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Merge-arrow Merging and redirecting All Terrain Armored Transport (Galactic Civil War) into this article may be desirable. (Discuss)

"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 Brethen, just before the Battle of Hoth[13]

The All Terrain Armored Transport (AT-AT) was a four-legged combat walker of the All-terrain vehicle line used by the ground forces of the Galactic Republic, Galactic Empire, and the First Order. Along with the Imperial-class Star Destroyer, stormtroopers, and the TIE fighter, it was one of the most famous symbols of the Empire's military might.

Models[]

Early model[]

This model was used against the early rebellion.[4] This variant featured two heavy laser cannon turrets, four anti-personnel blasters, and a dorsal twin laser turret at the rear.[14]

Later model[]

This model was used during the Galactic Civil War.[5] This variant was shorter than the early model, and featured dual Piperii-Cerlurn R-90C medium blasters located on the sides or "temples," and a pair of Taim & Bak MS-1 fire-linked heavy laser cannons mounted on the "chin."[15]

Elite AT-AT[]

This was a modified version of the Galactic Civil War AT-AT: the variant featured, among other things, thicker and darker armor, heavier laser cannons, and an elite crew of pilots.[7]

First Order AT-AT[]

This was an updated version of the AT-AT used by the First Order.[8]

History[]

Age of the Empire[]

"I heard of these. Imperial armored transports. Giant four-legged things that were used to keep the peace on conquered worlds."
Scoggan, to Davjan Igo upon entering the ruins of an AT-AT[16]
Rebel defence SWC

AT-ATs lead an Imperial assault on a rebel outpost.

The AT-AT walker was developed during the Clone Wars[9] and used in the Imperial Army, the ground forces of the Galactic Empire. It was the successor of the All Terrain Tactical Enforcer that also saw use during the Clone Wars,[17] although it constituted a far more imposing example of walker technology.[3] Heavily armored and awe-inducing, the AT-AT positioned itself as the standard of Imperial firepower on the battlefield.[18]

ProtoATATmainhold

Cal Kestis infiltrated an AT-AT and took control of the walker during a confrontation on Kashyyyk.

Many AT-ATs were built in the factories of the planet Balmorra.[19] In 14 BBY, the Empire used AT-ATs against the Partisans led by Saw Gerrera on Kashyyyk during an attack on an imperial refinery. During the battle, the Padawan Jedi Cal Kestis stole an AT-AT and used it to provide aid to Partisans. Kestis used the walker's firepower to eliminate most of the Imperial troops, but the AT-AT ended up falling.[11]

Galactic Civil War[]

"That armor's too strong for blasters. Rogue group, use your harpoons and tow cables. Go for the legs; it might be our only chance of stopping them."
Luke Skywalker, during the Battle of Hoth[5]

In 4 BBY,[20] the Imperial Security Bureau Agent Kallus led three early AT-AT walkers on an assault on the desert planet of Seelos against the Spectres and three retired clone officers aboard an AT-TE.[4]

In 3 BBY,[21] AT-ATs were again used against the Spectres, when Princess Leia Organa arrived on the planet to give the Ghost's crew three Sphyrna-class Hammerhead corvettes. Two walkers were deployed to patrol the transports' landing platform, which were formally on Lothal to offer supplies to citizens impacted by the rebel efforts. When the rebels tried to steal the corvettes, the Ghost started firing on the AT-ATs. Four proton torpedos were not powerful enough to destroy one of the walkers, and it was necessary for Kanan Jarrus to use his lightsaber to cut its legs, toppling it. The second one was knocked down by the engines of the last Hammerhead, piloted by Ryder Azadi.[22]

Imperial walkers Inside Man

AT-ATs on the planet Lothal.

In 2 BBY,[23] Lieutenant Yogar Lyste deployed two AT-AT walkers, Walker 271 and Walker 414, to combat an attack on the east gate of the Imperial Armory Complex by members of the Lothal resistance group led by Ryzder Azadi. The rebels Kanan, Ezra Bridger, and Chopper escaped in the stolen AT-DP Walker 216. However, Grand Admiral Thrawn realized that the rebels had hijacked the AT-DP walker and ordered his AT-ATs to crush them. One of the AT-AT walkers proceeded to crush the AT-DP under its heavy body but the rebels managed to use their lightsabers to cut their way aboard. Morad Sumar also fired a rocket which hit one of the walker's legs. After knocking out the AT-AT pilots, the two climbed out and escaped with Ryder's cell into the wilderness.[24]

