Rogue One: What if it’s NOT a Hovertank?

We’re just 4 days away from Star Wars Europe, and what will surely be a Rogue One extravaganza!

So let’s take a look at one of the most anticipated vehicles this September, the Imperial hovertank from the trailer.

A straightforward beast, right? Massive side guns, sloping front, and heavily armored to withstand cowardly attacks from rebel scum. Definitely a tank.

Or is it?

Last May, we brought you the leaked images of the Rogue One Lego sets. And from there we saw a full-body photo of the tank:

Lego won’t allow us to post the leaked image. Click the pic to view the unblurred version from a hosting site.

Lego set 75152 turned out to be the vehicle in the trailer. However, it’s full-body appearance was different enough that people who didn’t see the trailer called it a speeder, instead of a hovertank.

In fact, before the Lego photos were leaked, we were able to obtain a description of the sets from noted Lego insider Just2Good. He described the set as an “Imperial speeder” a full three weeks before the photos came out.

Here’s a pretty good recreation of the Lego set, courtesy of Youtuber BrickWizard59:

A cab, sloped front, and a flatbed. Do you know what that looks like to us? This:

Heck, it’s even carrying cargo at the back: those mysterious orange crates that seem to be scattered all over planet Scarif!

Here’s another custom build, courtesy of brick fan Rebel Builder:

Take away the side guns and what you have is the Imperial version of the Humvee. An armored pickup truck for carrying cargo and patrolling dusty streets.

So if it’s a light pickup, what’s their version of a “Deuce”, a 6×6 truck? That would be the All-Terrain Armored Cargo Transport, or AT-ACT:

And if the AT-ACT is “just” a truck, what would the Empire consider as a main battle tank? Nothing less than this:

A frontline tank and APC in one

Remember, these are the same guys who build mile-long destroyers and moon-sized battlestations. So when it comes to the Galactic Empire, what might look like a tank to us could be nothing more than a Humvee. A heavily armed and floating Humvee.

And if it’s not a “hovertank”, it won’t be the first time we all got something wrong…

The Hidden AT-ATs in The Force Awakens That You Missed!

When watching The Force Awakens, you might’ve been awed by the impressive First Order rally on Starkiller Base.

While Donald Trump General Hux droned on about puppet governments and saving the whales or something, avid Star Wars fans were busy checking out the military hardware. Who knew that TIEs could land on their wings?

And if you’re a true Star Wars geek, you might have noticed the walkers standing off to the side:

But this is NOT the Easter egg we’re talking about. These walkers were actually seen in motion on Starkiller Base!

Check out the scene where Han and company infiltrate the base:

Did you see them? There are actually four walkers in that scene!

If you’re a lazy bantha, we’ve marked them out for you here:

Interestingly, the First Order walkers don’t move like your regular AT-AT. Instead of moving like giant mammals, these behemoths actually stride like giant spiders, which add to their terrifying, otherworldly appearance.

They may even have more than 4 legs, so they are more stable and aren’t as easily toppled as the old Imperial walker.

Here’s the TFA vehicle as constructed by a Eurobricks user:

The old AT-AT was something of a hybrid between a main battle tank and an armored personnel carrier. It was designed to carry a stormtrooper platoon into battle, hence the high-profile body.

The First Order walker looks a bit more cramped. If the leg hinges are the same size as the old AT-AT, their bodies are smaller and more streamlined. Perhaps they are dedicated assault platforms, instead of heavily armored transports.

The old AT-AT combined the firepower of a tank with the troop capacity of an APC

So will we see them in Episode VIII?

The Force Awakens mirrored the style of A New Hope very closely, from the desert planet to the space battles. So if Episode VIII follows the style of The Empire Strikes Back, we might have a massive land battle, with the First Order’s mechanized forces in action.

And if this leaked plot is true, then we might see the new generation AT-ATs (NG-ATs?) on D’qar, crushing the Resistance base to avenge Starkiller Base.

We’ll just have to wait until December 2017!

Did you know: there’s also a new AT-AT in Rogue One that most people didn’t notice!

 

 

The Rogue One AT-AT is Actually An Entirely New Version

Setting: a humid tropical planet.

Amid the swaying trees, Jyn Erso and her band of misfits have just blown up an Imperial landing craft. Dozens of stormtroopers lie dead, while their black-clad deathtrooper comrades race to the scene. The rebels fight back, and a firefight erupts.

And then…. walkers! The famous All-Terrain Armored Transport makes its first appearance in the Rogue One trailer.

But these are NOT your grandpa’s AT-ATs.

Take a closer look.

Notice anything different? I’m not talking about the hilarious olive drab camouflage (as if the walking behemoths would blend with the trees).

The head (or cockpit) is actually different, and it lacks the massive chin cannons seen in Empire Strikes Back.

One of the walking artillery pieces turns right toward the camera and fires a devastating barrage against Jyn and her hapless crew. This allows us a full-frontal look at the slight variations from the 1983 version.

Here’s the head-on view:

And here it is side-by-side with its predecessor. Or in the Star Wars timeline, its successor:

The ESB version seems to be a more heavily armored and up-gunned walker, which would make sense. Perhaps what we’re seeing in Rogue One is the older model.

In the real world, it would be like the M1A1 version of the Abrams tank from the first Gulf War, and the M1A2 version in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The hardware may look the same, but there’s a lot of subtle exterior changes (and much more on the interior) that is easily missed by the casual observer.

Our Bothan spies actually noticed this during our frame-by-frame lowdown of the Rogue One trailer. But we were just too lazy to note it at the time.

If you’re itching for more AT-AT action, here’s the GIF from that glorious scene.

UPDATE: We received a number of comments claiming the Rogue One AT-AT is similar to the one from the Star Wars Rebels animated series. It’s not. Here’s a comparison of all three versions:

We also have this interesting tweet from Lucasfilm’s Pablo Hidalgo:

Want more mind-blowing Star Wars facts? Check out The Terrible Truth About Poe Dameron!