Was the ATTE Better than the AT-AT?

[@Hawkeye83627]

The AT-TE was less powerful than the AT-AT, but it was better employed and more effective for actual combat. The massive height of the AT-AT makes it a huge target, yes it's got durability out the wazoo but as we've seen, starfighter support is more than enough to decimate them. If I was Palpatine, I'd have just revised the AT-TE design, maybe upscale it a touch, and either armor up or entirely conceal the cockpit within the tank itself.

[@Spartan086]

I slightly disagree with the second paragraph, as the main purpose of over-designing every aspect of the Empire was the Tarkin Doctrine, the point of which was to put fear in the people, and a massive AT-AT definitely did that, whereas an AT-TE does not (smaller, less heavily armed)

[@captnwinkle]

AT-TE would also be decimated by air support, just like any tank in real life. But without it, an AT AT would crush you

[@benjaminfitzgibbon4506]

The one that got decimated by air support in the video was the AT ACT, the less armoured cousin of the AT AT that was not even meant for battle. I would say the actual Walker would be able to at least not be decimated by air support due to its near-impenetrable armour and how the weak points (neck and underbelly) would be difficult for a strafing starfighter to hit. And the cannons of the snow speeders had absolutely no effect on the AT AT, they might not be starfighters but they still have some big guns.

[@HideyoshiKinoshita84]

"starfighter support is enough to decimate them" What? From what was seen of the snow speeders, air fighter guns do nothing to AT-ATs. They also no-selled every heavy gun emplacement from the rebel side. They also shot down quite a few of said air fighters. The snow speeders eventually brought down ATAts due to the convenient tow cables, which is not something you would see on starfighters. So it's doubtful just having starfighter support is enough to decimate them, especially when the Empire won at Hoth battlefield wise, the best the rebels could do was slow them down as much while people escaped. The one blown up in Rogue One was not an ATAT, that was the cargo/support variant that the Empire rapidly deployed into battle as a panic resort to unknown rebel forces.

[@captnwinkle]

@@benjaminfitzgibbon4506 pretty good point

[@samuelteixeira8251]

Bro... when you said "That's what we call mechanized infantry, and that's beautifull"... there are no words to describe what I felt, cuz you couldn't be more right about that. I've served on a MecInf batalion as both a reg and as a M113 driver... so thank you. Realy apreciate de note.

[@michaelyoung7261]

Thank you for your service. Always loved the mechanized bois in games and movies

[@travcollier]

Combined arms AT-TE is an APC AT-AT is more like a MBT on stilts for some unfathomable reason

[@jameskirkpatrick3521]

I was 1 ID I was a Bradley driver, and then a dismount. Tbh my most qualified weapon system was the push broom baby 😂😂😂 gotta keep that track line clean 😂😂😂

[@slicerneons3300]

AT-TE looks cooler. That obviously is the most important difference.

[@crusader2112]

It’s always about aesthetics. 😎👍

[@matohibiki]

You can also angle the legs to point the barrel of the mass driver towards the ground. VERY important, if you need to convince some general to surrender by, oh, I don't know... Sticking a cannon barrel in their face?

[@arohk1579]

The Titanic looked really cool as well :).

[@TheThingInMySink]

@@matohibiki Hold up, I hadn't even realized that, it also means you can essentially cover your legs as well, sort of like a pseudo ''hull down'' position, would work even better in defilade, and that actually DOES have a practical utility to it. Neat.

[@matohibiki]

@@TheThingInMySink That's the thing about articulated legs, you get a lot more use out of them once you remember 'oh yeah, legs bend in places'. Half the time I think of legged mechs as just a big monocycle, and have to remember that you can also STOMP with the damn things. And kick, and kneel in a way that facilitates troops climbing up you easier, or down, depending. Legs give you a lot more options once you remember you can get creative. When is a guard tower a ramp? Any damn time you feel like tipping it over for your buddies.

[@scruffy7760]

The Empire should have kept the basic design of the AT-TE when they made the AT-AT. Lower profile, more legs and a turret for the main guns makes more sense. Lower profile makes it harder to hit the vehicle, which is good. It also makes it safer for troops to disembark and embark. 6 legs is obviously smarter than 4,because with 6 you could theoretically lose one or two legs and still be operational. Lose one or two legs with only 4 to begin with... Well... A turret allows you to aquire and fire at targets 360, and anything less than 360 is obviously inferior.

[@matohibiki]

Also don't forget that the wider leg base would make the tow cable trick less effective, bordering on useless. Those squat legs are a lot harder to squeeze together than the tall, spindly ones. Now, it might be possible to render an AT-TE immobile with the cable, that's a different story. Still, an immobile walker is not a disabled or destroyed walker. The cable could always be cut by disembarked troops, after all.

[@captainnutzlos3816]

As in modern combat, you better have more smaller units in cover with AT weapons than a big clumsi target. I like the Atat but they didnt had propper air support, whats surprising cause every star destroyer has enough ties.

[@lolroflroflcakes]

I mean low profile is kind of relative, one is sort of like a good-sized house sprouted legs the other is like a walking skyscraper. Both aren't exactly low profile by any other standard of comparison; both probably struggle with the don't be seen and the don't be hit part of the onion of not dying.

[@scruffy7760]

Well, one can hide in a forest, pieces of terrain and buildings... The other cant

[@omega13whitelucario95]

Plus you have the 6 additional guns that can fire in a much wider and independent area The six legs also gives it the ability to better traverse switch backs and curves Something the AT AT wad even stated to have issues with on Hoth

[@gavinvick3592]

They should've just deployed the two vehicles together instead of replacing one entirely. They seem to compliment each other nicely

[@fishfossils8858]

That would have been a great idea, if the Empire was fighting a war. But they weren’t, they were fighting space guerrillas. If it were the clone wars it would have been a great idea, but it wasn’t, the AT-AT was better at transport, and anti-infantry, which is exactly what the Empire needed.

[@GAJake]

@@fishfossils8858Yep. The ATAT is a combination of an MRAP (Mine resistant ambush protected) transport and one of the police surveillance towers. Great as an occupation vehicle.

