All Terrain Walkers are armored fighting vehicles from the Star Wars universe that traverse the landscape on mechanical legs. They are used by the Old Republic, the Galactic Empire, and the First Order for ground assault, reconnaissance or transport. Throughout the saga walkers have played a pivotal role in the fate of characters and the outcome of battles. Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) is responsible for their animation and design, often using models, stop-motion animation, and relevant matte paintings to depict their presence in the films.
There are a variety of walkers: The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi introduced the All Terrain Armored Transport (AT-AT) and All Terrain Scout Transport (AT-ST). Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and The Clone Wars introduced earlier Clone Wars-era models of walkers, such as the All-Terrain Tactical Enforcer (AT-TE), and the All Terrain Recon Transports (AT-RT). The Star Wars Legends continuity features numerous walker variants, several of which have been merchandised in popular culture, while the later films Rogue One and Star Wars: The Last Jedi depicted, respectively, the AT-ACT variant to the standard AT-AT, a restyled AT-AT for the First Order, and a new, even larger walker known as the AT-M6.
All Terrain Armored Transport (AT-AT)
The All Terrain Armored Transport () is a quadruped mechanized infantry combat vehicle used by Imperial ground forces.
The AT-AT (pronounced either casually as 'at at', or using only the letters '') was first introduced in The Empire Strikes Back (as the Galactic Empire's main units against Rebel Alliance infantry during the Battle of Hoth) and also appears in Return of the Jedi and in Rogue One (in the AT-ACT variant).
The also appears in a destroyed form in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, explained in the video game Star Wars Battlefront (2015) to be a residue of the Battle of Jakku, which was the Empire's last defeat and resulted in its dissolution, where Rey uses its husk for shelter. Updated forms appear in The Last Jedi (used by the First Order to attack Resistance forces in a former Rebel base).
The theme park attraction Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, set after The Last Jedi, features two full-sized AT-ATs in a hangar bay. These walkers, while mostly static, can move their cannons to allow for a scene in which the walker's drivers spot the ride vehicles and fire at them.
Origin and design Joe Johnston's original design for the Empire's war machines was a giant, multi-wheeled vehicle; this design later became the "Juggernaut" in West End Games' roleplaying material, and the design was reworked into the clone turbo tank for Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Johnston said Lucas wanted the walkers to look like anthropomorphic walking tanks to make them frightening.
For The Empire Strikes Back, however, the final design was a four-legged walker. Inspiration for the came from Paraceratherium, an extinct genus most closely related to living rhinoceroses, and one of the largest known land mammals. The design was also partially inspired by a Syd Mead illustration from a U.S. Steel brochure depicting walking trucks. George Lucas later dismissed claims that the design was inspired by container cranes at the Port of Oakland (across San Francisco Bay from ILM's San Rafael offices), calling it a "myth"; animator Phil Tippett told the San Francisco Chronicle the same thing.
ILM created models ranging from in height. ILM filmed the using stop-motion animation against matte paintings created by Michael Pangrazio because attempts at compositing miniature footage against live-action background footage yielded mediocre results. Additionally, ILM studied elephants to determine the best way to animate the four-legged . Although the stop-motion animation style gave the a jerky, "staccato-like" effect on film, ILM found this movement acceptable because of the mechanical nature.
The sound of the AT-AT walking was created by sound designer Ben Burtt using a punch press.
Depiction The All Terrain Armored Transport is an assault walker used by Imperial ground forces to blast through enemy lines with its sheer mass and firepower and deploy a platoon of crack assault troops.Barr, et al. (2019), p. 331 The thick armor plating on the AT-AT will deflect or absorb anything but the heaviest turbolaser weaponry, although the neck and belly are vulnerable to missiles and blasters. Standing over tall,Luceno, et al. (2018), p. 193 the is as much a weapon of terror as anything else, and its mere presence is often enough to intimidate the local populace into obedience. This prodigious height helps the walker see over obstacles and provides a clear line of sight for its weaponry, carried in its heavily armored head, and it can traverse most difficult terrain using advanced terrain sensors. Its size also makes the a conspicuous target, and the combination of a high center of gravity with unstable legs makes it susceptible to tripping. When it comes time to deploy, troops carried in the exit out of the sides via harness-and-cable from extendable boom racks while speeder bikes exit out the front and back using harnesses.
In the Battle of Hoth, General Veers leads a group of and AT-STs dubbed Blizzard Force in the attack on the Rebels' Echo Base, as only slow-moving ground vehicles can penetrate the base's shield system.Lund, et al. (2016), p. 142-143 During the battle, the AT-AT designated Blizzard Two is destroyed when Wedge Antilles and Wes Janson use their snowspeeder's tow cable to trip it up and target its now-exposed neck with blaster fire to blow it up. Luke Skywalker destroys another AT-AT, Blizzard Four, by using a magnetic grapple to reach its underbelly, cut open a hole with his lightsaber and throw in a grenade. Ultimately the Empire is victorious as General Veers' Blizzard One destroys the shield generator, and in the ensuing rout he orders the remaining AT-ATs and AT-STs to overrun the Rebels' trenches and capture as many as possible.
