Rock Raiders

Rock Raiders was a theme introduced in 1999 and discontinued in 2000. It is based on space travellers/miners trapped on an alien planet. It consists of eight main sets, four promotional sets and three Minifigure-based sets, and also a video game based on the theme for both Windows and PlayStation.
== Description ==
The eponymous Rock Raiders are a team of miners that search for Energy Crystals in the underground. They have several specialized mining and transport vehicles at their disposal, and are based at various locations around Planet U, where they process rocks to extract the powerful Energy Crystals with their refinery stations. During their excavations, they occasionally encounter Rock Monsters (included in two different sets), Slimy Slugs, and numerous other monsters, who would often attack the Rock Raiders or their bases, usually for Energy Crystals (although some, like Spiders and Scorpions, were merely aggressive towards the Raiders).
Rock Raiders features a full cast of named characters. However, the Rock Monsters are not named characters, merely bearing the name "Rock Monster" or the nickname "Rocky".
Rock Raiders introduced several new pieces, such as the chrome drill, blade saw, hollow boulders and an electric light-producing cannon piece that served as a laser cutter.
The sets of the first wave, which were also the only ones of the theme that appeared in the catalogs, all included Rock Raiders comics. The models and minifigures of the respective set the comic was included in played a major role in the story.
The setting had several elements that were revisited, and also somewhat further developed, in the Power Miners theme ten years later, such as the occurrence of Rock Monsters and collection of crystals. 
== Story ==
thumb|200px|right|A cutscene from the video game.
The Rock Raiders were travelling on their spaceship, the LMS Explorer, on a long expedition through the galaxy's outer rim. They had just finished their journey and were heading home when they drift into an asteroid field. The ship is badly damaged and, to make matters worse, a wormhole catches the ship in its gravitational pull. The fuel supply is drained in the failed attempt to escape, and the LMS Explorer is flung into a distant galaxy. They find themselves around Planet U, a planet rich in Brickonium Energy Crystals and LEGO Ore. They send down Rock Raiders to mine vast amounts of Energy Crystals and Ore to power and repair the LMS Explorer, but they also encounter many alien creatures. The team endures numerous hardships to obtain the precious minerals, but they eventually triumph and successfully gather enough resources to return home.
The video games and three books further expand on this story.
== Minifigures ==
== Creatures ==
* Rock Monster: Rock Monsters are subterranean beings made entirely of rock with glowing red eyes. They feast on the energy crystals used to power Rock Raiders vehicles and are not aggressive unless their crystals are stolen. They are the most common enemy. The best way to kill them is with a Laser Beam. Rock Monsters are theorized by Docs to be remnants of an ancient civilization; when the Rock Raiders first saw them, they assumed that they were statues built by that civilization, but after seeing their activity, Docs came to believe that they may have devolved from an advanced civilization. Rock Monsters also appear in LEGO Island 2 on Adventurers' Island and in orbit of OGEL Island.
* Ice Monster: Ice Monsters are subterranean lifeforms composed of solid ice and have glowing blue eyes. They too feast on crystals and can be found in icy areas beneath Planet U. In the Rock Raiders game, they are more aggressive than Rock Monsters but not as strong. The best way to kill them is with a Laser Beam. Ice Monsters make few appearances in the NTSC PS1 game. Ice Monsters do not appear in any of the sets - the closest thing is an unpainted Rock Monster prototype. The Rock Raiders have encountered fights between Ice Monsters and Lava Monsters, however; sometimes Rock, Ice, and Lava monsters work together.
* Lava Monster: Lava Monsters are subterranean creatures formed from molten lava and sport glowing yellow eyes. They can be found in the underground molten lava caverns on Planet U. In the Rock Raiders game, they cannot be killed instantly, and the best way to dispatch them is with a Freezer Beam. Lava Monsters do not appear in the NTSC version of the PS1 game.
* Slimy Slug: Slimy Slugs are very large slugs, often smaller than all monsters (although some rather large Slugs have been found). They are large and are green with faint spots. Slimy Slugs eat crystals. In the Rock Raiders PC game, Slimy Slugs cannot be destroyed, and will drain energy crystals from existing buildings. The best weapon to use on them is a Pusher Beam. Slimy Slugs can also be found on OGEL Island in LEGO Island 2, and push the player back when the player runs into them.
* Bat: Bats appear in the Windows video game. They scare Rock Raiders, and cause them to drop whatever they may happen to be carrying.
