I was never really all that bothered by the AT-ATs that made
their debut in The Empire Strikes Back. This was due in no small part to their
coolness factor. On the big screen these
ponderous juggernauts could not have been more exciting to behold. Despite their tenuous gait they epitomized
the might of the Galactic Empire.
Trudging through snow, picking off Snowspeeders and Rebel soldiers
alike, and generally wreaking havoc on the icebound Hoth base, the seemingly
indestructible AT-AT was the ground assault version of the Star Destroyer. So why should these technological terrors
find their way, if one slow step at a time, into the latest Jedi Justifications? Because, simply put, a friend of mine was
bothered by another form of vehicular combat showcased in Revenge of the Sith.
The specific vehicle in question is known as the A6
Juggernaut or “Turbo Tank”. For this
fellow Star Wars fan the inclusion in that universe of a wheeled vehicle was
unworkable. The nagging question was why
would a culture with the technology for hovercrafts like the ATT and
Landspeeder need any form of conveyance requiring something as relatively
primitive as the wheel? The tripedal
AT-AP and individual-sized AT-RT walkers utilized on Kashyyyk and the massive
AT-TE from the battle of Geonosis, all of them relying on two or more
mechanical legs and precursors to the AT-AT, did not seem at all troublesome to
him despite being far less efficient than the wheeled ordinance. As a result I have been inspired to seek
justification for two modes of transport that might seem out of place to the
overly analytical in the context of a universe where anti-gravity technology
appears to be the universal standard.
Roll Out
With the inspiration for this justification being the
Juggernaut employed by the Republic in defense of the Wookies I will address
the issue of wheels in a galaxy of repulorlifts. At first pass wheels can seem wildly out of place,
even decades before the events in the original Star Wars Trilogy. Why would anyone deploy a mobile weapon that
did not avail itself of the pinnacle of available technology? The answer is rather simple, though only
implicit in what is conveyed on screen.
With Episode I the structure of the Republic, a cooperative of dozens of
sovereign worlds, is expressed through glimpses at the inner workings of the
Senate. Furthermore, the Jedi Order is
established as the principle peace keeping and law enforcement organization
within said government. While the Jedi
play a role in maintaining peace, they are not a standing army. In fact it is suggested that on a whole there
is no such force at the disposal of the Republic.
Prior to the advent of a grossly misappropriated legion of
Clone Troopers the Republic would have had to call on the martial resources of
member planets to field any appreciable combat force against threats internal
and external. When Darth Sideous’ shrewdly
selective Separatist Movement arose, its member systems were major players in
business and industry and posed a challenge to an under-supplied Republic. As a result, any and all available weaponry
was brought to bear, regardless of its vintage or source. While some worlds could offer hovering
vehicles, others might only have wheeled or treaded, tank-like ordinance. And, of course, there were ambulatory weapons
platforms that moved about on mechanical legs of varied numbers.
The Need For Speed
In the case of the
so-called Turbo Tanks utilized on Kashyyyk, rapid deployment of Republic forces
was of the upmost importance. The
Wookies were fighting a losing battle pitting bowcasters and blasters against
an implacable droid army. The massive,
and many, wheels of the A6 Juggernaught would have made it an ideal choice to
convey Clone troops to the battlefield from whatever landing site may have been
available to transport ships. The broad
footprint of the vehicle’s wheels also made it ideal for any terrain. Kicking up clouds of sand on the beachhead
would have been a tremendous detriment to the brave Wookie forces were
hovercraft type vehicles involved.
Furthermore, with timing quite literally being everything,
the snail’s pace of larger armored transports which have lift technology would
have turned the mission from one of reinforcement to one of avenging a
massacre. The Droid Army’s slow-moving
ATTs illustrate the trade off between the ability to hover above the ground and
move quickly over space. In the end it
becomes a terribly inefficient system.
