is my choice :

Black - CS Command (I have only one !)
Bright Red - Navigation/Piloting
Bright Yellow - Engineering
Bright Blue - Security
White - Long Range/Reconnaissance

Dark Green - Mechanist
Light Bluish Grey - Cadets
Bright Orange - Miners
Dark Pink - Medics
Purple - Communications
Brown - Management/Administration
Earth Blue - Intelligence
Gold - Diplomatic
Teal - Ambassador Protection

Bright light Blue - ?

any ideas for the new color "Bright Light Blue" (from the BAM) ?

Will Lego ever give us dark gray, dark orange, and pearl dark gray??? I would really like them to complete those colors!!! We have a helmet for the former, and air tanks for the latter two!