* Small Spider: Spiders appear in the Windows video game. They randomly emerge when Rock Raiders are drilling. They cause the Rock Raiders in the area to slip and drop whatever they are carrying but are otherwise harmless.
* Large Spider: Spiders appear in the Rock Raiders PS1 video game. Unlike the small variety, these are aggressive, and will attack Rock Raiders. They can also spin Large Webs that only the Loader Dozer or the Pusher Beam can clear. There are prototypes of them lying unused in the PC game's files.
* Purple Scorpion: Purple Scorpions are huge, about the size of Small Diggers. They will attack nearby Rock Raiders. They only appeared in the PS1 game. Three shots from a Pusher Beam will eradicate them. 
* Green Scorpion: Green Scorpions are very similar to Purple Scorpions, but they prefer to not attack directly; rather, they stand at a distance shooting plasma globules from their claws at the Rock Raiders. They only appeared in the PS1 game. Three shots from a Pusher Beam will do away with them.
* Rock Whale: These massive 6-legged creatures lumber through the underground passages of Planet U. Although they do not attack, they can do a lot of damage, albeit unintentionally. There are 2 types: a cracked-looking light-brown type that moves slowly and spends most of their time slumbering, and a smaller metallic-looking red type that can scuttle faster than most vehicles can move. They only appeared in the PlayStation game and the book High Adventure Deep Underground. The only way to remove slumbering Rock Whales is to use a Pusher Beam to move them into water, causing them to merge into the ground and form a bridge. The moving variety are too fast to use a Pusher Beam on.
== Sets ==
== Books ==
Three Rock Raiders books were released in various formats:
* Rock Raiders - An Interactive Puzzle Storybook: A puzzle book adaptation of the theme's main storyline.
* High Adventure, Deep Underground: A comic book adaptation of the theme's main storyline.
* Race for Survival: A sequel story to the theme, taking place six months afterward during the Rock Raiders' followup research expedition to Planet U.
== Development ==
The Rock Raiders underground setting is posited to have originated from CYBOTS by Christian Faber. It was also inspired by science fiction artwork, such as from Dinotopia. The Ultimate LEGO Book features the Rock Raiders theme on pages 30–31 to showcase LEGO Futura's design process, showing how the theme developed over time. The Rock Raiders sets were developed over the course of eight months.
The concept art showed many differences from the final theme, including:
*Different outfit designs for the Rock Raiders, with goggles and scarves.
*Mysterious aliens travelling with the Rock Raiders.
*Rock Monsters are more animalistic, featuring spines and tails while crawling on all fours. Additional concept art in LEGO World Club Magazine shows Rock Monsters with insectoid features such as mandibles.LEGO Rock Raiders Magazine Oct. 1999 TRANSLATED (by br0sine and edited by pizzaschnoesel) - Page 10
*The Chrome Crusher appears with two drills (similar to its upgraded form in the Rock Raiders PC Game) and no laser. Very early concept artwork for the Chrome Crusher shows it with a single massive drill mounted on the front, many treaded wheels, and rollbars in the back.LEGO Rock Raiders Magazine Oct. 1999 TRANSLATED (by br0sine and edited by pizzaschnoesel) - Page 22
*The Loader Dozer has a drill and a gun.
*A scrapped flying rocket-like vehicle which somewhat resembles the Tunnel Scout.
*A scrapped vehicle with robotic arms, a drill and laser turrets.
*A mobile Rock Raiders HQ mounted on treaded wheels, with a giant mechanical arm lifting boulders into an Ore Refinery.
Other photographs of prototypes in The Ultimate LEGO Book included:
*A prototype Granite Grinder with a much sleeker look, piloted by a minifigure featuring Docs' head and Bandit's outfit.
*A prototype Loader-Dozer with a white canopy and a white Rock Monster, the latter incidentally resembling an Ice Monster.
*Several models and variations of vehicles, some of which may have been designed by LEGO Futura for Data Design Interactive's use in the video gamesRock Raiders model ideas rather than intended as release as physical sets.
== See also ==
* LEGO Rock Raiders (Game)
* Rock Raiders comics
* List of Rock Raiders vehicles
* Power Miners
== External Links ==
* Rock Raiders at Wikipedia
* URL of LEGO Rock Raiders homepage
== References ==
Category:Themes
Category:Rock Raiders
Category:Themes introduced in 1999
Category:Discontinued Themes
Category:Non-Licensed Themes