While Landspeeders and Speeder Bikes can race from Point A to Point B
with alarming speed, this rapidity of movement is relative to their size and
weight. Magnifying the mass of Luke
Skywalker’s speeder exponentially to match that bulk of an ATT results in a
tremendous loss of efficiency in forward movement. Given a choice, good old fashioned wheels are
the order of the day, hence their unlikely appearance in one of the final
battles of the Clone Wars.
No Need For Speed
But what of the plodding AT-ATs deployed against the Rebel
base at Hoth? How does this techno
tortoise beat the hare that is the Juggernaut when a well established Galactic
Empire goes into battle against its enemies?
Can speed be a justification in one instance and lethargy in
another? When it comes to Star Wars, yes it can! And the Death Star makes it all possible.
So how does “the ultimate power in the universe” serve to
explain away one of the most inefficient war machines ever to do service in
battle? It really comes down to a single
line from Darth Vader that has a much deeper meaning that underscores one of
the tenents of Imperial philosophy.
Cautioning Admiral Motti not to be, “too proud of this technological
terror you’ve constructed”, Vader capture the essence of how Emperor Palpatine
rules – through terror. After
inexplicably selling the entire Senate on the concept that the Jedi were in
rebellion despite all evidence to the contrary, the Emperor ruled with an iron
first with a doctrine of force and fear.
The Death Stars played into this quite well, as do the AT-ATs.
Essentially the AT-AT is the ultimate terror weapon. Impervious to blaster fire it sends a
chilling message to anyone against whom it is deployed – “We don’t have to be
in a rush to destroy you!” A combination
of ridiculous scale, relaxed pace, and powerful laser weaponry, the AT-AT is an
ideal morale destroyer. Alone or in
groups, these ponderous colossi ply their slow way toward enemy emplacements
with a determination that conveys the intractable nature of the ruling
Empire. Beyond the fear-invoking
presence of these terror machines, their massive size affords them the ability
to wreak further havoc once they have reached their destination. What structures may remain after their laser
cannon have rained down long distance destruction would be as nothing under the
crushing feet of the AT-AT.
While a viable means of transporting troops for the ultimate
ground assault, their primary purpose is to soften up enemy resistance,
mentally as well as physically, before engaging on a more intimate basis. The frightful scale of these decidedly
non-stealthy walking tanks further make them an ideal choice for deployment on
occupied worlds. This is illustrated by
the presence of one of these in the vicinity of the Empire’s shield generator
station on the Endor moon. While the
Ewoks posed a minimal threat to operations (see the very first Jedi
Justifications here), stationing an AT-AT near the base would be an advisable
way to insure that the pesky indigenous population kept its distance. The compliment of supporting AT-ST walkers
provided more direct assault capability as their larger counterpart was merely
a constant reminder that might makes right.
Getting There
The question naturally arises in regard to the torturously
slow approach of General Veers’ landing party as to why a linear ground assault
was launched in the first place.
Certainly Vader’s fleet was well equipped with fleets of TIE Fighters
and other such air/space craft. That
these fighters can traverse the atmospheric barrier of planets effectively
would be illustrated later in The Empire
Strikes Back when two of them are shown in pursuit of the Millennium Falcon
below Cloud City. Why not simply send a
flight of fighters to swoop down on the Rebel base and make short work of their
shield generator? Because it simply
can’t be done.
Precedent for the shield generator the Rebels employed would
not come until premiere of The Phantom
Menace. Since Senator Amidala’s
death could easily have acted as a catalyst for a budding rebellion, it is not
a tremendous leap to suggest that Naboo was a contributing system to its
efforts. What better place than the
birthplace of the hated Emperor for the Rebel Alliance to find support if not
its origins. As such, the shield generation
technologies of the Gungans would have been an ideal resource for the
Alliance. In fact the multi-pod
generator unit they utilized at their Hoth System base is not dissimilar to the
Fambaa mounted unites employed by Boss Nass’ army.
