Why didn't they use the AT-AT during the Endor Battle?

I mean, we just saw it a few minutes earlier during the nighttime landing platform shot? What gives? Was it in for repairs?

 

They could have, but the chicken walkers were more maneuverable, better for blasting furballs!

 

I always thought they had it there for that purpose and tested it out, but it proved fairly problematic in a forest enviorment since its so big and clumsy and hard to manuever between the trees quickly and persicely for a battle, so they just used it for transport of troops and prisoners (Luke). It IS an All terrain armored TRANSPORT. NOT All terrain War machine.

 

How would they get AT-ATs through the forest? The one that was by the bunker was at least in a clearing. Maybe it was there to defend the installation. I'm pretty sure it couldn't move much on Endor, though.

Again, we see why walking war machines are bad. Hovercraft AT-AT would have worked a lot better.

 

No, I don't think it'd work much better. Afterall, its still going to be big and clumsy no matter if its repulser-lift or walker and hard to maneuver through a thick forest like Endor. Thats what AT-STs were built for, I suppose.

Btw, I like to think the Empire gave it legs for a phycological reason and so it could CRUSH its enemies.

 

I wonder if AT-ATs could trample trees? obviously not the big 100 ft giants. But they may possibly be able to clear a path for other vehicles/troops.

 

What if AT-ATs could travel over the trees, though? It seems like that would be a more effective way to get troops around. I understand that there's a psychological effect in having a war machine that's huge and lumbering and tramples everything in its way, but there are such serious practical issues with it. I mean, it would probably take three days of walking at that speed to get soldiers from one base to the next.

 

I assume they would but it would take a long time and be very very difficult. During a battle, It'd be a perfect target, climbing up a tree trying to knock it down....Very arkward.

EDIT: I'm sure they CAN move faster on those legs when they need to. Imagine an AT-AT running. The only reason they were so slow in the battle of Hoth was because it was a war zone and they'd be foolish to charge right into a laser-infested combat area.

 

So was the bunker.

 

Another thing you guys forget is the Imperials weren't expecting the Rebels to attack the 'back door'. Thanks to the Ewok scouts, they were able to find a more desolate entrance to the sheild generater. The Empire wasen't expecting Ewok scouts to aid the Rebels.

The AT AT was guarding the main generater, not the back door to a little bunker on the far side of the sheild.

This is also how the Ewoks were able to defeat the Emperers best troops....Most of the troopers were guarding the sheild generater main entrance.

 

Dark-Faith, with you kind permission I'm going to paste your observations above in the "Why is ROTJ Considered a Bad Movie?" thread, to help bolster my contention that the Ewoks are, in point of fact, awesome.

 

I still don't see them overpowering 6' plus armour clad troops along with their military walkers.

 

The AT-ATs are far too cumbersome...too large for close packed tree filled forests!..

General Veers was supposedly on Endor too...in charge of the "tempest" legion of AT-ATs...

 

Those small, fast recon walkers from ROTS would have been perfect for Endor. Put two per AT-ST for flanking support, and you've got a real problem for Ewoks.

 

AT-AT's are two big for Endor. They cant go over dense terrain, just like the juggernaut from ROTS. that is why they were retired after the emperor came to power.

 

I agree...maneuverability is key in any military engagement. The AT-ATs would have been easy pickin's in that forest...

 

I'm sure its just part of a force to defend their command system or something. Going into the forest to blast out Rebels and Ewoks isn't that easy in a AT-AT its too slow and would be crashing into trees left and right with its pro longed mobility. They'd rather be using speeders and stuff.

 

I think that the AT-AT's would have been fine in a forest. They should have been used in my opinion, if not just for their psycological advantage. (Let me see the Ewoks trying "The Ol' Log Trick" on an AT-AT...) Anyway, AT-AT's were used on Mrkyr, a forest planet in Timothy Zahn's "Heir to the Empire".

 

I don't think the AT-AT would have been of much use at Endor. It wouldn't be able to move through the forest, and even if it could I doubt the pilots would see much of what was below them except for the tree tops. That would make it rather hard to blast Ewoks.

 

I agree with this.

The troopers undoubtedly would have seen using an AT-AT in such thick forest terrain as overkill. Incidentally, they were right.

 

Too big for the forest.