Thrawn then deployed four of these during the battle on Atollon. Jedi survivor Kanan Jarrus then destroyed one with his lightsaber. The Bendu then destroyed two of the AT-AT walkers. However, the last one shot Bendu down from the sky.[25]

Stolen at-at

The stolen AT-AT on Cymoon 1

Around the time of the Battle of Yavin, a new AT-AT model was introduced. At this time, the Alliance to Restore the Republic stole a number of AT-ATs and provided them to Saponza's Gang.[7]

During the Rebel assault on the Imperial weapons factory moon of Cymoon 1, a group of Rebels led by Han Solo and 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 a shot that nearly killed the Sith Lord Darth Vader, using all the AT-AT's powerful armaments.[26] 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 escaped the wreckage[27] before fleeing Cymoon 1 entirely for the safety of the Alliance Fleet.[28]

During the Battle of Hoth, General Maximilian Veers led a squadron of at least 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,[5] the Empire continued to use these mechanical behemoths in the later stages of the war.[29]

Rebel-Sabatuer

A Rebel Alliance saboteur destroys multiple AT-ATs

Several AT-ATs were deployed by Admiral Kalaxo during the Battle of Ab Dalis.[30] A number of AT-ATs marched as part of an Imperial Unity Day parade on[31] the planet[32] Bar'leth in the Core Worlds, where the Empire was caught by surprise by a rebel attack. Caught totally offguard, all AT-ATs and other mechanical marchers were destroyed by the time the rebels withdrew in an attack that was transmitted to the entire galaxy, proving the rebellion had survived the Battle of Hoth.[31] During the occupation of Endor, at least one AT-AT was present on Endor prior to the Battle of Endor.[29]

Shortly after the Battle of Endor, AT-ATs were present for the Battle of Cawa City.[33] The rogue agents of Inferno Squad Iden Versio and Del Meeko used an AT-AT in order to escape Vardos, during Operation: Cinder.[34] In 5 ABY,[35] at least one AT-AT walker was stationed at Camp Sardo on the planet Kashyyyk. During the Liberation of Kashyyyk, several Wookiee guerrilla fighters, including Kirratha, hijacked the AT-AT walker and threw out the crew.[12] Later, AT-ATs were deployed against New Republic forces during the Battle of Jakku.[13]

Rise of the First Order[]

Decades after the war, a young scavenger named Rey used one of the downed AT-ATs, designated Hellhound Two, as her home on Jakku.[36]

The First Order used an updated version of the AT-AT in its army branch. The walkers were deployed under the command of Kylo Ren, the master of the Knights of Ren and grandson of Darth Vader, during the First Order's brief struggle against the Benathy species.[37] Later, during the Battle of Crait, these AT-ATs escorted the newer AT-M6s.[8] This model of AT-AT walker was also stored aboard Commander Pyre's Resurgent-class Star Destroyer, though the warship was ultimately destroyed during the rescue of Tamara Ryvora.[38]

Behind the scenes[]

MCQ-atat

AT-AT concept art by Ralph McQuarrie.

The AT-ATs in The Empire Strikes Back[5] and the brief appearance in Return of the Jedi[29] were filmed via stop motion.

Initially, the Empire was to attack the Rebel base on Hoth using tanks.[39] Joe Johnston created many designs of these vehicles,[40] one of which was the basis for the HAVw A6 Juggernaut that appeared in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and the HAVw A5 Juggernaut in Star Wars Legends,[39] and the tanks themselves were to be portrayed by remote-controlled vehicles. However, Dennis Muren and Joe Johnston convinced George Lucas to use stop motion instead,[40] which eventually led to the abandonment of the tank design.[39] In the DVD commentary to The Empire Strikes Back, George Lucas explains that he got the idea of the AT-AT from the massive tripods from H.G. Wells' 1898 novel The War of the Worlds.[41] Though it is popularly believed that dock machinery was the inspiration for the AT-AT, Phil Tippett has said otherwise, recalling that it was based on the prehistoric mammal Paraceratherium.[42]

The AT-ATs featured in Star Wars Rebels are different models from the ones in the Star Wars films, inspired by the early concept art drawn by Ralph McQuarrie during the production of The Empire Strikes Back.[43]

