All Terrain Scout Transport/Legends

"AT-ST's will no longer be deployed on planets with an abundance of trees or other known obstacles such as rock-wielding primitives."

- AT-ST service manuals, post-Battle of Endor

The All Terrain Scout Transport (AT-ST) was a bipedal walker used by the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars and, later, the Galactic Empire during the Galactic Civil War.

Description
Also known as a "chicken walker" because of its shape and walking motion, the AT-ST was a heavily armed light ground combat vehicle. It was equipped with a chin-mounted double medium laser cannon, a concussion grenade launcher on the left side of its head, and a blaster cannon on the right.



The chin guns had an effective range of 2 kilometers and were used for anti-vehicle attacks, while the blaster and grenade launcher provided close-range protection. AT-STs are piloted by a crew of two drivers.

The bipedal propulsion system was one of the primary weaknesses of the AT-ST. While on even terrain the walker could achieve over 90 kilometers per hour, on uneven or shifting terrain a walker could easily become unbalanced enough to fall over.

History
Early on in the Clone Wars, engineers at Rothana were busy developing a new bipedal walker, known as the All Terrain Scout Transport, following their construction and testing of the AT-XT.

The earliest models would be deployed by the Grand Army of the Republic during the latter stages of the Clone Wars. The conflict would also see the debut of several other bipedal walker designs, like the AT-RT and the AT-AP.



Under the Empire, Balmorra was the center of AT-ST production. The AT-ST was later viewed by Imperial commanders as a highly versatile weapon, excelling against infantry and lightly armored vehicles, but also useful for protecting vital units and patrolling hostile areas.

At the Battle of Hoth, several AT-STs were deployed to provide cover for the larger AT-AT walkers. These were of a different model than the more regular AT-ST seen on Endor. The chin-cannons had longer barrels, the light blaster cannon was a different model, the "head" of the walker was not as blocky and it had longer legs, making it slightly taller than the stock-version.

It's possible this model was more specialized for escort/assault missions, although not as heavily as the 10 meter tall AT-ST/As. The walker was also a specially-modified model for polar climates, as were all the vehicles used on Hoth.

The AT-ST's problem with shifting terrain was demonstrated during the Battle of Endor, when Ewoks released a large pile of logs and stones to roll down the hill into the path of an AT-ST. The walker was unable to handle the rapidly shifting ground, and despite attempts by the pilot to stabilize the vehicle, it fell on its side and was destroyed.

Behind the scenes



 * An early scout walker concept was used in the Revenge of the Sith comic adaptation. This was derived from Episode III concept art made by Ryan Church.


 * The script referred to the AT-RT walker as a "modified scout walker", which may imply that this two-man design was the basis.


 * More scenes with the AT-ST were filmed for the movies, but George Lucas decided that the AT-ATs would be more impressive and that the AT-ST would look better in close quarters.


 * The AT-ST model received some cosmetic changes for its extensive appearance in Return of the Jedi, thus explaining the minor differences in the models used for the two films.

Appearances

 * It Takes a Thief in Clone Wars Adventures: Volume 6
 * Labyrinth of Evil
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith novelization
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith comic
 * Star Wars: Battlefront
 * Star Wars: Battlefront II
 * Pax Empirica
 * Force Unleashed
 * Star Wars: Empire at War
 * Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire
 * Star Wars Empire: To the Last Man
 * Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds
 * Star Wars Galaxies: The Ruins of Dantooine
 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Super Empire Strikes Back
 * Star Wars: Demolition
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * Apocalypse Endor
 * Star Wars: Force Commander
 * Dark Forces: Rebel Agent
 * Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II
 * Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
 * Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
 * X-wing: Rogue Leader
 * The Courtship of Princess Leia
 * Crimson Empire
 * ''Darksaber
 * Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse
 * The Unifying Force