All Terrain Armored Transport ( Galactic Civil War ) This model of All Terrain Armored Transport was used during the Galactic Civil War . It replaced its larger predecessor . Description . The All Terrain Armored Transport was an imposing , heavily armoured , quadrupedal combat walker that stood 22 . 5 meter s tall and could move 60 kph . Due to their impressive appearance , it was used as much for psychological effect as for tactical reasons . Additionally , it also served as transports for combat personnel . The vehicle ' s cockpit and sensor array were located in the " command pod " or " head " part of the walker , which also carried spot lights and the main armaments : dual Piperii - Cerlurn R - 90C medium blasters located on the sides or " temples , " and a pair of heavier Taim & Bak MS - 1 heavy blaster cannons fitted on the " chin . " Inside the cockpit stood an vehicle commander behind two AT - AT pilot s who controlled the walker ' s movement . AT - AT pilots and personnel wore specialized suits in case the walker ' s pressurized cockpit was smashed open in hostile environments . However , the neck and joints were weak spots and could be damaged by blaster cannons and other heavy weaponry . The entire walker was vulnerable to other AT - AT fire , if one happened to be hijacked and turned against the other . Connecting the " head " to the " body " was what was dubbed the " tunnel , " which would lead to a troop compartment capable of ferrying numerous soldiers , along with a vehicle bay at the walker ' s rear that held five 74 - Z speeder bike s . The main , rectangular troop hatch was located in the middle of the walker ' s side , two smaller escape hatches were located both to the main hatch ' s immediate left and right , and the auxiliary hatch was located in the walker ' s underside . The walker ' s tail end consisted of filtered atmosphere intakes on its upper part , while a blaster cannon energizer was located within . At the bottom of the behemoth was the walker ' s fuel slug tank , which had a reputation of being dangerous . The walker ' s four legs were aided with the assistance of ankle drive motors , while inside the giant footpads were several terrain scanners . The Elite AT - AT , a more heavily - armored variant with a darker color scheme , was based off the body of this version . History . Age of the Empire . This model succeeded the model used in the pre - Galactic Civil War conflict against the rebellion . Plans for this version existed as early as 4 BBY . Galactic Civil War . Following the Battle of Yavin , 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 . 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 .