Why did the empire think this was a good idea

why did the empire think this was a good idea

They needed something to get under the rebels' shield and repulsor craft were out of the question. Also, these are probably designed more for inducing terror than practicality.

Then they were turned into a meme because there is absolutely no creativity or critical thinking in the entire EU, so they appear all the time for no good reason. I still remember the old Rogue Squadron games where snowspeeders with tow cables were literally the primary method of dealing with AT-ATs in all circumstances.

it made as much sense as ChanPal SuRecon Center

>@-@

It has a speeder bike garage in the ass? How come we never saw them shit speeder bikes in Empire?

>snowspeeders with tow cables were literally the primary method of dealing with AT-ATs in all circumstances
it does seem like the way to go, with those long spindly legs

Didn't Hoth have a planetary shield? How did these get past it? Why not send in wave after wave of TIE bombers to just blow the fuck out of the shield generator/base?

The Empire doesn't exist, the makers of the film just wanted something that looked cool and iconic on screen. Doesn't have to have any real military logic behind it.

Space Nazis. You just know Hitler would have had something like this built if given the chance.

The generator was inside the shield and star destroyers couldn't take it down with their turbolasers, which are otherwise capable of glassing entire planets. Bombers wouldn't do shit.

On Hoth? Probably too cold for them.

>mfw the new ones have towcable defenders

Resistance BTFO

jarjar abrams is a hack

Wonder how many standard APC's you could get for the price of one AT-AT

JJ didn't make TLJ faggot

Remember that The First Order, despite being smaller/less powerful than the Empire, was somehow able to construct a planet-size weapon in Starkiller Base.

Cost and efficiency don't seem to matter here.

Probably its the power of the white privilege.

It's the old question. Why make a war machine that walks? Isn't it terribly inefficient and dangerous to put soldiers in harm's way like that? Why not drones or missiles?

Purely to intimidate, create fear, and command respect. Civilian populations surrender faster and their hearts are more easily won over by conquerors that show they can just as well step on them as bugs and tower over them like giants. Then there is the reminder that they are unafraid. There is a person inside that technological terror who does not control it from afar but wears it like a suit. And he's coming for you.

>from robot camel
>to robot ape

Remember that this is soft sci-fi for kids and teens

Got to sell those toys slowly. Don't want to flood the market all at once.

It's a subtle but important distinction when you make something that isn't purely designed to kill, but to conquer.

It's the natural evolution of an Alexandrian battle elephant

They needed an APC capable of working on all kinds of different planets. That thing can travel across deserts on trenched fields and fire from an elevated position, while being impervious to small craft weapons. It could also conceivably walk through a very deep swamp or across deep rivers/wade into oceans, which conventional apcs can't.

even worse than soft imo
>every single planet in the whole fucking galaxy has an atmosphere in which humans can breath for prolonged periods of time and not suffer any issues whatsoever

this. also, it's a movie and not reality. things don't have to work practically to fulfill their purpose on the screen. sometimes a little suspense of disbelief comes in handy

>people explore the world of star wars forgetting it was designed to sell toys and entertain children

Star wars is for nu-male faggots, grow up you little shits. It was cool in the 80s stop trying to revision everything.

Walking robot can get to places a wheeled robot can't, and a flying/hovering robot would take more energy or have to keep moving to maintain flight.

Only reason you don't see walking cars or tanks in real life is the technology to make something walk is actually not that easy to build. A wheel is easier. But if you having walking technology (and they do), why not use it?

I'm saying fly like 100 bombers down to the planet surface, like how the walkers landed. Have standard TIEs provide escort.

Lucas stole the idea from Oliphants

Starkiller isn't the planet, it's just a giant cannon. Blow the fuck out of part of the planet with a fleet of star destroyers to make a big hole, then go to work.

He certainly had plans for it. The giant cannon, and the Nazis sun destroyer was the inspiration for the super weapon in TFA. A weapon that would use the sun as a Lazar to destroy their enemies.

