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All Terrain Armored Transport

Revision as of 17:23, 3 January 2016 by 68.113.103.42 (contribs) (→‎History: Lost Stars depicts AT-ATs being used and even mentions seeing one of them fall during the battle)
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"They're the most heavily armored ground vehicles in the Imperial Army."
"...so what you're saying is that you have a thorough knowledge of just how screwed we are."
―Thane Kyrell and Yendor, just before the Battle of Hoth[src]

The All Terrain Armored Transport (AT-AT) was a four-legged combat walker used by the ground forces of the Galactic Empire. With the Imperial-class Star Destroyer and the TIE/LN starfighter, it was one of the most famous symbols of the Empire's military might.

Description

File:AT-AT blueprints Relics of the Old Republic.jpeg

All Terrain Armored Transport blueprints

"Watch out kid, this thing handles like a drunken bantha."
―Han Solo, to Luke Skywalker while piloting an AT-AT[src]

The All Terrain Armored Transport was an imposing, quadrupedal combat walker that stood 22.5 meters tall. Due to their impressive appearance, it was used as much for psychological effect as for tactical reasons. Additionally, it also served as transports for combat personnel. The vehicle's cockpit and sensor array was located in the "head" part,[4] which also carried the main armaments: dual medium blasters located on the "temples," and a pair of heavier laser cannons fitted on the "chin." Inside the cockpit stood an AT-AT commander behind two AT-AT drivers who controlled the walker's movement.[8] The armor plating of the AT-AT was impervious to blaster bolts, however the neck and joints proved weak spots and could be damaged by blaster cannons and other heavy weaponry. The entire walker was vulnerable to other AT-AT fire, if one happened to be hijacked and turned against the other.[2][5][9]

Connecting the "head" to the "body" was what was dubbed the "tunnel," which would lead to a troop compartment capable of ferrying numerous soldiers, along with a vehicle bay at the walker's rear that held five 74-Z speeder bikes. The main, rectangular troop hatch was located in the middle of the walker's side, while two smaller escape hatches were located both to the main hatch's immediate left and right. The walker's tail end consisted of filtered atmosphere intakes on its upper part, while a blaster canon energizer was located within. At the bottom of the behemoth was the walker's fuel slug tank, which had a reputation of being dangerous. The walker's four legs were aided with the assistance of ankle drive motors, while inside the giant footpads were several terrain scanners.[4]

There was a more heavily-armored variant with a darker color scheme called an Elite AT-AT.[10]

History

"Echo Station 3-T-8. We have spotted Imperial walkers."
―A Rebel trooper, shortly before the Battle of Hoth[src]

The AT-AT walker was developed for use in the Imperial Army, the ground forces of the Galactic Empire. It was the successor of the All Terrain Tactical Enforcer that saw use during the Clone Wars,[11] although it a constituted far more imposing example of walker technology.[2] Heavily armored and awe-inducing, the AT-AT positioned itself as the standard of Imperial firepower on the battlefield.[12]

At least four years prior to the Battle of Yavin, the Imperial Security Bureau Agent Kallus led three developmental AT-AT walkers on an assault on the desert planet of Seelos. These early AT-AT's were in fact larger than what would later be used by the Galactic Empire, and carried at least 1 614-AvA speeder bike in its vehicle bay.[5] The 614-AvA speeder bikes would later be replaced with the newer 74-Z speeder bikes coming into production.[4]

Stolen at-at

The stolen AT-AT on Cymoon 1

During the Rebel assault on the Imperial weapons factory moon of Cymoon 1, a group of Rebels led by Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa stole an AT-AT from Weapons Factory Alpha. They used the walker to escape from the factory after they sabotaged its main power core to explode. During their escape, Solo fired the shot that nearly killed the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, using its powerful quad laser cannons.[3] Soon after, Vader managed to overtake the Rebels in their escape and cut down the massive walker's back-left leg. The AT-AT fell tremendously and its passengers barely managed to escape the wreckage;[13] before fleeing Cymoon 1 entirely for the safety of the Alliance Fleet[14]

Battle of Hoth

Three AT-ATs attacking Echo Base.

During the Battle of Hoth, General Maximillian Veers led a squadron of five AT-ATs on the icy fields of Hoth to knock out the shield generator that protected Echo Base, the Rebel headquarters. The triumph of Veers' squadron allowed the Imperials to invade Echo Base and rout the Rebels, striking a major blow in the war. However, the battle also revealed that the AT-ATs could be toppled by a cable wrapped around their legs. Although that weakness had been used effectively by the Alliance on Hoth,[7] the Empire continued to use these mechanical behemoths in the later stages of the war.[15] The Empire would nonetheless continue put it to good use during its struggle against the enemy Rebel Alliance, participating in several skirmishes on Tatooine[10] and later on Jakku [9].

Behind the scenes

MCQ-atat

AT-AT concept art by Ralph McQuarrie

The names "All Terrain Armored Transport" or "AT-AT" is never spoken in any of the films. Instead, the machines are referred to as "Imperial walkers." The AT-ATs used in The Empire Strikes Back[7] and the brief appearance in Return of the Jedi[15] were created with the use of stop-motion animation.

In the The Empire Strikes Back DVD commentary, George Lucas explained that he got the idea of the AT-AT from the massive tripods from H.G. Wells' 1898 novel The War of the Worlds.[16]

Appearances

Sources

External links

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Facebook icon Star Wars Rebels on Facebook
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 StarWars AT-AT walker in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Star Wars 2: Skywalker Strikes, Part II
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 Star Wars: Rey's Survival Guide
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Rebels-mini-logo Star Wars Rebels — "Relics of the Old Republic"
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 StarWars We've Spotted Imperial Walkers: A History of Legged War Machines on StarWars.com (backup link)
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
  8. ↑ Star Wars in 100 Scenes
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lost Stars
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Star Wars: Commander
  11. ↑ StarWars AT-TE walker in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
  12. ↑ StarWars AT-ST walker in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
  13. ↑ Star Wars 3: Skywalker Strikes, Part III
  14. ↑ Star Wars 4: Skywalker Strikes, Part IV
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
  16. ↑ Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back DVD commentary
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