[@fishfossils8858]

@@GAJake my lord bro, it does my heart good to find a likeminded individual who understands the lore! I see so many lore channels talking about how “the at-te was better, heres why” especially Eckhartsladder. But they always look at it from a “war” type view, as if the Empire was marching against the Confederacy. But they weren’t, they were fighting a loosely organized rebellion who mostly used Starfighters. The AT-AT performs well against aircraft (see battle of Hoth) and is hard to sabotage, which was a rebel strong suit.

[@enriqueperezarce5485]

@@fishfossils8858The problem is the doctrine, personally I would’ve kept both, maybe upgrade the at-te. I mean yea in a peacetime ATAT is fine but ATTE was very good for infantry supporting vehicle

[@childishisnotachild7277]

I'd say that they are of different uses, even by design you could see what they are meant for. I see the ATTE as more "heavy gunner transport" than a tank since it could climb mountains and perform other feats, however it could not survive heavy weapons and the windshield on the front of the AT-TE is easily penetrable and easily visible to the enemy's team, on the other hand the AT-AT is a slow moving vehicle but they are known for their armor, and the legs made them unreachable by people on the ground, moreover the AT-AT's windshield is less more visible than those of the AT-TE, these designs shows the basic design requirements for a tank vehicles in Star Wars, meanwhile the AT-TE shows the basic requirements for a light transport-ish tank. In a nutshell it's basically comparing a Technical (those light Vehicles with a machine gun) with a tank.

[@archmagos1436]

The legs weren't unreachable from the ground.

[@TankHunter678]

The AT-TE was equivalent to an IFV, Infantry Fighting Vehicle. When you take into account it could transport a squad of clone troopers internally and it was designed for combined arms tactics with infantry it perfectly fits. The AT-AT is an assault unit meant to carry platoons of troops into battle, being an imposing and seemingly indestructible terror weapon to cow enemies into submission.

[@Talon1124]

The AT-TE is more akin to a Bradley APC, with a big cannon on top. It's fast(for a walker) and can give fire support in unexpected places. The AT-AT is more akin to a heavy 'Land Ship' style tank like the Maus or the theoretical Ratte.

[@TankHunter678]

@@Talon1124 Which the Bradley is classified as an IFV.

[@TheThingInMySink]

@@Talon1124 APC's typically only carry lighter weapons, .50 cal machine guns, or in the Soviet case their 14.5mm machine guns, the more modern BTR's have a 30mm autocannon, but generally you don't need anything that heavy on an APC, particularly the Russian BTR's are very thin skinned and anything that requires a 30mm is something you don't want to go up against anyways. Nowadays APC's are generally more well armoured, but they still usually don't have anything particularly heavy as armament compared to IFV's which always have an autocannon, a coaxial MG, and ATGM's, and on some Russian BMP's they even have an automatic grenade launcher. APC's are for transporting troops plain and simple, IFV's are there to transport troops AND provide direct support to the dismounted infantry.

[@angelshadow990]

Mad respect to a reporter explained this tech in an active warzone

[@PaulJWells-ud2eq]

I have always said, "Star Trek is the Dream; Star Wars the Reality." For whatever reasons, the Empire made one or two design changes or cancelations. Which made Life hard for the Grunts everywhere. Real world problem. Now, Star Fleet only makes "rogue officer" mistakes. One-offs...imaginary world problem. Why do I love Star Wars? It's got: slavery, trade wars, supply chain problems, poverty, classism, racism, crap pregnancy tests, total disregard for AI rights and war. Real Life is the Best Life. In a Galaxy Far Far Away... Great Channel! Thanks

[@melissac8063]

Star Trek is Hope Star Wars is Fantasy B5 & Expanse are close to Reality Dr Who is Weird Warhammer 40k is Grim Dark needlessly so Farscape is a lot of fun BSG is despair Andromeda is just bad

[@DwarfDaddy]

Probably should check out DS9 if you want all that stuff in Star Trek, first season is kinda rough but after that it picks up.

[@DwarfDaddy]

@@melissac8063 Was Andromeda the one with Kevin Sorbo?

[@melissac8063]

@@DwarfDaddy Yep

[@DwarfDaddy]

@@melissac8063 Welp good to know that everything he was in after Hercules is ironically god awful

[@zeratul____1228]

Honestly I learned some things I didn't know about both vehicles. I do find it funny how they called it the "All Terrain Armoured Transport" yet it was unable to walk up a wall vertically and it really wasn't that stable. If you take a look at the Battle of Hoth you learn that 3 were lost to the terrain. Really doesn't live up the that half of the name, but boy was that thing sure armoured.

[@tk-6967]

Yeah, but most people don't know that the republic era equipment that the empire brought froze up in the hoth weather, only ATATs and ATSTs actually made the whole journey

[@the-orenge-head]

​@@tk-6967yes but that was due to tarkins lack of let's say intelligence while spending for the military Most of the republic equipment did perfectly fine on a moon orbiting pantora which apparently has more extreme whether than hoth from what I have heard from wookiepidea

[@tk-6967]

@@the-orenge-head I mean, that simply isn't true. Republic equipment was very expensive and had a lot of gaping problems. The Republic was going bankrupt paying for the GAR after all.

[@tk-6967]

@@the-orenge-head Well evidently I did because you were claiming that Republic tech worked just fine

[@tk-6967]

@@the-orenge-head Yeah because the vehicles used on Pantora could totally take out Echo Base and wouldn't be destroyed by turret emplacements or infantry fire.

[@CD-Freedom]

It’s odd. It seems to me that the Empire worked to fill in the gaps that the Republic’s military was missing, but then removed all the assets that filled the areas that were covered in the Clone Wars. They tried to fix a problem, only to create the exact opposite one. The Venator-class and Imperial-class. AT-TE and AT-AT, even the AT-RT and AT-ST all seem like they would work well together.

[@stevenbaumann5911]

I would agree with that. I always think a good ratio would have been for every Imperial vehicle or ship, there should have been three to four Old Republic vehicle or ship.

[@0Kasada]

Well, they did have AT-PTs, so I would say the AT-RT would be redundant, but other than that yeah, you'd expect a bit more of a mix.

[@HolyknightVader999]

Because Clone Wars ships and weapons worked well against large masses of cheap cannon fodder droid troops and cheap merchant marine ships with guns slapped on them. The Rebels have elite starfighter forces and smaller commando armies trained by generals funded by the senatorial elite. Venators would get easily wiped out by Rebel starfighters. AT-TEs would get blown up by rebel guerillas with missile launchers and missile tanks hiding in hard-to-reach places.

