[1] Created by a small team led by designer Niels Milan Pedersen, Lego Pirates was the company's fourth theme (after Space, Castle, Town) and it was more complex.

[4][3] Lego Pirates minifigures were the first to go beyond the traditional head with simply two dots for eyes and a smile, as many of them had a variety of different printed features including eyepatches, facial hair, and feminine makeup, though in the early years all still featured the smiley face as their base.

[5] Prior to the launch of Lego Pirates, minifigures were distinguished in function and organization by their torso, headgear (either a helmet or hair), and accessories, being generic roles without any specified character.

Story suggestions were printed on boxes, particularly for the USA market where the larger sets had a flap that opened up to display the contents.

The Governor of the colony was forced to fortify the settlements and attempted to hide the treasure in his main fortress.

[5] The Pirates were led by Captain Redbeard (called Captain Roger in some markets), distinguished by his black bicorne hat, left eye patch, peg leg on the right and a hook where his left hand was; his crew included First Mate Rummy, Flashfork the cook, and the young Bo'Sun Will.

6285 Black Seas Barracuda was their first pirate ship while 6270 Forbidden Island was their original hideout, both released in 1989.

Opposing the Pirates were the Imperial Soldiers led by Governor Broadside and his second-in-command Lieutenant de Martinet.

These blue-coated forces were based upon the French navy and marines of the colonial era and Napoleonic Wars, being known Imperial Soldiers in certain catalogues worldwide, though explicitly identified as "Governors" on page 16 of the 1990 American catalog.

[8] The Soldiers and Guards minifigures were very similar save for a Palette swap of uniforms and facial expressions.

This resulted in Lego having three factions in 1994 and 1995, with the Pirates battling the Imperial Guard on the high seas and disturbing the Islanders while seeking treasure.

For instance the 6286 Skull's Eye Schooner (1993), which succeeded 6285 Black Seas Barracuda (1989) as the main Pirates ship set, implemented a mechanism for the ship's wheel to control the rudder which necessitated a smaller and less detailed aft cabin, plus the Skull's Eye Schooner's cannons are attached to rotating turntables on sliders instead of the more realistic placement of cannons upon wheeled naval carriages like earlier Lego Pirates ship sets.

[10][11] 6289 Red Beard Runner (1996), which replaced 6286, drew criticism for "battle damage" features like the tumbling forward mast and collapsing quarterdeck as these made the assembled set unstable.