How the hell do they get in and out of those things?!

Talking about difficult situations, what about those Rebel look-out towers at the end of ANH? How did they get out of those?

Suction tube like on the Jawa sandcrawler

Or maybe they get "flushed" like in MIB II

 

AT-ATs kneel sort of like a cat. Its front legs fold up underneath it, and the chin point towards the ground. The "butt" sticks high into the air. A ramp then unfolds from the "chest", allowing troops and speeders to deploy.

 

Exactly what are the advantages to such a design? The flaws seem to by far outweigh the benefits, and I don't know why anyone would use such a shape for a tank. Also, the name 'All Terrain' is very ironic, considering it seems to be anything but.

 

They're really not much more than terror weapons. Remember, the Tarkin Doctrine is "Rule by fear of force, rather than by force itself."

 

More psychological than usable then. But it still doesn't explain how a human pilot gets in and out of something like that without becoming Sly Stalone from Cliff Hanger.

And that thing about the pilots being able to jump from the ground into the cab of an AT-AT is laughable! Sorry, but it's just too high.

 

They're really not much more than terror weapons. Remember, the Tarkin Doctrine is "Rule by fear of force, rather than by force itself."

Seems like a pretty ineffective doctrine, if you ask me. I'd rather have a relativly small, square-shaped tank that was very efficent in battle than a clumsy, lumbering 'walker' that looks big and scary but can easily get immoblized by ropes or a few trees in it's way.

 

An M-1 Abrams is just as terrifying as an AT-AT, and for very good reason!

 

Troops don't just jump out of the AT-AT; they rapel down cables to quickly and safely reach the ground.

 

I believe in ROTJ we see troops alight onto a tunnel/ramp that connects whilst the walker is standing. During battle I'd favour the "rappling" explanation of Bib.

Seriously, would the Empire have much to worry about that would require troops to be deployed when they have an AT-AT on hand to deal with the trouble in question?

 

I don't see the problem people are having with the pilots. They can easily get in and out when the AT-AT/AT-ST is 'docked' via ramps, ladders etc in the same way TIE pilots get into their ships. There is no need for them to disembark during a battle.

Thanks Bib Fortuna, Twi'lek. I was having trouble envisaging how they were supposed to lie down but that kneeling idea seems much better.

 

Each AT-AT has a small cloning facility, so the crew is cloned within the walker.

They never leave...

 

They're really not much more than terror weapons. Remember, the Tarkin Doctrine is "Rule by fear of force, rather than by force itself."

agreed. by the time of ANH and ESB the empire has a solid grip on the galaxy. the organized rebellion was a fairly recent occourance. they had no need for stictly practical fighting machines as they had no real serious contenders to fight against. they created massive weapons that inspired fear and awe to keep the systems in check.

just imagine an AT-AT lumbering through your nrighborhood. are you going to wait around to see how the troops deploy, or are you going to run like hell? i'd choose the latter.

 

Unless they had a rope to trip up the things.