I had long entered my dark ages by the time these hit shelves. I’m not sure how I would have felt about them back then, but now I feel Space made a steady dive downward after 1993, dying a quiet death with Insectoids. Star Wars came out the next year, and Space as a theme has been a forgettable afterthought ever since.

I'm kind of generally ambivalent on the Insectoids except for the Arachnid Base, that was one darn fun set.

A random set that I actually own! I tried to collect this entire theme when I was younger. Looking back I don't really know why except that I have grand plans to be a completionist but rarely does that ever happen. I thought it was a fun theme at the time though and the colors were pretty cool.

Natro I was right in my LEGO Prime when these came out and I hated them, HATED THEM, I don't think I have a single one of these sets. It's just after UFO and RoboForce in 1997 these sets were use letdowns.

I remember being intrigued by these, but I don't think I ever bought any of them. I don't know what the story was overseas, but I don't remember any context or story to give this guys any pathos, they were just insect-shaped spaceships (that Lego did a much better job with eventually with "Galaxy Squad").

"Bi-wing Blaster", though ... I assume everybody's already made the jokes?

I loved insectoids, I thought they were the coolest... In hindsight it was probably sets like these and the ones with the light and sound bricks that were draining Lego's coffers at the time.

Classic LEGO. The more shortlived a theme, the more diehard fans it will receive, even when barely own anything from it. Like me, I only have two sets, and this one not even being one of them, and I absolutely love Insectoids.
You can also find this phenomenon in Galidor, Aqua Raiders 2007, and Life on Mars.

I got lucky, when I came out of my dark ages with Star Wars in 1999, most of the Insectoid sets were still on the shelves, so I got them all at decent prices...

Classic Space had been declining for years, but every theme had its good points; for Insectoids I liked the printed pieces, color scheme, and minifig designs. I should build a Moonbase-style space base for these guys someday...

Space is one of those nostalgic themes for me that I can't get enough of. I always envisioned the different factions as inhabiting the same universe, with each new faction progressing the story to a new location or setting or plot.
UFO and Insectoids were the first aliens in the Lego Space universe. And to me, it always felt like a nice conclusion. It's like when a mysterious background character emerges in the third act. And supplementary material hints that the two factions are somewhat related.
Recently I'm increasingly getting into the revival from 2007 to 2013. I just love the unique and sometimes iconic vehicle designs seen throughout both Space iterations.
Having said all of this, Insectoids is one of my least favourite subthemes. It just feels a bit underdeveloped. No moonbase. Not much of a capital ship. And not much connection to the previous subthemes apart from maybe UFO. The concept, minifigures and sets like Sonic Stinger, Bi-Wing Blaster and Arachnid Star Base are amazing though.

@natro220 nailed it. Spyrius and Unitron just didn't do it, Exploriens was one, last hiccup in the right direction before things took a permanent dive and SW nailed the coffin shut. I will say though that I got a kick out of some of a few of the later sets. Space Police III's Lunar Limo is one of my favorite sets.

@McLegoboy I get the fans of Life on Mars. I only got a couple of those sets at the time, but looking back on it I appreciate it more. A nice, cohesive theme with lots of play value and some nice looking sets.

@Binnekamp if you really hunt for them there's tons of Easter Eggs that confirm that every Space subtheme takes place in the same universe, especially in Space Police III and Collectible Minifigures.