All Terrain Armored Transport

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"Watch out kid, this thing handles like a drunken bantha."

- Han Solo to Luke Skywalker as he piloted an AT-AT

The All Terrain Armored Transport, often abbreviated as 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 fighter, it was one of the most famous symbols of the Empire's military might.

Description
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 was located in the head part, which also carried the main armaments: a dual light blaster located on the "temples," and a pair of heavier laser cannons fitted on the "chin." Inside the cockpit stood an AT-AT commander behind the two pilots who controlled the walker's movement. The armor plating of the AT-AT was impervious to blaster bolts. There was a more heavily-armored variant with a darker color scheme called an Elite AT-AT.

History
"Echo Station 3-T-8. We have spotted Imperial walkers."

- Rebel trooper on Hoth, shortly before the battle

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, although it a constituted far more imposing example of walker technology. Heavily armored and awe-inducing, the AT-AT positioned itself as the standard of Imperial firepower on the battlefield. The Empire put it to good use during its struggle against the enemy Rebel Alliance. Early on, it participated in several skirmishes on Tatooine.

During the Rebel assault on 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 it's 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.

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, the Empire continued to use these mechanical behemoths in the later stages of the war.

Behind the scenes
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 and the brief appearance in Return of the Jedi were created with the use of stop-motion animation.

In theThe 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.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Galactic Defense
 * Lords of the Sith
 * A New Dawn
 * The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight
 * Star Wars: Battle Pod
 * Star Wars 1: Skywalker Strikes
 * Star Wars 2: Skywalker Strikes, Part II
 * Star Wars 3: Skywalker Strikes, Part III
 * Star Wars: Commander
 * Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
 * AT-AT Attack!
 * Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
 * Star Wars: Battlefront
 * Star Wars: Battlefront