In Episode I,
despite having an aerial assault capability, the Trade Federation fielded a
frontal ground assault that, with minimal effort, pushed through the protective
barrier of the Gungan shields. What this
suggests is that such a shield can deflect laser blasts and even repel attacks
from aircraft, but is easily pierced at its base, the weakest point. With that in mind, the Imperial forces chose
to stroll into direct combat with the Rebels rather than waste time and
resources with a pointless attack from above.
Certainly the AT-ATs and their companion AT-STs could breach the base of
the shield and convey their compliment of Snowtroopers right to the front door
of the Rebel compound unscathed. The
presence of the trenches surrounding the vicinity of their shield generator
illustrates that the Rebels anticipated a ground force, they were just
surprised by the way in which it arrived.
There is a strong suggestion in this that the AT-AT had not seen
practical combat use prior to this operation.
The Unthinkable
With trademark faith in their technological and martial
superiority, the Imperial forces strode comfortably into the Rebels’ territory
with impunity. Armored as they are, the
crews and soldiers within the AT-ATs had nothing to fear from the insignificant
force pitted against them on the snowy expanse.
They lumbered forward like so many painfully obvious Trojan Horses without
a care in the world. That is until one
of their number succumbed to an alternative plan of attack suggested by the
ever resourceful Luke Skywalker.
Whether by his own intuition or his strong connection to the
Force, Luke defied conventional wisdom and attacked the Empire at its weakest
point, it’s own hubris. Thinking the
AT-AT’s invulnerable, Imperial engineers failed to account for the power of a simple
approach to fouling the weapon while focusing on the more obvious larger
threats of laser cannon. Much like the
Death Star, the AT-AT is designed to fend off large scale threats and is unmindful
of the potential of simple physics. Tangling
the legs of these meandering dreadnaughts is a major determent when stubborn
pilots realize only too late that their
vehicle is no longer in their control and find the frigid plains of Hoth racing
up at them through the windshield shortly before impact and ultimate
destruction.
Another unexpected variable was a lone soldier assaulting
the gigantic machine from below. Easy
access to vital components via maintenance hatches and portals is ideal when servicing
the armored titans, but it does lend a tactical vulnerability to the weapon
when a thermal detonator is lobbed into the engine platform from below. Vital components and pivotal connections are
instantly damaged and creating a destructive chain reaction that explodes the
cockpit from within. Such an approach to
disabling or even destroying the AT-AT would never have been considered as
these devices were intended to inspire enemy troops to beat a path in a
direction counter to that of its own travel.
Walking It Off
While the AT-AT may have been a touch out of place in a
galaxy full of hovering surface craft and more spacefacing vessels than you can shake a stick at, ultimately such a
machine makes no less sense than maintaining beasts of burden like Taun Tauns. As a weapon of the Empire the AT-AT need not
be so much practical as a manifestation of the might of the Emperor. The most laggard weapon of the Imperial arsenal
is also the most awe-inspiring. As it makes
its sluggish way across the battlefield the enemies initial surprise at facing
such a machine quickly turns to thoughts of self-preservation as it proves
itself to be impervious to harm and relentless in its approach. Those not spiritually crushed by its obvious
power stand the chance of finding themselves physically so under its titanic
foot pods. Replacing the efficiency of
the wheel or the technological advancement of the hover lift with a quartet of
slow moving legs is perfectly reasonable when creating a conveyance that is
more about raw power than it is about practicality.
Wheels, legs, and other seemingly primitive forms of
locomotion have their place in the Star
Wars universe despite a cornucopia of examples of technological superiority
to what we enjoy in the real world. The
wheel is no more obsolete in a galaxy that sports Landspeeders than the sail in
our own era of combustion and nuclear engines for seafaring vessels. Someone somewhere will have cause to utilize
yesterday’s technology in spite of far superior choices at their disposal. So I encourage the embracing of the A6
Juggernaught as a viable and sensible aspect of the Saga. After all, the genesis of this military
vehicle dates back to preproduction of The
Empire Strikes Back, giving it a kinship to the AT-AT itself!
