AT-AT: The Ultimate Military Weapon or the Ultimate Design Defect?

 Few images evoke the military might of the Empire more than that those of a company of All Terrain Armored Transports (AT-ATs or Imperial Walkers), in formation, blazing a path of destruction on a battlefield. Designed and manufactured by Kuat Drive Yards, they featured near-impenetrable armor and were equipped with extremely powerful offensive weapons systems,  capable of inflicting significant damage to opposing forces while simultaneously demoralizing resistance.  See, AT-AT (courtesy of Wookiepedia).

However, as mentioned above, as powerful as AT-ATs were, they not impenetrable.  In fact, they were significantly flawed.  They had numerous areas of vulnerability: 1) its flexible neck, which if punctured, could lead to a catastrophic reactor breach; 2) unstable legs which were susceptible to tripping and incapacitation, rendering then defenseless; and 3) a lack of armor covering on its underbelly, leaving the spot vulnerable to mounted guns or portable missile launchers.  See citation above.  All these vulnerabilities were exposed at the Battle of Hoth--Snowspeeders used tow cables to trip a Walker, Luke Skywalker single-handedly destroyed one with a lightsaber and a concussion grenade, and well-placed particle cannon shots took care of another.  

Which begs the question--shouldn't Kuat Drive Yards be liable for the negligent design and manufacture of those weapons?   This is a different situation from the Death Star, where the vulnerability was deliberately and intentionally created by Galen Erso.  In this case, a product was designed and produced with significant--and inherent--design flaws.  No one at the company thought that it was both possible and probable to trip up a large, lumbering, top-heavy war machine with some lines and wires?  That defies logic and belief.  While the Emperor could have shown his displeasure directly through a show of (literal) Force, there would have been a very viable product liability case to be made that would have potentially provided the Empire with a significant monetary victory for its coffers.  

If anything, this is an instructive exercise for those facing potential negligent/product liability issues, albeit on a much smaller scale.  Know your rights, know your options, and May the Law Be With You!





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