A ruined appears in Star Wars: The Force Awakens as the makeshift home of the scavenger Rey on the planet Jakku. Using scavenged parts from the walker and other vehicles, Rey is able to construct a power system for her home along with booby traps and motion sensors to deter potential thieves.Lund, et al. (2016), p. 176-177 The First Order uses an updated model of the AT-AT during the Battle of Crait at the end of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Built by Kuat-Entralla Drive Yards, these versions of the venerable AT-AT address some of its stability issues and use lighter armor material to increase protection without increasing weight.Luceno, et al. (2018), p. 344-345
Analysis In 2011, a fan-led effort to get a life-sized, fully functional AT-AT built was stopped by Lucasfilm as violating their intellectual property. Commenting on the effort, Heiko Hoffman, a robotics expert at HRL Laboratories, argued that building an AT-AT would easily cost US$100 million or more. He also argued that building such a vehicle would pose challenges since structural strength does not increase the same way as mass and there would be tremendous stress on the legs and joints, though he noted the AT-AT's method of walking was "statically stable" and appropriate for a heavy vehicle. A later estimate conducted in 2016 argued that building a real-life AT-AT would cost US$228.5 million. Using the M1 Abrams as a starting point, such a vehicle would weigh over 1,000 tons and generate 19 megawatts of power.
Dr. Malcolm Davis, director of the Defense & Strategy Program at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, argues that the AT-AT has several flaws which make it an ineffective design. Compared to tracked vehicles, Davis states that while walking vehicles like the AT-AT can potentially step over obstacles, they cannot run as fast, and destroying a leg would topple one over. The AT-AT also has a limited field of fire with all its weapons mounted in the head and its slab sides would be more vulnerable to shaped charge munitions as opposed to angled sides. He notes however that its height would give its line-of-sight weaponry a greater reach and puts its occupants well above any IED explosion.
Joe Pappalardo of Popular Mechanics also argues that the AT-AT is a poorly-designed troop transport, being slow, top-heavy and conspicuous with its legs being a particular vulnerability. He contends that the Empire would have won the Battle of Hoth faster and more easily if they had deployed smaller conventional vehicles.
Cultural impact Kenner debuted a toy version of the AT-AT to tie into the release The Empire Strikes Back, which was rereleased with updated packaging for Return of the Jedi. Lego has released many different sets of the AT-AT walker since the first one debuted in 2003. When the Ultimate Collector Series version of the AT-AT was released in 2021, it represented the second-largest Star Wars set to date, containing 6,785 pieces at a retail cost of US$799.99.
In 2017, William Plessinger of the Clintonville neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio unveiled a handmade replica of the AT-AT walker on his front lawn on Halloween night. Standing an estimated 15 to 20 feet tall, the replica took months to design and construct, and required reinforcement after it suffered storm damage. As of 2025 Plessinger has continued to put up the AT-AT every Halloween season. It also drew the attention of the 501st Legion fan club, which has used it as a backdrop for their photos.
All Terrain Scout Transport (AT-ST)
The All Terrain Scout Transport (AT-ST) is a two-legged mech walker introduced briefly in the Battle of Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back and featured extensively in the Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi. These vehicles were designed to screen and protect the flanks of slower moving AT-ATs and the larger tanks used by the Empire. Due to their design and movement, they are often dubbed as a "chicken walker". The name Scout Walker is also used to refer to an . This name was used for the official toy instead of the name.
An AT-ST also appears briefly in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, patrolling Jedha City following an attack by Saw Gerrera's forces. A modified AT-ST later appears in The Mandalorian under the possession of a group of raiders, as the Empire has ceased to exist by the time of the series. An updated model of the AT-ST is used by the First Order in The Last Jedi. Shortly before the film's climax, an AT-ST is commandeered by BB-8.
Video games such as Star Wars: Rogue Squadron and Shadows of the Empire (in a much expanded Battle of Hoth) include numerous , and these can be destroyed by direct shooting from the player's craft, in contrast to the heavily armored which have to be tripped by tow cables. are also player-controllable units in several real-time strategy games.
Origin and design A single AT-ST makes a brief appearance in The Empire Strikes Back alongside the larger during the Battle of Hoth. The was meant to have more screen time; however, one scene depicting a snowspeeder shooting at the model was ruined when the set's background shifted.
For Return of the Jedi, ILM made the design more detailed. Numerous models were created, including a full-sized for on-location shooting. Director Richard Marquand and producer Robert Watts had cameos as operators for the scene in which Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) and a pair of Ewoks commandeer an AT-ST.
Lee Seiler sued Lucasfilm in the mid-1980s, claiming that the infringed on his copyright on what he called a "Garthian Strider", which he said he created in 1976 or 1977. The case was dismissed with the court noting that not only did Seiler not produce the supposed drawings at trial, but that the copyright came one year after The Empire Strikes Back debuted.Seiler v. Lucasfilm, Ltd., 613 F.Supp. 1253 (1984), affirmed, 808 F.2d 1316 (1986). Retrieved 10 Aug. 2013.
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