The first Blacktron theme released was considered to be the "bad guys", and it featured a large spacecraft which set the tone for all future big ships by splitting into a number of smaller modules, including a storage bin for a small wheeled vehicle; these modules could be recombined not just with each other, but with modules from other vehicles in the set as well. This modular interchangeability has been a staple of LEGO Space ever since. For clarification, the first Blacktron iteration is often referred to as Blacktron I, as LEGO released Blacktron II (or Blacktron Future Generation) in 1991. Though Blacktron officially ended in 1988, Blacktron minifigures were also included as prisoners in sets of Space Police I.
In 1991, Blacktron received a makeover becoming the Blacktron Future Generation: black with white trim, M-Tron's neon yellow canopies, as well as new uniforms. It also replaced the creative but haphazard interchangeability of Blacktron with refined and mostly uniform cockpit globes, which could be switched unimpeded between those ships. Considering Blacktron II's slightly altered color scheme it could be viewed as being from between the "upgrade" era of Blacktron to Blacktron II.
In recent years the Blacktron theme got some little throwbacks, as in 2009 a new Blacktron figure is featured in Space Police III; in 2011 a new Blacktron minifigure appears in the Minifigures Series 3; in 2013 another appears in the Minifigures Series 11, and in 2014 as part of the LEGO Movie theme the last new physical Blacktron minifigure is released. This year (2019), the Blacktron theme returns virtually as a level for The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame.
With all said and done, I believe that there is a market for a new iteration of Blacktron, as this theme would appeal both to the nostalgic Blacktron/Classic Space fans, but also to many new children and alofs around the world!