[@CD-Freedom]

@@HolyknightVader999 I disagree. The Venator-class has at the very least far more point-defense weapons then the ISD, in addition to its large fighter complement, it would hardly be an easy kill. Also, the AT-TE has almost total coverage from infantry thanks to its front and back lasers. While yes, missiles will do substantial damage if they hit, the AT-TE is not exactly slow, both in literal movement and reaction to attacks.

[@HolyknightVader999]

@@CD-Freedom Are you kidding? The Venator's point-defense weapons couldn't even intercept slow-ass pods in TCW. It doesn't nearly have as much point-defense weapons as an ISD, not to mention Rebel starfighters and corvettes are strong enough to chew up enemy starfighters and shit them out faster than you can launch them. Also, again, the AT-TE isn't as heavily-armored as an AT-AT, so long-range missile launchers can easily defeat it, as we clearly saw in Attack of the Clones.

[@amandajas6287]

EC Henry had an excellent video (all of his videos are excellent, along with this channel I consider them required Star Wars fan viewing) about one of the hidden advantages of the AT-AT as shown in the Clone Wars tv show. the AT-TE was extremely susceptible to simple barriers, the SW equivalent of tank traps. AT-ATs could simply step over them. That aside, I find the AT-AT a far more effective combat vehicle, more like an MBT, than the AT-TE, which as you pointed out is primarily an IFV. For all its problems, the AT-AT had a tendency to slaughter any opposition. Even when they were brought down, it was usually by massive amounts of combined fire. Hell, the walker Cal Kestis piloted took on an entire Imperial garrison and was only brought down when a zeta-class shuttle rammed it. And though they lost a few walkers at the battle of Hoth, the Empire still easily overcame one of the most organized, well-equipped, and prepared armed forces in the galaxy other than themselves with just a few AT-ATs.

[@TheThingInMySink]

I'd argue that the AT-AT suffers from being one of those SW magic vehicles like the Nebula star destroyers, the T-Wing etc. The hard lore of the movies only shows the AT-AT's shrugging off lighter weapons, the Rebels on Hoth really don't have anything particularly heavy to throw at the AT-AT, had they used some proton torpedos things might have been quite different. While it is able to dish a good amount of firepower, inevitably you have to ask yourself the question: if you're fighting guerrillas, how many of them are actually going to just stand still and wait for the massive and incredibly obvious doom walker to get to them? The AT-AT is only going to be effective against troops in defensive positions who are willing to give battle, and while the AT-TE isn't exactly fast either, it wasn't fighting the kind of wars the Imperials were, ironically the AT-TE's with their ability to carry their own organic recon elements, that had good carrying capacity for infantry, as well as easy air mobility using LAAT/c's would have made them much more useful for the Empire, in a sort of anti insurgency ''search and destroy'' role, while the AT-AT's heavy weaponry and armour would have been much more useful for the GRA in the Outer Rim Sieges. It's all well and good if you can slaughter the opposition in a fight, but that's not how insurgents fight, they don't offer pitched battles, when the Rebellion did, it was in a scenario like Hoth where they HAD to do it, if they had more time to prepare they would have gotten off the planet before the AT-AT's could get anywhere near Echo Base. To me, the best vehicle the Empire ever produced was the AT-ST, as it was a clear improvement over previous walkers used in similar roles, and could actually get to where the infantry needed them, was much cheaper, not much less terrifying if you're a civilian who just got handed a space AK, and could deliver a LOT of firepower for it's size.

[@ZackarySchejbalCODBO2RGM2]

"AT-ATs could simply step over them." *Laughs in Rebels Season 3 Episode 6*

[@Uzarran]

As a wise man once said: "This, is a weapon of terror. It's made to INTIMIDATE the enemy. This, is a weapon of war. It's made to KILL your enemy." Sums up the AT-AT versus AT-TE.

[@unknownsoldier4156]

O'Neill

[@UnstableEquilibrium]

Indeed.

[@dkwebb13]

Jack O'Neill is THE MAN!

[@lolroflroflcakes]

Just don't mix up the number of Ls. Colonel O'Neil is no fun at parties, no sense of humor.

[@Treisiess]

My first thought as well, lol

[@scottbraun2457]

Something of a surprise that the STAR WARS gear didn't end up being filled with more MECHSUITs, and BATTLEMECH HEAVY GEAR, or have far more cyborgs on both sides..that were obviously more than merely armored flesh.

[@phoenixx913]

The republic did actually design a type of exo/mech suit. The galactic marines field tested them. The galactic empire also created a mech suit for space combat that was capable of taking out corvettes by itself or cutting it's way into ships and destroying them from the inside. The galactic empire also developed a ground variant of it but without all the weapon systems.

[@scottbraun2457]

@@phoenixx913 must have been expanded u that I missed out on. Wish I had seen it. Thanks for the heads-up. Maybe a little more to look it up? Thanks again.

[@GrimdarkCrusader20th]

You should see the Legends version of the Dark Trooper project

[@seanahmed9079]

But the real question is...which one has the better toy?? I own the AT-TE and absolutely love it, but I think the legacy collection AT-AT appears to be more fun to play with. But not sure since I dont own it

[@samvimes9510]

The AT-TE was lower to the ground and has more legs, so it's a lot harder to trip. That automatically makes it superior.

[@tk-6967]

The ATAT is actually really hard to trip. That one time in ESB was done by one of the top rebel pilots in Rogue Squadron, and both Rebel and Imperial scholars agree that the leg was an unviable attack pattern (many pilots would die attempting it without damaging the walker)

[@jakealter5504]

@@tk-6967 that was the atat

[@tk-6967]

@@jakealter5504 sorry, typo

[@mapleflag6518]

@@tk-6967 That means it was hard to get into the position to trip it.

[@Bigfire253]

@@tk-6967 Not really difficult to get a viable attack approach on something slow and with only forward mounted weaponry on open terrain like hoth, the rebels stupidly attacked the damb things head on instead of circling round

[@stefaneer9120]

This is the perfect background sound effects, to talk about AT-TE, AT-AT and technology about Tanks. 🎇👌😎🎆

[@IloveDUI]

Great vid Gen, i generally like more AT-AT but as said it's not really made for war as the AT-TE, giving it's disadvantage in combat and stuff. Altrough the AT-TE would be effective in combat more, the AT-AT is better against insurgents and all which was the empires goal as they weren't in a war. If those 2 were to combat i think the AT-AT would win because of it's armor and high ground, in Rebels they kinda did but y'know they couldnt just kill of Rex and stuff so yeah Lol

[@Dire_Pack]

Well, as gen said, the belly armor was weak just like the joints. If you have. A smart commander they'd use the AT-AT's high ground against them, firing multiple rounds into the belly armor and joints from a direction the AT-AT couldn't see them. The AT-TE is much faster than the AT-AT and could definitely outmaneuver it, so joint shots from the side would be easy. All the commander really needs to do is charge into the legs and fire up into the belly of the beast That's just my opinion though, and it has a few flaws considering I'm not considering the fact that the Imperial walker might have a smart commander as well

[@laisphinto6372]

i heavily disagree with the whole "not made for war" bs you keep pushing for every imoerial Equipment. consider how all of them were develop during the clone wars and specifically combat the Problem the republic had . for the At TEs ot was already less used in the later stages in the clone wars in favor for more high toneage siege breaking walkers to clear out the CIS fortresses and later the holdouts. the AT AT was a vast improvement over the AT TE in these circumstances and all the other uses the At TEs could be used where better cartied by other Specialized walkers .

[@Spartan086]

@@laisphinto6372 AT-AT may have been an improvement, but the AT-TE only cost 100,000 credits which is cheap for a vehicle, and besides, the Republic Juggernaut was better than both the AT-AT and AT-TE, as it was faster, had more armour, and nearly as many weapons as the AT-AT including missiles (and also less weak points)

[@GingeryGinger]

Depends on how you see it. It was mentioned in episode 4 that the empire was in a civil war with the rebellion.

[@IloveDUI]

@@GingeryGinger yes, and the rebellion wasn't really that war ready and stuff y'know, the empire didn't really think under their iron fist of fear someone would actually go military force against them so their vehicles were designed to go more against smaller insurgents and rebels who weren't really equipped with military machinery

[@bryangibson6211]

Thank you for going through all the trouble of translating kilometers for me!

[@banebeard]

Both have their merits, the AT-TE is great in close quarters and restrictive terrain, where as the AT-AT lends itself better to an open terrain assault where speed matters less than implacable progress. To be honest, the AT-AT should never have been a transport, it should be strictly a gun platform, providing both long range heavy fire and anti-air support. That body section could easily house 2 turrets. Might as well take advantage of such a stable firing platform.

[@StoriesByDighe]

AT-TE plays really well with rest of the vehicles in the GAR.

[@Bigfire253]

I've always thought the AT-AT was more of an artillery piece and a massive over compensation (if you get what I mean lol) whereas the AT-TE was more of a multi role platform, it still surprised me that it did little to the AT-AT's armour seeing as Anakin used then to destroy CIS frigates

[@pastaaura925]

Munificents are designed to be cheap so their armor is not very high quality and they had no shielding on that section because Grievous was only worried about the republic ships in front.

[@Bigfire253]

@@pastaaura925 That is true but I would think the armour of a frigate would be stronger than that of a land based craft

[@omega13whitelucario95]

​@george hartley the actual reason is probably more so to do with they didn't have the proper ammunition or it wasn't as well maintained as it could have need

[@Bigfire253]

@@omega13whitelucario95 it's actually more to do with the tarkin doctrine which is make people fear you so they won't dare try to attack you that's why they made them so big and imposing

[@omega13whitelucario95]

@george hartley I more so meant on why the Mass Driver didn't do as much damage as it should have Cause no way an AT AT is more armored then a Frigate

[@DSzaks]

Interesting analysis though I would point out that ultimately most advanced real world military's scrapped the lightly armored tank destroyer idea for a heavy armored Main Battle Tank as well. And while the AT-AT is vulnerable certain to specialized attacks from below by enemy infantry, ideally there would be Imperial infantry support to counteract such attempts just like how the ATTE and w/ real life tanks have infantry support. Also while starfighter weaponry does seem capable of penetrating the AT-AT Armour I would wager they could also take out an ATTE with even less trouble. If anything I would say the failing of the AT-AT is more to do w/ the tactics employed by the Empire when using them than some sort of fundamental failing of the vehicle itself. Also Not mention here is the fact that an AT-AT could also carry 5 speeders and several heavy weapon platforms in addition to its troop compliment, or opt to carry 2 AT-ST walkers instead for use in establishing/reinforcing forward operating bases and is basically a mobile command structure itself. I would actually say an AT-ST is a more comparable unit to and ATTE than and AT-AT.

[@matthewzumbo9868]

i never see your videos pop up in my recommended section anymore and it aggravates me i loved this video, the ATTE is my favorite walker design ever!

[@DLordSadow]

I think the AT-AT is a great vehicle in certain circumstances, it definitely proved itself at Hoth. That said, as powerful as it is, it certainly lacks the versatility of the AT-TE. I think the 2,could have complemented each other quite well on the battlefield. The AT-ATs spearheading an assault, while the AT-TEs provide support. In certain combat situations one might be used over the other. I think the Empire was right to produce and employ the AT-AT, just not as a full replacement for the AT-TE.

[@dschehutinefer5627]

If the AT-ATs at Hoth had proper AT-AA support the Rebels would have been utterly fucked and no way in hell to down even just one of them. It really comes down to how well supported a vehicle is and how well thought out its overlying doctrine is. The AT-AT was made to be a stupidly well armored troop transport while the AT-TE was more of a jack-of-all trades combining main battle tank with transport/command vehicle duties, but not really excelling in either of these roles.

[@DSzaks]

I mean there were also AT-ST on Hoth providing support much like and AT-TE would have.

[@tk-6967]

@@DSzaks Yeah, and we know that the other vehicles from the republic-era that the empire brought actually froze in the weather and were abandoned so to save the crew and minimise losses, so the ATTE is probably worse at cold weather

[@banebeard]

The real mistake at Hoth was not using the ship board ion cannons to rip apart that BS shield and send in swarms of TIEs. There were a lot of mistakes made out of arrogance there. To be honest you don't really EVER see ISDs using their ion cannons even though they're listed as having them

[@TheThingInMySink]

Did it prove itself at Hoth? Or did it slow down the assault to the point that the Rebels managed to evacuate, thus meaning the Imperial troops failed to complete their primary objective?