Because the Empire's military doctrine, as defined by Sheev and Tarkin, was intimidation. Sheer numbers and overwhelming firepower make up for any individual design deficiency (except when it doesn't).

lol they gave it like angry eyes now. "Now you pissed it the empire off"

>every single planet in the whole fucking galaxy has an atmosphere in which humans can breath for prolonged periods of time and not suffer any issues whatsoever
Are you actually this fucking stupid? You've seen a hand full of singular locations. Inhabited by humans no less.
This is like complaining that there are no toilets in a fictional universe because screen time isn't dedicated to showing you how the protagonist cleans his shit hole.
And you see ayy lmaos that have breathing aparatus in the movies that implies not everyone breathes the same thing. The EU is even more explicit.

>american kirby

>oh no, the plot takes place in places where plot can take place, how horrible

HOw fucking strong is the tow cable?
Why the fuck didn't they just stop walking, let if fall/Take it off and start again? If one leg gets stuck in the snow or something does it just keep trying to move forward and then fall? Jesus this is literally the worst desing I've seen in any movie.

> But if you having walking technology (and they do), why not use it?
1. Takes much, much more resources. Like retarded amounts, you could probably have more than 10 tanks with the sam weaponry for the same cost
2. It's a very large target, they cant take cover behind hills etc.
3. It's very unstable (lmao cables took them down)
4. Requires hit loads of energy to move, same reason why biking is faster and more efficeient than running. Cars also use wheels because of the same reasons.

5. that fat robot can't get anywhere easier than where a tank could go, the opposite for most circumstances since you only have a comparatively small surface area touching the ground.

6. THey would break really fucking easily, the more moving parts and joins you have the more can go to shit and the more easily it will break.

Hey, the AT-ATs did their job didn't they? They successfully blew up the shield generator and basically won the Battle of Hoth.

Any answer but "Toys" is wrong.

All fanboy nitpicking aside. The AT-ATs are some of the coolest scifi vehicle designs ever. You'd have to be daft to deny that.

Laser cannons can only shoot in a line-of-sight. The Imperials don't have artillery (according to the movie). So if you want to have a greater range over-the-horizon with your OP laser cannons, they should be mounted several stories high

Goddamn that looks like shit

>ANything that remotely works is good and should be used
Wew

it's called fiction bro

>Big clunky hunks of metal on four legs with lazorz
>Coolest ever

a talk would have gotten stuck in the snow

The laser canons that had to be much closer than any conventional artillery to do any damage?
They never fired them over the horizon or even close to it.

>babyfigs will never know

Wasn't there some guy in the EU who pointed out the flaws in the AT-AT and got reassigned to Tatooine for his troubles?

I can't believe any Rebel ships made it out with Executor parked right outside the planet.

How would you know? Those snowspeeders had to fly several kilometers to get near the AT-ATs at the beginning of the battle and the AT-ATs had quite a few seconds to get a few good shots in

This doesn't help you case, sir.

>bro like just turn off your brain

The lasers never seemed to be able to fire at distances where putting the laser higher up to increases line of sight ever would be justified.

Yeah man just turn of your brain lmao

It makes sense in terms of scale. Even a ship like Executor is dwarfed by the vastness of space. And the transport ships in comparison are small and faster. That plus covering fire from the ion cannon and I can see a fair amount of them getting out.

...

Yeah the "look sir, droids" guy.

>bro turn off your brain
no. just suspend your beliefs and let yourself live in a fictional world for two hours, enjoy it. you guys are like comic book guy from the simpsons incarnate

>Takes much, much more resources.
Which the Empire has
>It's a very large target, they cant take cover behind hills
It's also shielded and armored so nothing short of turbolaser batteries can take it down conventionally.
>It's very unstable
Tow cables only took down one. After that, they shoot down most of those speeders anyway.
>Requires hit loads of energy to move, same reason why biking is faster and more efficeient than running.
Doesn't seem to be an issue in the SW universe
>that fat robot can't get anywhere easier than where a tank could go, the opposite for most circumstances since you only have a comparatively small surface area touching the ground
That fat robot can walk where tanks can't stroll simply because of its size
>THey would break really fucking easily, the more moving parts and joins you have the more can go to shit and the more easily it will break
Luckily the Empire has an entire logistic chain that allows them to field these

Look lads I'm just stating why this thing could conceivably be more useful than just a tank