Appearances[]

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Non-canon appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

  1. Facebook icon Star Wars Rebels on Facebook: AT-AT (October 25, 2015): "The iconic behemoth of the battlefield." (screenshot)
  2. Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Incredible Cross-Sections
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 StarWars All Terrain Armored Transport in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Rebels-mini-logo Star Wars Rebels — "Relics of the Old Republic"
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
  6. Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Star Wars: Commander
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi
  9. 9.0 9.1 Star Wars: The Last Jedi: The Visual Dictionary
  10. Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Incredible Cross-Sections
  11. 11.0 11.1 Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 Aftermath: Life Debt
  13. 13.0 13.1 Lost Stars
  14. Star Wars Rebels: Visual Guide: Epic Battles
  15. Star Wars: Rogue One: AT-ACT Deluxe Book and 3D Wood Model
  16. "True Love" — Tales from a Galaxy Far, Far Away: Aliens: Volume I
  17. StarWars AT-TE walker in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
  18. StarWars All Terrain Scout Transport in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
  19. Helmet Collection logo small Star Wars Helmet Collection 4 (Databank A-Z: B1 Battle Droid–Bantha)
  20. According to Star Wars: Scum and Villainy: Case Files on the Galaxy's Most Notorious, in the year 7973 C.R.C., Ketsu Onyo resigned from the Black Sun. It also dates the Battle of Scarif to 7977 C.R.C., four years after Onyo's resignation. Star Wars: Galactic Atlas dates Jyn Erso's mission to steal the plans of the first Death Star, which concluded with the Battle of Scarif, to 0 BBY. Therefore, it can be calculated that 7973 C.R.C. is equal to 4 BBY. Since Onyo states in Rebels-mini-logo Star Wars Rebels — "Blood Sisters" that she currently works for the Black Sun, that episode must occur by 4 BBY. Additionally, Star Wars: Galactic Atlas dates the Siege of Lothal to 4 BBY. Since Rebels-mini-logo Star Wars Rebels — "Relics of the Old Republic" occurs after the Siege of Lothal but before the events of Rebels-mini-logo Star Wars Rebels — "Blood Sisters", it can be concluded that the episode took place in 4 BBY.
  21. Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, Updated and Expanded states that Leia Organa was 16 years old during her mission on Lothal. Since Star Wars: Galactic Atlas establishes that Organa was born in 19 BBY, the mission must take place in 3 BBY.
  22. Rebels-mini-logo Star Wars Rebels — "A Princess on Lothal"
  23. Dawn of Rebellion dates the events of Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow seventeen years after the end of the Clone Wars, which Star Wars: Galactic Atlas dates to 19 BBY; therefore, the events of Steps Into Shadow must have taken place in 2 BBY. Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide establishes that the mission to investigate Geonosis, seen in "Ghosts of Geonosis", occurred 2 years before the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story which Galactic Atlas dates to 0 BBY, therefore placing the mission in 2 BBY. As "An Inside Man" is between Steps Into Shadow and "Ghosts of Geonosis," it can also be dated to 2 BBY.
  24. Rebels-mini-logo Star Wars Rebels — "An Inside Man"
  25. Rebels-mini-logo Star Wars Rebels — "Zero Hour"
  26. Star Wars (2015) 2
  27. Star Wars (2015) 3
  28. Star Wars (2015) 4
  29. 29.0 29.1 29.2 Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
  30. Star Wars (2020) 15
  31. 31.0 31.1 Star Wars (2020) 26
  32. Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge: Traveler's Guide to Batuu
  33. Shattered Empire 2
  34. Star Wars Battlefront II
  35. Star Wars: Timelines dates the events of Aftermath: Life Debt to 5 ABY.
  36. Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens
  37. Age of Resistance - Kylo Ren 1
  38. SWResistanceLogo Star Wars Resistance — "The Escape"
  39. 39.0 39.1 39.2 Databank title clone turbo tank in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link)
  40. 40.0 40.1 StarWars Phil Tippett: Hands-On Effects on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
  41. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back DVD commentary
  42. 35 Years After Star Wars, Effects Whiz Phil Tippett Is Slowly Crafting a Mad God by Watercutter, Angela on http://www.wired.com+(May 24, 2012) (archived from the original on June 17, 2016)
  43. StarWars "Relics of the Old Republic" Trivia Gallery on StarWars.com (backup link)

External links[]

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