[@SlickRickler]

AT-AT was perfect for what the Empire needed it for. Remember that the Empire doesn't use anything for war. It's military is instead geared towards the use of fear and numbers to keep the populace suppressed. The AT-AT isn't anything more than what it needed to be. A raised platform to instill fear on anything it approaches. It's firepower faced forward because that's the only direction a formation of these behemoths would be travelling. It didn't matter if it was outperformed by the AT-TE. It didn't matter if it was weak to starfighters (remember most opponents would not have those kind of resources to fight the empire). The rebels were outliers and the Imperial military was never designed to match them.

[@saac0937]

Storm troopers and the empirial army were much stronger then the rebels

[@seekingabsolution1907]

Actually the rebels were pretty much everyone, the bulk of their forces were an alliance of the smaller home grown rebellions the storm troopers and AT AT's usually dealt with.

[@seekingabsolution1907]

@@saac0937 in numbers yes but their military doctrine had weaknesses which were perfectly targeted by that of the rebels. At the end of the day whilst raw numbers and technological superiority may win most battles, they alone cannot win wars, guerilla warfare and terrorist tactics tend to balance that out a lot. After all if you win 100 battles but lose 1000 soldiers, and hundreds of millions worth of equipment in every one, whilst your citizens live in fear and grow to hate you for your brutality and oppressive conduct causing you to lose home support, you still fucking lose the war. War is messy, murdery and wrong and ultimately victory is determined by many different factors some of which are beyond your control.

[@saac0937]

@@seekingabsolution1907 empire is also better in skill and training too

[@bigwhombalaboomba4574]

Use both and have a double layer durasteel wall advancing at someone maybe?

[@Dr.CaveCurinas]

I feel the differences and complaints people have about the Imperial military miss the point of who it was designed to fight. During the scene in the meeting room in ANH Tarkin goes on and on about needing to control regional powers. They seemed less concerned about a guerrilla rebellion and more about local systems shielding up and declaring independence from the Empire, hoping it wouldn't be able to project power over them. In this context, you can see why they focused on platforms with large, forward-facing weapons and thick armor make sense for attacking entrenched positions. This context even explains the Death Star, which was designed to be the ultimate counter to such a strategy

[@tonyclarke]

Alan, I am not going to comment about your information per say. I just wanted to say you are doing a great job both as an artist and as a human.

[@ShurikenSean]

also would love to see a comparison between the smaller walkers of the republic like the AT-RT and the AT-AP compared to the AT-ST, as I've heard some flaws of it but not as many as the AT-AT, so would be cool to see how it holds up to its predecessors like in this video has.

[@_kommandant_3055]

I think the AT-AT is actually a fairly solid vehicle in both a combat role and enforcer role. -It's height allows it not only to act as an observation platform but also engage targets from a very great distance and shoot down into the most common defensive positions (foxholes and trenches). It also allows it to ford lakes and rivers while remaining in combat and protects it from land mines and IEDs (which is important for fighting insurgents or foiling ambushes). And it keeps infantry from climbing on it and planting explosives on any vital areas. -The armor can withstand multiple proton torpedoes from starfighters (as seen in Rebels), AT rockets, AT blaster turrets, and the revered mass driver cannon on the AT-TE. -In a proper large-scale battle when deployed with AT-ST support on its flanks (as intended) it's nearly invincible. Add in the likeliness that the Empire would have air superiority and it becomes virtually unstoppable. -The crew and infantry inside are extremely well protected. (Unlike the driver and turret gunner on the AT-TE who can be taken out with a simple blaster rifle). -Yes the legs are still a weaker spot. But the loss of a single leg on an AT-TE or an AT-AT is a mobility kill. But the better armor of the AT-AT decreases the chance of a total vehicle loss and after the battle is over, it can be put back into service with a leg replacement. -And of course the intimidation/fear factor as well as friendly morale booster.

[@tk-6967]

And the legs aren't a viable weakness, Hoth was one of the few times it worked

[@_kommandant_3055]

@@tk-6967 The rebels were lucky they took out any AT-AT's in general during the Battle of Hoth. They just happened to have the tow cables and the idea to trip them and the Empire didn't have air support or proper AT-ST support (though they do in video games). We see a leg get shot directly by an AT dish turret during Hoth and it does nothing. And they still easily won against those well equipped rebels. Imagine how hard it'd be for a poorly equipped force.

[@tk-6967]

@@_kommandant_3055 yeah

[@NocturnalAnimations101]

one main thing we have to remember is that Palpatine was aware that there were many who knew the weaknesses to the Republic's vehicles and ships. Especially since there's a huge risk that clones would go against the Empire eventually (from previous experience, that being Fives) and the clones who spent a majority of their time in the different Republic ships and vehicles. Therefore he couldn't take the risk and decided to design new ships and vehicles that would be completely new to the universe itself

[@harrychrisrobin]

the content is great and all. however, the editing opportunities from the fireworks are what truly makes this video epic!

[@erisdiscordia5429]

3:11 This is the information I came here for. Thank you for making it so clear.

[@Jackelmandingo]

The Republic never fixed the mine issue with the ATTE, but the Galactic Empire did issue out wire cutter kit's for the AT-AT legs after the battle of Hoth.

[@ibrahimllenko6922]

I appreciate your allegiance to the metric system and I like your conversion from metric to american!

[@BladeValant546]

I am off the belief the AT-AT is underrated. The main thing about the AT-AT that is glossed over is the fact all conventional weapons were heavily ineffective. The tow cable aspect in reality was out kinda am pit pf the blue tactic.

[@banebeard]

A rare case of an act of sheer desperation actually working.

[@steveb6616]

Also depends on what type of battle >> open field/plains AT-AT has its advantages but entering into urban areas or mountain passes, etc it's too big and unwieldy/unmaneuverable

[@laisphinto6372]

you dont use AT AT or AT TEs for urban areas

[@steveb6616]

@@laisphinto6372 Agreed. The Generation Tech guy brought that up.

[@tomaskops7119]

Add one point. In moving / manuevering battle is better AT TE, but atack on fix position is AT AT speciality, like on Hoth

[@michaelsciortino3385]

The AT-AT reeks of CEO micro management. Probably signed off by some officer who never saw a day of combat in his life but he liked the design and was in a hurry to make it to lunch that day. I think the main advantage is what you touched on, mobile observation post. But even more important in my opinion is that by being so tall, it can provide some very long range line of sight fire support. Basically Artillery that doesn't need a spotter with a very short time to hit the target. If the heavy armor and troop transporting was cut and it was committing to this role in the back, I think it would have been much more effective.

[@the_man34]

8:46 man’s put the umbrella at the computer instead of him He has his priorities

[@vic5015]

I think Jack O'Neill of Stargate SG-1 might have something to day about this. Something about weapons of war vs. weapons of terror.

[@Thrawn-zt3vo]

I appreciate the speed being described for Americans. It really puts it into perspective for real life. I don't speak metric

[@jedironin380]

I was always disappointed in Clone Wars that the secondary guns on both the AT-TE and the LAAT were hardly ever used. They showed some occasionally being fired, but pretty rarely. They could have put down a lot more covering fire for the troops on the ground. I do like the AT-TE better than the AT-AT, myself, but I would have made the main gunner position INSIDE!

[@dj11o9er]

Meanwhile a bunch of AT-TEs just shred a whole bunch of ships after letting rip. In space. Oh. And AT-TE boarding teams. Lol

[@AdmiralBlackstar]

Honestly they should've been deployed side by side. The AT-TE's can deal with lighter targets, and if you replace the mass driver with an array of AA weapons it can screen an AT-AT from it's biggest threats while the AT-AT deals with the heavier targets.

[@horaciobello9600]

BASED !!! palpatine was really stupid , he could just use republic and imperial era guns and vehicles and that make It More powerful

[@jaytrashwade1-1]

Load the at-te mass driver cannon with aa flak shells to screen for starfighters that are targeting the at-at does sound smart

[@ChiefBret]

I love the dedication to filming the video outside even while it's raining with thunder and lightning for seemingly no reason lol

[@aidensanford228]

Thank you for the American conversion it was very helpful to my understanding of the speed of these walkers

[@cmedtheuniverseofcmed8775]

SW Rebels did a fantastic job of showing an AT-TE going against the AT-AT. The AT-TE's heavy cannon can't punch through the AT-AT's thick armor. In a straight up match the AT-AT can pound it to the ground in a fight. However, the AT-AT still has a weakness that can be exploited. Honestly, I would argue to have both vehicles. AT-AT's can still safely carry soldiers inside while AT-TEs provide fire support.

[@christianstarr9188]

Here me out, swap roles so the taller sturdier walker is providing overwatch for the more mobile one?

[@cmedtheuniverseofcmed8775]

@@christianstarr9188 There is what is called the AT-OT (All terrain open transport) that was briefly featured in ROTS. They were basically just troop carriers only, but they weren't exactly too practical. They were wide open and not protected from up top. If they had an enclosed carrier transport, then I see that happening. Rebels did try to "beef-up" the AT-AT by introducing a top rear turret. However, to be fair, the AT-AT really was pretty powerful and it can more safely house its stormtroopers unlike the AT-OT. Juggernauts would have been neatly suited in Hoth where they would do the same thing in moving troops and firing upon Rebel defenses. Otherwise, it's up to SW and the writers to introduce something where the roles between the AT-AT and AT-TE were switched.

[@christianstarr9188]

@@cmedtheuniverseofcmed8775 my bad, wasn't clear, that was a hypothetical where we retain the AT-TE for this role.

[@theoldhermit2601]

The AT AT was more powerful and more effective overall I think, but the AT TE was used much better

[@athleticdiabetic1426]

Thank you for including the American viewers. As soon as you said how fast that is driving my truck with my gun firing out the window it cleared it up a lot!

[@MagicalMaster]

I love that it starts to rain on you and your reaction is to hold up an umbrella for the computer.

[@lestergordon3698]

AT-AT was built and designed to pacify and intimidate rebellious planets through fear. Where as the ATTE was designed for full scale war and with multipurpose functions for handling any combat situation to accomplish it's missions

[@OdiVonDobi22]

Nice comedic burns and comments and your deadpan 😐 delivery is funny af! Fun to listen to! 👍 Keeping AT-AT AT&T, AINT, shit straight is next level! Good channel!

[@joelbibeault1169]

The "for my American viewers" followed by optimal speed while firing guns killed me 😂😂

[@stevenscott2136]

I like the idea of a vehicle that, if you fall out, you DON'T plummet to your death. 😁

[@calebdonaldson8770]

Definitely. The AT-TE is FAR better at infantry deployment. The AT-AT is technically an infantry support vehicle, but we've yet to see how well that worked out.

[@wasthunder1397]

Banana and this man's vids are soooo good

[@GenerationTech]

great source of potassium

[@pyeitme508]

@@GenerationTech Lol

[@ShurikenSean]

using this subject as a jumping off point I'm now thinking how would you redesign the AT-AT to replace the AT-TE more effectively? taking the strengths of the AT-TE and improving upon them by incorporating the strengths the AT-AT had. I picture scaling up the AT-TE, keeping the basic design of 6 legs for stability, but the added size increases the height of the legs naturally, which could help combat mines. then you add the tougher armor the AT-AT has along with its larger storage capacity. I picture the cockpit of the AT-AT receded into the AT-TE chassis like a turtle head. then with the bigger overall frame you add in more and bigger guns. maybe the mass driver cannon becomes more like a traditional tank turret with cover for the gunner, or is replaced with multiple smaller cannons to cover all sides. overall I think it would be more effective for what the empire needed, but we all know the tarkin doctrine wouldn't allow it to happen. look what happened to stormtrooper Davin Felth when he pointed out the AT-AT'S flaws. he got sent off to the backwater world of Tatooine where all he really did was find droid parts in the desert

[@TheMichaeltwwilliams]

Thanks for hosting videos from a warzone Allen!

[@JediTocs]

Great video. How about one comparing the AT-TE to the clone Turbo Tank. If the empire had taken the Turbo Tank design and improved upon its weaponry (like a turret with the AT-AT's twin heavy laser cannons), they could have had a Tank/IFV superior to the AT-TE & AT-AT.

