All Terrain Armored Transport The All Terrain Armored Transport ( AT - AT ) was a four - legged combat walker used by the ground forces of the Galactic Empire . With the " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer and the TIE fighter , it was one of the most famous symbols of the Empire ' s military might . Models . Early model . This model was used against the early rebellion . Later model . This model was used during the Galactic Civil War . Elite AT - AT . This was a more heavily - armored variant with a darker color scheme . First Order AT - AT . This was an upgraded version of the AT - AT used by the First Order . History . Age of the Empire . The AT - AT walker was developed for use in the Imperial Army , the ground forces of the Galactic Empire . It was the successor of the All Terrain Tactical Enforcer that saw use during the Clone Wars , although it constituted a far more imposing example of walker technology . Heavily armored and awe - inducing , the AT - AT positioned itself as the standard of Imperial firepower on the battlefield . In 4 BBY , the Imperial Security Bureau Agent Kallus led three early AT - AT walkers on an assault on the desert planet of Seelos against the Spectres and three retired clone officers aboard an AT - TE . AT - ATs were used again in 3 BBY against the Spectres , when Prince ss Leia Organa arrived on the planet to give the " Ghost ' s " crew three " Sphyrna " - class corvettes . Two walkers were deployed to patrol the transports ' landing platform , which were formally on Lothal to offer supplies to citizens impacted by the rebel efforts . When the rebels tried to steal the corvettes , the " Ghost " started firing on the AT - ATs . Four proton torpedo s were not powerful enough to destroy one of the walkers , and it was necessary for Kanan Jarrus to use his lightsaber to cut its legs , toppling it . The second one was knocked down by the engines of the last Hammerhead , piloted by Ryder Azadi . In 2 BBY , Lieutenant Yogar Lyste deployed two AT - AT walkers , Walker 271 and Walker 414 , to combat an attack on the east gate of the Imperial Armory Complex by members of the Lothal resistance led by Ryzder Azadi . The rebels Kanan , Ezra Bridger , and Chopper escaped in the stolen AT - DP Walker 216 . However , Grand Admiral Thrawn realized that the rebels had hijacked the AT - DP walker and ordered his AT - ATs to crush them . One of the AT - AT walkers proceeded to crush the AT - DP under its heavy body but the rebels managed to use their lightsaber s to cut their way aboard . Morad Sumar also fired a rocket which hit one of the walker ' s legs . After knocking out the AT - AT pilots , the two climbed out and escaped with Ryder ' s cell into the wilderness . Thrawn then deployed four of these during the battle on Atollon . Jedi survivor Kanan Jarrus then destroyed one with his lightsaber . The Force wielder , the Bendu then destroyed two of the AT - AT walkers . However , the last one was able to shoot Bendu down from the sky . Galactic Civil War . Around the time of the Battle of Yavin , a new AT - AT model was introduced . At this time , the Alliance to Restore the Republic stole a number of AT - ATs and provided them to Saponza ' s Gang . During the Rebel assault on the Imperial weapons factory moon of Cymoon 1 , a group of Rebels led by Han Solo and Leia Organa stole an AT - AT from Weapons Factory Alpha . They used the walker to escape from the factory after they sabotaged its main power core to explode . During their escape , Solo fired a shot that nearly killed the Sith Lord Darth Vader , using the AT - AT ' s powerful quad laser cannon s . Soon after , Vader managed to overtake the Rebels in their escape and cut down the massive walker ' s back - left leg . The AT - AT fell tremendously and its passengers barely managed to escape the wreckage ; before fleeing Cymoon 1 entirely for the safety of the Alliance Fleet During the Battle of Hoth , General Maximillian Veers led a squadron of at least five AT - ATs on the icy fields of Hoth to knock out the shield generator that protected Echo Base , the Rebel headquarters . The triumph of Veers ' squadron allowed the Imperials to invade Echo Base and rout the Rebels , striking a major blow in the war . However , the battle also revealed that the AT - ATs could be toppled by a cable wrapped around their legs . Although that weakness had been used effectively by the Alliance on Hoth , the Empire continued to use these mechanical behemoths in the later stages of the war , employing them in several skirmishes on Tatooine . In 5 ABY , at least one AT - AT walker was stationed at Camp Sardo on the planet Kashyyyk . During the Liberation of Kashyyyk , several Wookiee guerrilla fighters , including Kirratha , hijacked the AT - AT walker and threw out the crew . Shortly later , AT - ATs were deployed against New Republic forces during the Battle of Jakku . Rise of the First Order . Decades after the war ' s conclusion , a young scavenger named Rey used one of the downed AT - ATs , designated Hellhound Two , as her home on Jakku . The First Order used an upgraded version of the AT - AT as an escort to its newer AT - M6s . Behind the scenes . The names " All Terrain Armored Transport " or " AT - AT " is never spoken in any of the films . Instead , the machines are referred to as " Imperial walkers . " The AT - ATs used in " " and the brief appearance in " " were created with the use of stop - motion animation . Initially , the Empire was to attack the Rebel base on Hoth using tanks . Joe Johnston created many designs of these vehicles , one of which was the basis for the HAVw A6 Juggernaut that appeared in and the HAVw A5 Juggernaut in Star Wars Legends , and the tanks themselves were to be portrayed by remote controlled vehicles . However , Dennis Muren and Joe Johnston convinced George Lucas to use stop motion instead , which later eventually lead to the abandonment of the tank design . In the DVD commentary to " The Empire Strikes Back " , George Lucas explains that he got the idea of the AT - AT from the massive tripods from ' 1898 novel " " . Though it is popularly believed that dock machinery was the inspiration for the AT - AT , Phil Tippett has said otherwise , recalling that it was based on the prehistoric mammal " " . The AT - ATs featured in " Star Wars Rebels " series are different models than the ones in the " Star Wars " films , inspired by the early concept arts drawn by Ralph McQuarrie during the production of " " .