All Terrain Tactical Enforcer/Legends

"These weapons of war would be awe-inspiring, if they were not so terrifying."

- Supreme Chancellor Palpatine

The All Terrain Tactical Enforcer (AT-TE), sometimes called tanks by clone troopers, was an all terrain assault walker developed for the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. It was also one of the the first precursors of the AT-AT walker. It would later be used on a limited scale by the Galactic Empire.

Characteristics
"Trampling target."

- An AT-TE driver



The AT-TE was a multi-purpose assault vehicle capable of tasks ranging from the transportation of platoons of clone troopers around a battlefield to full-scale attacks upon enemy installations. The vehicle performed most admirably in support roles that involved providing immediate cover fire for battalions of soldiers. AT-TEs were often deployed in large numbers to overwhelm the enemy through sheer volume of fire.

The rear internal compartment was cramped and contained a number of computer consoles which included a holographic communication system allowing for representations of commanders to be projected inside the vehicle. On the standard model, troopers were located in the forward and rear compartments with large doors present in the back which opened allowing soldiers to exit the vehicle. A top door allowed a soldier to observe the battlefield from the top of the walker. On a variant model, the rear-ward compartment could store two AT-RT walkers capable of being deployed from a lower landing door. Another variant held facilities for a small mobile command center. Additional models were produced throughout the wars as Rothana continued modifying their design.

An AT-TE was impervious to ion damage due to built-in electromagnetic shielding. Its average speed was 60 kph (37.2 mph). This plodding pace allowed it to penetrate energy shields, a feat that was impossible for repulsorlift craft. Effective in numerous terrains and environments, some models of the walker was even capable of scaling vertical cliffs, similar to the later UT-AT transport. During the Battle of Bothawui, it was demonstrated that the AT-TE was even useful in space combat, when a contingent of the walkers were deployed on asteroids to ambush a Separatist fleet.

An AT-TE contained enough fuel to stride at full speed for over 500 kilometers and possessed enough scrubbed air and military rations to last its crew for three weeks out in the harsh conditions of the battlefield.

Seven specially-trained crew members were needed in order for the vehicle to function properly. The pilot worked the six legs of the walker, while a spotter utilized several sensor stations to ascertain the locations of hostile units and primary objectives.

The spotter then had to relay this information to the four gunners nestled at gun stations within the heavily-armored hull of the walker. A final crew member had to sit behind the controls of the heavy cannon atop the AT-TE, partially exposed to enemy fire. Ten clone trooper passengers could be held in each section of the walker (20 total). In addition, an IM-6 medical droid was located in the back of the AT-TE for emergency medical treatment.

The largest weapon was the enormous mass-driver cannon. This cannon could be loaded with an array of heavy energy weapons and solid shells, depending on the specifications of the mission. The payloads of the gun could range from burrowing bunker busters to heat-seeking missiles to sonic charges. However, it had a comparatively slow rate of fire and variable accuracy.



Six smaller laser cannons were strategically placed along the vehicle. Four were located in a square pattern around the cockpit, while two more were placed in the rear to cover the flanks and help secure dropoff points for the platoons contained within. These troopers were essential to the survival of the AT-TE when the walker came under fire from enemy infantry units that were too small to be accurately targeted by the main cannons.



Regardless of its heavy armor, the AT-TE was not invulnerable. A single direct hit by a rocket from a Hailfire droid was capable of destroying an AT-TE, and they were also highly vulnerable to air attacks. However its high silhouette made it easier to target by enemies. One of its design flaws was that it was low to the ground, so the turret gunner's protection of the vulnerable underside was limited. The low ground clearance of this vehicle also made it susceptible to mines exploding beneath the walker. This flaw was eliminated in the later AT-AT walker.

Special sockets for the AT-TE were created onboard Acclamator-class assault ships. While any Republic spacecraft could transport these walkers through space, a variant of the LAAT/i gunship, the LAAT/c, had to be used to ferry these vehicles down to battlefields.

Republic use
The AT-TE design was inspired by the arctic horny whelmer of Rothana. The AT-TE was first built as a patrol vehicle for mining companies operating on distant worlds, who were in need of a vehicle that could help maintain order. When war loomed and Rothana Heavy Engineering gained military contracts, they revised the design and modified it for combat duty.

Following the success of the walker at the first Battle of Geonosis and other conflicts in the Clone Wars, Rothana created the AT-HE, AT-AT, and AT-AP walkers to supplement the earlier design. They also began tweaking the AT-TE design itself, replacing standard legs with longer ones on some of the walkers, presumably to increase their gunners' line-of-sight and to more easily avoid obstacles. Additionally, other companies who were inspired by the walker design would go on to create similar-looking vehicles like the UT-AT and the AT-OT.

During the Clone Wars, the AT-TE was used heavily in many campaigns, especially in the outer rim sieges. In the many battles and campaigns of the Clone Wars, Clone troopers and Jedi generals would refer to the AT-TEs as "tanks" when discussing deployment and strategic use. In some campaigns, the Republic used AT-TEs in conjunction with AT-OTs. During the First battle of Felucia, two AT-TE's were used to fight alongside a Juggernaut that was the command vehicle of Ahsoka Tano.

After the end of the Clone Wars, the newly self-declared Emperor Palpatine favored and authorized the use of newer &mdash; and more destructive &mdash; war vehicles.

Imperial use


During the Galactic Civil War, surviving AT-TEs were still used by the Empire, mainly in campaigns in the Outer Rim Territories. The walkers no longer had a primary status in military campaigns, but were sometimes used for additional fire-support alongside larger assault vehicles, including AT-AT walkers and Juggernaut tanks.

Some were deployed to backwater worlds like Maridun and Jabiim, where they were used only for logistical purposes and not as front-line combat vehicles. Many of those walkers were adapted to fit new mission roles and planetary environments. Some had parts of their rear side-armor removed, enabling embarked troops to shoot at enemies on the sides. This added to the vehicle's lateral defenses, but also increased their vulnerability to grenades and other short-range weaponry. The walkers were still used for front-line combat on more remote, less technologically advanced worlds like those in the Atoa system.

Some walkers had most of their top armor and offensive armament removed (such as the projectile cannon) so that they could be used to transport large amounts of cargo.

Behind the scenes
The AT-TEs are never named on screen during their appearance in Attack of the Clones, but they are named in video games in which they appear. Unlike its successor, the AT-AT, the AT-TE isn't depicted as being nearly unstoppable. During their first appearance it was shown they could be destroyed by a single shot from a heavily armed CIS vehicle, though in video games, especially the Battlefront series, they are far more durable.

Envisioned by Concept Design Supervisor Ryan Church as the technological predecessor of the AT-AT walkers seen in The Empire Strikes Back, the AT-TE walker was a late addition in the Episode II post-production mix. It was then the job of Animation Supervisor Rob Coleman's group to animate the CGI AT-TEs. Tom St. Amand, one of the animators, had previously worked on the stop-motion animation of the AT-AT walkers back during "Empire's" production, and was able to offer his insight into replicating a similar look and feel in CGI. During production, the AT-TE walker was identified as "clone walker."

Non-canonical appearances

 * LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
 * LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
 * Sith make the best pancakes
 * Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron