The Awfulness of the AT-RT
Added 2022-05-21 10:30:02 +0000 UTCDear Patrons,
I'm at a loss. Quite a lot of Star Wars is simply rule of cool in action. The military vehicles especially. Who can forget the towering, menacing AT-ATs in Empire Strikes Back and while I can justify them in my head for the bloated Imperial War Machine and because they tickle my Mechwarrior/Battletech itch and even the Clone War AT-TEs, there's one GAR land vehicle that has me face palming.
That is the Republic AT-RT - All Terrain Reconnaissance Transport
The thing is clearly made to harken back to horse cavalry from the creative standpoint, but as a military vehicle operating in an environment that has the multitude of fast mobile droid tanks, armored B2 droids, how can you justify this thing?
The pilot is totally exposed on the top. It can move at 70km/h on flat terrain, yes, but much slower on uneven terrain and even with the crazy sidestep moves they seem to be able to pull through the magic of mass cancelling tech to increase the agility, it doesn't help in the face of mass fire from enemy tanks/droids (unless you're a Jedi). They're very lightly armored and just a single hit would rip the thing from under the rider.
How can you justify this thing with the existence of anti-gravity repulsorlift tech and speeders? When you can clearly have armed speeder bikes such as the 74-Z, which the Republic already had during the Clone Wars, which has a speed of 360km/h to 500km/h to fulfill the reconnaissance cavalry and motorized infantry role.
My only conclusion that I can come to was that this was yet another Palpatine inspired death trap for the clones.
What do you think?
Comments
Even as much of a death trap as it is, and make no mistake it is definitely a death trap, it essentially being a chicken walker with open air seating and guns does allow it opportunities. There are rocky uneven terrain (and indeed entire worlds) where the use of repulsors are not ideal or outright impossible (Jabiim, for example). Indeed, it is on these places the AT-RT is most useful. If used primarily in a scout or light harassment role, I reckon it’ll do fine. It may well also do well in the military police and garrison duty role.
Teh One & TrueTabi
2022-05-21 14:55:13 +0000 UTCMost likely it was created to add a sort of progression in tech and create similarities between eras. If we go with usefulness? Might have a lower energy signature than the hover bikes and repulser lift tech.
SerynVarian
2022-05-21 10:46:21 +0000 UTC