They came out of hyperspace too soon, which let them start evacuation procedures before they could get in total position.
Ion cannon kept them from squatting right over the base. Disabled ships would help screen the escape.
And the rebels were scattering everywhere, like cockroaches. You can't stomp on them all.

this, by far, is the single most retarded star wars related post i remember reading

You can try, but the bottom line is it exists because
A) It looks cool, and its more visually interesting then just some tanks on the horizon
B) This is going to make an awesome fucking toy
C) Is a perfect visual metaphor for how the rebellion has been fighting the empire. (A large intimidating implacable enemy that is so overconfident in its ability that there are glaring design flaws that a small, quick witted force of outlaws can use to their advantage)

@@

I can only see it now
>Use tow cables!
>Remember guis?? Just like in Empire???
>It's not working!!!

>Which the Empire has
So what? That's not an excuse to make shitty things.
>It's also shielded and armored so nothing short of turbolaser batteries can take it down conventionally.
Imagine how well protected it would be if it had those same shielfs and armor but also was a much smaller target.

>Tow cables only took down one. After that, they shoot down most of those speeders anyway.
>It won the battle therefor it's well designed :DD
Literally not an argument.
>That fat robot can walk where tanks can't stroll simply because of its size
A larger tank would be more mobile than that shit in every way. Being big isn't good in combat, there is a reason that there anren't any real large as fuck meme-tanks.
>Luckily the Empire has an entire logistic chain that allows them to field these
Which could be much smaller if they didn't build dumb shit.

>This excuse
4 and 5 weren't.

Canonically, it is an artificial planet, built around the gun.

We are literally talking about Star Wars, which the "turn your brain off" meme absolutely applies to.

The picture is them on approach, Executor is how many miles long? They could fly right on top of the base. The Rebels' escape path is limited by where the Ion gun can fire.

fuck.

1. AT-AT is a giant gun aimed at fortifications. Tanks can be hindered by terrain, barricades, moats and shit. AT-AT is not
2. It's concentrated firepower which makes sense considering it's going to be transported via Star Destroyers and shuttles/landers. Thousands of tanks means hudnreds more shuttles and landers instead of just dropping a few AT-ATs.
3. Comparing Star Wars and real-life combat is dumb considering the ginormous gap in technology.
4. If the AT-AT was smaller, it couldn't do what it was designed to do i.e. shoot over obstacles and walls. It would also suck as a command vehicle because it would not provide a vantage point.

We are talking about the regime that built the death star. Would probably be more useful to have 10 000 Star Destroyers, instead of that sphere that got incinerated by a 18 year old moisture farmer and his torpedo. Talk about being cost inefficient!

Mouse Wars is one the same tier as the old transformers cartoons, just a lengthy commercial people pay to watch

>that's bad.
So was the critically acclaimed Lego Movie.

1) They're largely invulnerable to ground attack - the Rebels ground forces and heavy weaponry were unable to even damage one.

2) They're only truly vulnerable to air attack, if the Empire had supported this ground assault with a few tie fighters on hoth they would have easily destroyed The rebels speeders. Tanks or other armored vehicles all have the same vulnerability.

3) They have extreme shock value: they drive fear by their very presence into the enemy.


All in all, they're the perfect ground assault weapon and OP is fucking retarded

The difference being that Mouse Wars is actually terrible

Most of the human race disagrees with you though. Perhaps you are just bitter?

>Episode 8 won't be a ripoff of Empire

> Popularity = Quality

>1. AT-AT is a giant gun aimed at fortifications. Tanks can be hindered by terrain, barricades, moats and shit. AT-AT is not
One of them was hindered by a fucking tow cable. Tanks of the same lenght and width at as the AT-ATs could easily drive over the same moats and barricades as the AT-ATs can step over (and more).

>2. It's concentrated firepower which makes sense considering it's going to be transported via Star Destroyers and shuttles/landers. Thousands of tanks means hudnreds more shuttles and landers instead of just dropping a few AT-ATs.
But it's literally not concentrated firepower, it is ridiculously large compared to it's guns. It should just be a turret on fucking tracks. You could fit more tanks wit hthe same firepower and mobility in the same shuttle than AT-ATs.

