Pirates Pirates was a LEGO System theme introduced in 1989 . It was the first completely new theme that appeared after the three initially introduced main themes " Town " , " Castle " and " Space " from 1978 . It focused on the classic idea of Caribbean pirates that were pitted against soldiers of colonial empires and would occasionally encounter indigenous people . During its initial run from 1989 to 1997 , the theme saw continuous releases in every year . While the pirate faction remained largely unchanged , their imperial adversaries were subject to various visual changes . According various boxes for the sets of 1989 - 1992 , the theme takes place in the 18th century . The theme was the first to feature LEGO versions of firearms and introduced the first minifigures without the standard smiley - faces as well as specific elements for the construction of large sailing ship models , which were one of the outstanding features of " Pirates " . Following a long hiatus starting in 1997 , the theme was reintroduced in 2009 , combining the established look from the past with recent LEGO elements and building styles . In 2015 six new sets were released including a chess set . Overview . Pirates was a highly popular LEGO theme introduced in 1989 , running until 1997 . A comic book titled " The Golden Medallion " was released in 1989 to boost the popularity of the theme , as well as give some backstory on the main characters . As the series progressed through the years , more factions were introduced and the older ones were phased out of production . Some still consider this the " Golden Age " of the Pirate theme , with a comic book and several other books and even radio plays released to boost the theme . In 1992 , the first major change was seen when the Imperial Soldiers were replaced by the Imperial Guards , who wore red coats instead of the traditional blue . In 1994 , another change came , and a third faction , the Islanders , were introduced to be a neutral faction . Then in 1996 , the Imperial Guards were replaced with the Imperial Armada . The theme came to a close in 1997 , much to the dismay of consumers . In 2009 the " Pirates " theme was relaunched with the release of eight new set s . Also , the " Imperial Guards " made a comeback in a visually upgraded version . This re - release of pirates included the largest , and most detailed pirate ship in the whole theme , Imperial Flagship which was released in 2010 . In the summer of 2011 , Pirates of the Caribbean was released . It is the first licensed pirates theme , but it will technically have nothing to do with any previous LEGO pirate theme because of the story line . In 2015 the " Pirates " theme was relaunched with the release of six new set s including a chess set . Also , the " Imperial Soldiers " made a comeback in a visually upgraded version . Audio Dramas . There were eight Audio Dramas released , six in 1990 , and two released in 1995 . Factions . Pirates . " See Main Article Pirates ( faction ) " The Pirates were one of the first two original factions in the theme to be introduced . They were the only faction not to change over time , but they expanded with more and more sets added with each change of the good faction . Their symbol was the Jolly Roger , a black flag with a skull and crossbones . The Pirates boasted three of the largest ship sets , Black Seas Barracuda , Red Beard ' s Runner , and Skull ' s Eye Schooner . They operated out of the Forbidden Island , Rock Island Refuge , Skull Island , and Pirates Perilous Pitfall sets . The initial release of the Pirates was hugely popular . The sets released in this era were some of the largest in the theme , including Black Seas Barracuda , Forbidden Island , and the Rock Island Refuge . Around late 1993 to early 1994 , there was a minor split in the Pirate faction . Another Captain emerged as the leader of the new Renegade Pirate faction . The two sides were not enemies , nor were they friends . The final year of the theme saw radical changes to Hispanic themed Pirates , and much of the Pirate sets were redone to match the Imperial Armada . The theme only ran for 1 year before it was ended . After more than ten years without any new Pirates releases , the theme was relaunched in 2009 with visually upgraded Minifigures . 6 years later Pirates has returned in 2015 along with Captain Redbeard . Imperials . The Imperials were the good side of the Pirate theme . They were the one side that saw the most radical changes over the years , and actually worked backwards through time , starting with the Imperial Soldiers / Guards , ( presumably ) based on the British ( redcoats ) and French ( bluecoats ) , and ended with the Imperial Armada , based on the Spanish Armada and the Conquistadors . Imperial Soldiers 1989 - 1991 , 2015 . " See Main Article Imperial Soldiers " The Imperial Soldiers were released in 1989 along with the Pirates . They were the good faction to the Pirates , and were the protectors of the Caribbean . They were led by Governor Broadside and Lieutenant de Martinet , and their only goal was to capture or kill Captain Redbeard and his crew . Their flag was a blue flag with a large white cross that divided it into four small blue fields at each of the corners , ( presumably based on Quebec ' s flag ) with a crown and crossed cannons in the centre . The soldiers that appear in 2015 " Pirates " sets use the same flag and similar uniforms . Imperial Guard 1992 - 1996 , 2009 . " See Main Article Imperial Guards " Introduced in 1992 , the Imperial Guards were essentially the same as the Imperial Soldiers , the only main difference being the colour of the uniforms . Instead of the traditional blue jacket , a brown backpack and red or yellow epaulets , the Imperial Guard wore a red jacket , a brown backpack and blue or yellow epaulets . Their flag also saw a change to a red and white horizontal striped flag with a crown and crossed cannons in the centre . The soldiers that appear in 2009 " Pirates " sets use the same flag and similar uniforms . Imperial Armada 1996 - 1997 . " See Main Article Imperial Armada " 1996 saw a different turn in the Pirate theme . Almost the entire theme was reworked and revamped . The result was two completely different factions . There were still the Pirates and the Islanders , but the Imperials changed to a more Spanish Armada based theme . Even in this new theme , which only introduced a few sets , the Imperials were still outmatched by the pirates . Their main ship , the Armada Flagship , was still small in comparison to the Skull ' s Eye Schooner . The Armada wore two colours , red or green , and wore the metal conquistador ' s helmet and metal breast plate armour of the era . The symbol of the Imperials also changed to a crown above a large shield divided into four sections . Islanders . " See Main Article Islanders " The Islanders were introduced in 1994 , during the Imperial Guard era of the theme . They were loosely based on natives of the Pacific islands , and introduced a third faction into the theme . The Islanders were considered to be neutral , but were known to have pirate prisoners . Their leader was the mischievous King Kahuka . The Islanders were based out of their Enchanted Island , and had a smaller outpost at the Forbidden Cove . They used no firearms like the other two faction , but instead used more primitive weapons such as bows , arrows , and spears , as well as traps . Interestingly enough , they never had any Imperial Guards as prisoners . Pirates in other toylines . After a longer hiatus that started in 1998 , " Pirates " was introduced in 4 + series in 2004 and first launched as DUPLO series in 2006 . It was was eventually relaunched as " System " theme in 2009 for one year . In 2011 LEGO released Pirates of the Caribbean . Four DUPLO Pirates sets were released in 2006 . The theme ran only for 2 years and then was discontinued . Four sets were the only ones released . Sets . " This list is incomplete , see List of LEGO Pirates sets instead "