Why even bother with the shield generator?

The Rebel base is ravaged by the Imperial walkers anyway. I don't know why General Veers was ordered to destroy the generator because the AT-AT's seemed to have no problem landing on the planet, and attacking the base. Vader should have been on the lead AT-AT to begin with.

If the shield generator WAS working. How did the AT-AT's land on the planet, anyway? Did they wait for a window?

 

I'm guessing it's to allow the Star Destroyers to truly bombard the planet and totally obliterate all the rebels, although that's just a guess - I'm really not sure.

 

Th AT-AT's land outside the shield, then walk through it (or under it) to the base. They then knock out the generator to allow the fleet to bombard the planet if needed.

At least, that's how I see it. Besides, it makes a really great battle sequence with the rebels losing!!

 

Ah. Sort of like what the Trade Federation does with the Gungans.

 

Vader even says this:

"Prepare to land our troops beyond their energy field, and deploy the fleet, so that nothing gets off the system..."

Then later, Veers tells the tiny holographic Vader:

"My Lord, the shield will be down in moments. You may start your landing."

My impression is that the AT-AT assault force needed to land beyond the shield's boundary, then walk through it, and destroy the shield generator to open the way for rest of the Imperial invasion force to directly assault the rebel base.

Basically, Veers led the first wave, whose objective was to destroy the generator.

Once the shield was down, Vader led a second wave that raided the base itself.

 

I'm guessing the purpose of destroying the shield generator wouldn't be to begin bombardment of the base because the Imperials are still in the area and Vader is personally going down to find Luke alive.
When Veers says "My Lord, the shield will be down in moments. You may start your landing." My impression was that Vader couldn't land until the shield was down. Because I don't see why Vader has to wait in orbit until the generator was knocked out before joining the fight and hopefully getting to Luke before he is either killed in battle or escapes. But it doesn't make sense that the walkers could go through the shield but the imperial transports and shuttles can't.
Why can't flying vehicles penentrate shields but walkers can?
Is it that walkers actually can't go through the shield but once the ground assault team landed outside of it they could somehow open up a part of it (like the rebels opened up a window to allow the transports out). And maybe the process of opening a window requires you to be on the surface rather than in orbit.
I don't really like this theory either because in Episode I the battle droids walk right through the shield the Gungans made. I guess they could be different kinds of shield, though.

 

The reason the droids could get through the shield in TPM was that the shield only protected against fast-moving objects. One would assume the shield on Hoth would be similar, to protect the base from being attacked by laser fire and to keep and ships (which have to move fast) from going through it.

Thus the AT-AT walkers could get to the generator (which one would assume was actually inside the shield itself, because having it outside would just be stupid) because they were slow and once it was destroyed the troops could be moved in.

The shield is also why the Rebels couldn't use that niftly laser of theres to shoot at the ships beforehand, because the shield would block it too.




The Cleric 007

 

The AT-ATs walked under the shield...not through it.

 

Or they could do that...basically, they needed to take down the shield before the rest of the troops could attack. Especially since they probably would have rather captured some of the big leaders and tortured them for information and fun stuff like that.

The droids in TPM did got <i>through</i> the shield though.





The Cleric 007

 

I always pictured the shield as a giant umbrella. I didn't it would be that complicated to figure out how it operated.

 

The AT-ATs walked under the shield...not through it.

Then why couldn't Vader and his forces take a ship and fly under the shield?
The natural answer to this question is: They wanted a really neat-o ground battle which works out well for everyone.

 

The Empire probably intended to bombard the base with TIEs, but had to first destroy the shield generator to do so.

 

Sending in the AT-ATs to remove the shiled would shorten the battle for the Empire. Landing all their troops outside the shield perimieter and marching them in would take too long, and costlier, while posibly allowing more Rebels to escape. Destroying the sheild allows for orbital bombardment of Echo Base by the Star Destroyers, or strafing runs by TIEs.

Vader probably held off his landing until Veers gives the okay simply to let the battle be firmly in the Empire's favor. You could see his eagerness, but he was also showing a little prudence by letting Veers go first, like letting the troopers take over the Tantive IV in ANH before bboarding.

 

Landing all their troops outside the shield perimieter and marching them in would take too long, and costlier,

Yet... that's exactly what they did Except with giant metal marching things. Things which were doing a good job of raising Hell for the base as it was. So why both with the shield? Just blast them with AT-ATs and ground troops.

 

An explanation I read somewhere was that the AT-ATs could walk through the shield because they were grounded. Flying vehicles wouldn't be grounded and would be disabled by the shield. I don't know if I totally buy that, though.

As for the question of letting Vader's "landing" only happen after the shield is down and not letting Veers's force do the job of taking the base over by themselves...maybe the 5-6 AT-ATs couldn't carry enough troops to occupy the base (though they DID help...Veers tells a stormtrooper officer that "All troops are to disembark for ground assault ((or something like that))").

Maybe the were attacking the base from different directions...Veers's group coming in the front, Vader's group from the back, and crushing the rebels in between, maybe...

 

Then why couldn't Vader and his forces take a ship and fly under the shield?
The natural answer to this question is: They wanted a really neat-o ground battle which works out well for everyone.

You're right about the neat-o battle. Why doesn't Vader take a ship and fly under the shield? Because...when you're the head honcho...you send your underlings in first to poke the hornets nest...and take all the stings...then you go down and mop up.

the AT-ATs could walk through the shield because they were grounded. Flying vehicles wouldn't be grounded and would be disabled by the shield. I don't know if I totally buy that, though.

They walked under it.

 

Veers does say "the shield will be down in moments. you may start your landing." However, I thought Vader entered the base before Veers blew up the shield generator... It doesn't make sense, but I thought it happened in that order...

 

Under it?

I always thought it was like the Gungan sheild in TPM and went all the way to the ground.

Here are my two theories on this:

1. The AT-ATs simply shot a whole bunch at the shield until they punched a hole in it. They then shot through this hole at the generator until it exploded. We know that this is possible from many sources. Page 88 of the SW RPG Rebellion Era Sourcebook supports this hypothesis. The diagram shows rebel trenches going all the way up to the shield perimeter. This would imply that the walkers never actually went through the shield; only the troops did when the shield was down.

2. I recall reading that humans could not walk through the shield because the radiation would fry them. It may be possible that the AT-ATs have armor (which is "too strong for blasters") that may protect those inside against the radiation. Thus, the AT-ATs could just walk through the shield, dump their troops off, and continue on their merry way.

Take your pick.

Warrior_of_Mandalore Strikes Again!

 

Because...when you're the head honcho...you send your underlings in first to poke the hornets nest...and take all the stings...then you go down and mop up.

Well then Veers, or Bob, or Stormy 1138. Point remains, if you could walk under it, why not fly? I wouldn't imagine TIEs to be taller than the walkers and they should have repulsors.
But like I said, the walkers worked fine, which is why I still don't understand why they needed to both with the shield. It was as much of a hinderance to the fleeing rebels as it was to the Star Destroyers. 'The shield can only be open for a limited time.'