>4. If the AT-AT was smaller, it couldn't do what it was designed to do i.e. shoot over obstacles and walls.
THey never did that. And just use indirect fire for that.
> It would also suck as a command vehicle because it would not provide a vantage point.
Drones? Cameras? Just put a camera on a fucking stick if it's a vantage point you want.

This pretty much. Jessu, I still don't get who someone could write shit like star wars.

>They're largely invulnerable to ground attack
Not really. The speeders they had adapted to the cold on hoth weren't really designed to be badass fighters. Just scouter vehicles.
Star fighters can blast through the armor.

>1) They're largely invulnerable to ground attack - the Rebels ground forces and heavy weaponry were unable to even damage one.
They would probably be literally immune to ground and air fire for a fraction of the price IF THEY DIDN*T FUCKING STAND ON TOOTHPICS. You could probably put an m1 abrams on legs and it would beat a ww2 era tank, that doesn't mean it's a good idea.

>2) They're only truly vulnerable to air attack, if the Empire had supported this ground assault with a few tie fighters on hoth they would have easily destroyed The rebels speeders. Tanks or other armored vehicles all have the same vulnerability.
Again what you are saying is "It worked therefore it was smart/good" THat's a retarded argument, the russians zerg rushed the FInns and eventually beat them, doesn't mean it was a good strategy.

>All in all, they're the perfect ground assault weapon and OP is fucking retarded
They are not. Only reason the work is because the rebels are super shitty with super shitty weaponry.

Why don't they just use the HCVw A9 turbotank as a troop transport, you know, since it's an improved version of the HCVw A6 used in the Clone Wars as a troop transport? Lower profile, could just slap a turbolaser mount on top of a few for something like an HCVw A9 variant where the passenger compartment was instead used as a power system for the turbolaser.

Why didn't they fly the eagles to Hoth?

Because Mynock are a proud race of creatures and not an outer rim taxi service.

Will it being a non-rip off and trying to go in a different way (as far as a massive company with the most famous franchise of all time is willing to deviate) make it better or worse though?

>Tanks of the same lenght and width at as the AT-ATs could easily drive over the same moats and barricades as the AT-ATs can step over
Objectively untrue.
>turret on tracks
Will be way too low to effectively fire at distant enemies
>too huge for the guns
AT-ATs are also troop transports. Which means the AT-AT blasts the resistance, than the troops come out and capture those who surrendered/enter the ruins to find intel. A tank couldn't do that.
>THey never did that.
They blasted that shield generator from a bigger distance than a turret on tracks could
>drones and cameras
Can be shot down. AT-AT provides a clear view of the battlefield while providing safety for the commander on the ground

Yes, yes, yes we know Mr. Fedora. But it just seems like you are bitter in the case of TFA being both universally loved by both critics and audiences doesn't mean anything at all.

The Transformers films are financially successful (despite declining box office sales for every subsequent installment) while also being panned by audiences and critics. It doesn't mean that "popularity equals quality", but it does say something. Usually people like you then go full autismo and say how everyone is just more dum dum than you. Amirite?

Nobody has any evidence that it will he an Empire ripoff besides 20 seconds of what looks like a Hoth battle homage and "Jedi trains with a master" trope that is in nearly every other Star Wars film.

We do not know that. There is a possibility that Starkiller Base is the planet Ilum.

>implying those cables would do jack shit in irl life
They'd fucking snap easily and would never take down one of these things.

>The Rebels' escape path is limited by where the Ion gun can fire.
The gun rotates. It's field of fire is probably at least 40% of the planets surface facing outward into the vastness of space. The Rebellion has a pretty big window of escape.

It's in the visual guide to TFA I believe. Starkiller even has a cross section map.

>One of them was hindered by a fucking tow cable

And one was destroyed by a well placed grenade, but the Empire still won. They attacked with five of them and won the battle with three of them still standing.

>where snowspeeders with tow cables were literally the primary method of dealing with AT-ATs in all circumstances.
The missions had ypu as pilot of a snowspeeder. It was either wrap up the legs or run away. What circumstances, with the same vehicles, would change that?

Lucasfilm has been hinting that the mystery planet was Ilum. I'm not sure what the cross-sections books says, but it's not canon.