[@Aotearas]

The Trade Federation's AATs was peak armoured fighting design. A propulsion system that made it fast enough at 55km/h and physically unburdened by any terrain features short of actual big obstacles (dense forests, large boulders and/or huge ravines ... all of which would also hinder any other sort of armoured vehicles) and would even work to some degree on water making the vehicle EXCEPTIONALLY mobile on both tactical and strategical levels (the ability to large ignore water obstacles like rivers and lakes is huuuuuuge). It had a standard turreted maingun, two additional weapon in a sort of wingmounted gimbal configuration (only way that could've been better is if those were like ballmounts for near perfect coverage) plus those additional frontal multi-ordnance launchers. The fact it could be either remote controlled via droid crew or crewed by standard soldiers made this thing the by far best design for an armoured fighting vehicle in all of Star Wars. The multitude of rule-of-cool walkers are just childish fantasies compared to the AATs more or less rational design.

[@minicle426]

4:12 A-Wing flying into the bridge of a SSD

[@allenm1024]

The jokes were on point this episode Alan. Excellent work

[@Euripides_Panz]

We need to talk more about riding a bike while shooting. The Scout Trooper demonstrated a great deal more velocity than 40kph. We need to discuss accuracy and collision sensors.

[@markabele8794]

Great comparison breakdown of these different armored vehicles. I've always thought the AT-AT was a dumb design and not just because Luke Skywalker found two weaknesses to disable them. But that they were impractical for most types of combat situations where your opponent is low to the ground yet can evade or attack one of these monstrosities. I think they really represent an overcompensation be the Empire because almost everything they make is ridiculously huge.

[@Hello-There.-General-Kenobi]

Okay, this is a bit off topic but at 0:55 I noticed for the first time that the venator in background has a "loading ramp". The weird thing is that the ramp isn't connected to the normal hanger underneath the venator. The reason for that is the fact you can see some of it behind the ramp.

[@korsoh7328]

I own a certain clone wars comic (Which I don't really know if it's canon or not) in which the late republic used AT-AT and AT-TE along with each other during an assault. The AT-TE was undoubtedly faster and more maneuverable but the AT-AT provided much more firepower. In the comic a battle takes place on a muddy battlefield, many of the AT-TEs were stuck in the mud and while the AT-ATs had no problem walking through but were left exposed as infantry could reach their legs easily. So I guess the idea of these two working together to compensate for their vulnerabilities was an interesting way to look at the relationship between both walkers.

[@gecko-sb1kp]

I've seen The Empire Strikes Back probably close to 100 times and only just now during this video have I noticed the AT-AT's hind leg move when Luke cut it open with his lightsabre. I thought it must have been something George added during one of his many tinkers but when I checked my original 1980 cut it was there. There from the beginning. I never noticed it before...

[@recluse5245]

Think of it like this. AT-TE was the Sherman, theoretically inferior everything else and slightly over engineered but still loved by the troops. AT-AT was the Tiger, disgustingly large and incredibly vulnerable to troops and air attacks, but it’s armor and fire power means it cannot simply be ignored.

[@nomcarver4436]

That moment when your favorite Star Wars content channel shows a m10 tank destroyer on screen.

[@bogustoast22none25]

I’m noticing a theme of both spacecraft and land craft from the GAR and GE complimenting each other very well. Almost like they were supposed to be additions to one another and work together, as if they were made by the same companies sometimes.

[@jwhiskey_1022]

Haven’t watched the video yet but yes it’s better

[@RotalHenricsson]

"I love this..." *fondles AT-TE leg* "...but i grew up with that." *teary-eyed waves at AT-AT*

[@kabuki_kitten7129]

11:40 the at at also has a massive blind spot which could easily be exploited by starfighters and because of the at ats hight it would get in the way of anti air weapons

[@mxviii]

Its a non issue. You wouldnt deploy a planetary invasion force without some kind of air superiority. By the time the AT-ATs would be on the ground the enemy wouldnt have much of an air force left to do anything about it.

[@michaelcoldicott1691]

I would also like to point out the AT-AT had range too, I mean at Hoth it used both height and range to hit enemy targets from a far distance, still the AT-TE has a lot going for it which is why the empire should have made a go between walker with the strengths of both.

[@isaackim7675]

“I’m going for the legs. All four of them!” CT-3636. AKA Wolffe

[@kainmoe7646]

I'm waiting for Alan to pull out an own a saber some time and block some blaster bolt from out of view.

[@alexs6746]

I love how when it starts to rain he doesn’t even flinch and grabs an umbrella

[@johnpaulsanchez3517]

“Which for our American viewers, this is the max speed you wanna be riding your BIKR at when firing your handgun.” I’m dead lmao

[@12oshinko]

Can't decide whether this look or the tanktop is hotter. Looking good, Allen!

[@jhon6378]

I fully agree with the Thumbnail.

[@isaacgraff8288]

One trait I kind of want to see an ATAT do is more of a mobile command post. It is large enough it could be used as a landmark for nearby forces. Give it a good sensor suite and change the armor up a little, it could perform that role quite well.

[@EnwardSnowman]

That's a good point. It could relay communications pretty far with that high vantage. I think the transport compartments need to be replaced with something more useful, though. Tactical missile launchers, shield generator, drone command, shit like that ya know?

[@isaacgraff8288]

@@EnwardSnowman That is a great idea. Extensive sensor suite, holo table for military planning, it would be an exceptional mobile command sensor. As tall as it is, it needs to have an armored underbelly.

