CT How did the Snowspeeder Blow Up the AT-AT?

In ESTB, when Wedge's Snowspeeder uses the harpoon cable to tie up the AT-AT's legs, it falls.

After this, Wedge is able to blow up the AT-AT with the Snowspeeder's blasters.

However, earlier in the battle, Luke said "That armor is too strong for blasters."

So what happened here?

For most of the times I watched ESTB, I never really noticed because how awesome the moment was.

Perhaps the fall damaged the structural integrity of the AT-AT's armor.

What do you think?

 

Probably, makes sense.

 

I think it's simply convenience because they are supposed heroes so of course they 'win'.

 

I just accept it as a slight discontinuity and move on. One moment, the armor is too strong for blasters, the next, two shots (I think) and BOOM. I guess the explosion is more important than the continuity.

Why they didn't just use X-Wings with proton torpedoes is another question, if one cared, which I don't.

 

The Rebels didn't win at Hoth. It was a devastating defeat.

X-Wings are meant for space combat their not as maneuverable as the speeders in-atmosphere.

 

The speeder zooms away into the distance. The tangled legs of the
enormous war machine attempt a step, but as they do the giant Imperial
walker begins to topple. It teeters for a moment, and then crashes
onto the icy ground, sending snow and metal pieces flying.

EXT. HOTH - ICE PLAIN - SNOW TRENCH
The troops in the trenches cheer at the sight of the crashing walker.

An officer gives a signal to his men and Rebel troops charge the fallen
war machine.

TRENCH OFFICER Come on!

The troops run toward the downed walker, followed by two Rebel speeders
flying overhead. Just as they reach the walker, it explodes, the
impact throwing some of the men onto the frozen ground.

INT. WEDGE'S SNOWSPEEDER, ROGUE THREE - COCKPIT
Wedge lets out a triumphant yell, banking his speeder away from the
fallen walker.

WEDGE (into comlink)
Whooha! That got him!

 

Didn't they shoot the top of the neck, which was exposed because the AT-AT had toppled forward?

 

Obviously there was a warp core breach and they couldn't manually eject it in time.

 

The kill shots penetrated the neck, to reach the main interior. Bypassing the impenetrable flank armour.

 

You can imagine the armor was some sort of force field (like the one on Mustafar that prevented the structure and the droids to melt).

The AT-AT's force field must have been damaged after the fall...

 

Maybe it's armour was weaker when it fell & the shields were disabled I often wondered that while playing rogue squadron in the Corellia mission.

 

I always assumed the top of the neck was a weak spot.

 

I had assumed it too...

But that could not be the answer...
It would have been the biggest engineering fail on the galaxy!!

The rebel Alliance would have easily destroyed them all...

 

Pretty much what everybody else has said, I always assumed if the walkers had shields the shields were damaged after the fall, or simply for the fact that the speeders shot at the neck and it was a weak spot and thus exploded.

 

I think that when it fell on its face, the neck cracked, leaving a weak spot in the armor. The snowspeeder blasters penetrated the armor in that spot.

 

It would be easy to explain away with energy shields, but there's no indication that the AT-ATs had them. Luke says the armor's too strong for blasters, so they probably didn't. The neck seems to be a different type of material so it may have been weaker than the rest of the vehicle.

 

It shot the neck which was the weak point.

 

The neck was the weak spot on the AT-AT. The mobility and weaponry on the head prevents a frontal attack on the vulnerable neck area, and that area is very well protected from the side, due to the armor. Protected with armor and the head that prevents any assault from being able to to get a clean angle to land a shot while it's upright.

 

Well we all know the Empire loved building seemingly-unstoppable weapons with secret crippling weak points.

 

That's right, The Supreme Chancellor... From Tie Fighters to Death Stars...

But if the AT-AT's neck were the weak point, it wouldn't be necessary for the Rogue Squadron to prepare another harpoon attack to its legs...

It would only be necessary for all the squadron to go higher, and start firing down....

 

Now I'm visualizing Wedge calling all the ships: "Rogue Squadron, attention: the neck... Aim to the neck... The armor is ridiculous there....."

Then, one by one the squadron replies: "Roger that!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!"

 

Did they even really need to blow it up at all? It fell on it's face, and it doesn't have arms to pick itself up with. I highly doubt the Imperials would send out an engineering crew to get it back to it's feet in the middle of a battle. If the Rebels were really worried about protecting their people and evacuating the planet, they could have spent that time and firepower aiming at more lethal targets.

 

anyone who's played Shadow's of the Empire on N64 knows you hit the neck because that's where the fuel line is.