[@steelrideproductions371]

TBF, you should actually look at gyroscopes. Gyroscopes are incredible marvels of engineering and I'm very happy to see them being incorporated in more and more modern vehicles and getting the proper respect that they deserve. I could see the AT-AT having its balance fully corrected by having four gyroscopes equipped on board, one over each shoulder to ensure it's constant stability and prevent fallovers. That's what I would do anyways. It would also help to eliminate the rebels towing cable trip wire trick. But, it's unlikely the gyroscopes were even thought of during the writing of the first three films so I'll let it slide. On a side note, and the animated clone Wars show, the ATTE was actually pretty nerfed compared to the live action portrayal of it. If you look at how I performs in live action, it's mass driver cannon on its back is actually incredibly destructive and powerful. It's forward mounted cannons are also incredibly strong. The mass driver cannon is supposed to be rated as a medium artillery piece for anti armor and it's supposed to be able to punch through some heavier armors. In the clone Wars and in rebels, they portray the ATTEs weaponry has relatively weak and it does kind of sadden me. The only time when the ATTE was ever really done Justice was when we saw them ambush a frigate from an asteroid. Never again have we seen them accomplish such impressive feats of strength

[@Rekaert]

I suppose one of the advantages the AT-AT has in relation to ground assault, is that by virtue of its height, it has a higher firing position, so can fire down at targets. Two targets at ground level firing at each other will either hit, or miss. In the event of a miss, the bolt will go past the target into the distance. With the AT-AT, if it misses the target there's a good chance of that shot hitting the ground near it with explosive force, and perhaps causing secondary kills.

[@alistairgrey5089]

AT-TE = Bradley Fighting Vehicle AT-AT = Abrams Main Battle Tank To compare them isn't really fair. They were built for very different purposes.

[@chrisbuckley7345]

Keep in mind that one of the main purposes of the AT-AT would have been to park in a light urban setting, like Lothal, where it would be an intimidating (and nearly indestructible) guard tower. Most 1-3 story buildings would barely rise above its knees, giving it visibility (and weapon LOS) over large portions of the town at once. For a normal civilian population, intimidating as *hell*. And, for most combat situations (as demonstrated on Hoth) it could walk right through almost any firepower the rebels could bring to bear. As a transport, it was awful. As an Assault Vehicle, it was inelegant but effective.

[@hunterkiller1440]

AT-TE is basically immune to harpoon and tow cables.

[@ZackarySchejbalCODBO2RGM2]

And stepping on proton bombs being shot by battle droids

[@DavidRLentz]

In the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported that Mr Bolt officially achieved just under 47 km/hr (29 mph).

[@LibraMiku271]

In certain game mods for Star Wars Empire at War Forces of Corruption that introduce the AT-TE for the Imperials I combine that walker with AT-AT accompanied by SPMAs and AT-AAs to push forward to the enemy base. However... in some instances, I would consider the AT-TE simply because of the engineering and its endurance on the battlefield

[@cosmicdan5907]

Safe and happy travels Alan.

[@MrDanAng1]

I think AT-AT's where more designed to instill fear by intimidation, while AT-TE's where more designed to be versatile machines to maximize effectiveness in battle. Actually winning a war versus keeping peace by mainly policing unstable areas and supress dissent and small rebellions is different and require very different strategies.

[@tk-6967]

@@attilay2k224 not at all, Tarkin disliked ATATs.

[@NebulusDerg]

The Something Something Something Dark Side was one of the greatest movies ever

[@Glorymoon97]

The AT-TE had so much potential as a weapons platform. I bet you could do anything perhaps have maybe turned it into a proper artillery platform, just cut the back part off and take the top turret off and replace it with an AV-7. But per standard I would change the front cockpit to be more protected, and I'd replace the cannon with a properly enclosed turret.

[@ArvexYT]

Much like my opinion of the Venator vs. Imperial Star Destroyer debate, I think the two machines would have complimented each other well if the Empire had a bit more vision. Instead of replacing the AT-TE entirely, I could see a refit Imperial variant being put into production that would be more of a support platform for the AT-AT while the AT-AT serves more as mobile artillery. Turning the two general purpose combat walkers into more specialized machines seems like a good idea to me, though I could see the strain on Imperial logistics of having too many walker types.

[@kordin113]

and it seemed like such a good idea to film outside

[@darthgamer2014]

I have argued and will always argue that AT-TE is the superior design due to it's flexibility. But I think these two design would actually really compliment each other, the AT-TE is faster, more flexible and capable of operating in a variety of environments. The AT-AT on the other hand has heavier weapons, heavier armor and it's weapons are raised on a very high platform making the AT-AT a suitable mobile observation and long range support platform. It would probably also have an easy time serving as a mobile command post, coordinating ground forces and artillery.

[@dylanlowers5236]

I’m not sure how it is with canon now but in legends at least the Imperial military used the old stock equipment for years as cargo transports and rear line vehicles, as any large ever expanding military would do. I had a comic when I was younger that came with an Imperial Officer figure and a green alien with a spear, not sure of the names, but in the comic the Imperial troops have a transport convoy going through the jungle then grasslands consisting of a few cargo AT-TE walkers and a wheeled juggernaut. The comic took place around the time of a New Hope too so that goes to show how long this stuff would be used. Realistically, we should have still seen clone wars surplus being used in the sequel era

[@joshbull623]

Frankly, I think even the AT-M6 was too small. I am thinking somewhere between 60 to 140 meters tall with thick armor plating and capital ship grade deflector shields and weaponry. Perhaps heralding some sith iconography on it too and a cathedral dedicated to the Emperor.

[@praetorurbanus2917]

Ave Imperator, gloria in excelsis Terra!

[@Arronic]

Well with the first order I guess they kinda maybe did learn their lesson from their AT-AT ancestor from the galactic empire with the making of the AT-M6 That thing was basically a much more scarier version of the AT-AT that has legs that were basically trip resistant since smaller craft used to target the legs to trip over the AT-AT with tow cables during the battle of hoth And was always nicknamed the gorilla walker when it was first seen on crait during the last Jedi film

[@kevinwestrom4775]

As shown at the start of the video, I'm surprised the AT-TE didn't have any anti-missile defense system, so that it wouldn't be easily taken out by an anti-tank missile from one of those automated dual-wheel missile platforms on the battlefield. Whether by destroying the missile moments after being fired, or shelding from the missile impacts, or being cloaked from those automated platform lock & fire sensors,.. it probably wouldn't have been all that hard to do for the designers of the AT-TE platform, to better protect the clone troopers inside of them.

[@Phillisophical]

The first recorded use of the At-At was during the battle of Jabiim during the clone wars.

[@stevendowns4378]

One of the golden rules of armoured vehicle design is you want as low a profile as possible. The AT-TE isn't the shortest design, but at least it doesn't size up most buildings.

[@anthonygonzalez2897]

Can you do a breakdown of all the different Separatists armored vehicles and tank-style droids? Such as the trade federation tank, the rolling missile tank we see on Kashyyk in Ep3, and all the other big ones?