Star Wars: Every Imperial Ground Vehicle, Ranked | ScreenRant
Throughout the Star Wars franchise, the Galactic Empire has deployed all sorts of ground vehicles for various uses. Here are all of them ranked.
Star Wars surprisingly doesn't have a ton of its epic battles in the stars. A large number of the saga's greatest battles take place on the ground and the Galactic Empire employed everything from legs, to wheels, to treads on a variety of different ground vehicles for different tasks and terrains over the course of its history.
Most fans are aware of the Imperial walkers, but many more types of craft populate the Empire's arsenal. New ones appear all the time, including in The Mandalorian, challenging fans to keep track of all the varied craft in the Imperial inventory.
10 Imperial Combat Assault Transport
There are lots of Easter eggs in Chapter 15 of The Mandalorian, "The Believer," and one of them is pretty big. The Imperial Combat Assault Transport, callsign Juggernaut Five, is a nod to an earlier vehicle, the Clone Wars and early Empire era Juggernaut. The never-before-seen Combat Assault Transport is a smaller, leaner version of the wheeled vehicle used to transport highly volatile rhydonium on the world of Morak. Several of these were destroyed by local pirates who set detonators on the rhydonium containers.
9 AT-DP
The All-Terrain Defense Pod was an early and scaled-down version of what would ultimately become the AT-ST. Its design is actually based on a concept sketch of the AT-ST done by concept artist Joe Johnston in 1979. These vehicles debuted in Star Wars: Rebels in the battle for Lothal. The AT-DP featured a single cannon on a ball turret and only one pilot. Rebels used other pieces of concept art from the sequel trilogy to guide the development of the Inquisitors.
8 AT-DT
The All-Terrain Defense Turret debuted in Solo: A Star Wars Story. This awkward variant of the Imperial walker, one of the best things in the movie, terrorized the battlefields of the planet Mimban. The vehicle was simply a giant cannon fixed to the two legs, with an exposed pilot. This wasn't tactically sound and later variants abandoned the cannon and exposed crewman. The AT-DT was based on World War I artillery and tanks in keeping with the general Great War aesthetic that the muddy trenches of Mimban evoked.
7 AT-ACT
Rogue One introduced a slew of new Imperial vehicles, including the All-Terrain Armored Cargo Transport. The AT-ACT is a variant of the famous Imperial AT-AT, with some key differences. The primary objective of the AT-ACT was to carry cargo and not terrorize Rebels, though it was pretty good at that, too.
Much of the vehicle was empty space, where giant cargo containers would be housed for delivery. The AT-ACT featured heavy laser turrets and an armored cockpit, though it was more vulnerable to Rebel firepower than its iconic cousin, as seen in the Battle of Scarif.
6 Imperial Hover Tank
Another major new Imperial vehicle seen for the first time in Rogue One is the Imperial Hover Tank. This much smaller vehicle also transported cargo, like kyber crystals on Jedha, but its primary function was intimidation. This craft and its later batteries patrolled city streets and fired into crowds without any compunction. The Hover Tank actually operated on treads, concealed beneath the tank, the design of which was based on early tanks from World War I.
5 Turbo Tank
The HCVw A9 turbo tank is the clear antecedent of the Imperial Combat Transport in The Mandalorian. This behemoth on wheels transported prisoners on the penal colony of Wobani in Rogue One. Its immediate predecessor, the HAVw A6 Juggernaut, also informally known as a turbo tank, was heavily involved in the Clone Wars. Numerous tanks rolled across the sandy beaches of Kashyyk in the final battle with Separatist forces there in Revenge of the Sith, right before Order 66. The outstanding production design on the Wookie planet is just one of the things the final prequel film got right.
4 Imperial Troop Transport
The Imperial Troop Transport has a long, fun history in Star Wars. The small transport with unique opening side doors made its first live-action appearance at the end of the first season of The Mandalorian. The heavily armored vehicle is based on an original toy concept by Kenner from 1979. Kenner engineer Mark Bordeaux created the ship from scratch to add another toy to the astronomically successful line. The transport eventually made it into canon, with a few small adjustments. It also appeared in episodes of Star Wars: Rebels.
3 Speeder Bike
Scout Troopers, one of the coolest variants of Stormtroopers, have the coolest rides. The speeder bike debuted in Return of the Jedi and has become a staple of the saga ever since. These repulsor-lift vehicles with high speed and maneuverability negated the need for wheels or treads, but the Empire never really let anything go.
Numerous variants of speeders exist throughout the Star Wars universe. The Imperial model evolved out of the BARC speeder used during the Clone Wars. The variant 614-AvA speeder bike was in heavy use on Lothal.
2 AT-ST
The All-Terrain Scout Transport, affectionately known as the 'chicken walker' by fans, was ubiquitous during the Galactic Civil War. Though this was considered a smaller variant of the much larger AT-AT, it was no less intimidating. AT-ST's prowled through cities, forests, and deserts, delivering a terrifying array of firepower against often defenseless targets. The bi-pedal walker was not without its weaknesses though, all of which the Ewoks exploited during the Battle of Endor.
1 AT-AT
The All-Terrian Armored Transport is perhaps the most iconic vehicle in the Imperial arsenal. These gigantic walkers resemble metal dinosaurs in their size and shape, and there is little anyone can do against them. The AT-AT delivered a devastating blow against Rebel forces on Hoth and was used throughout the Galactic Civil War against military and civilian targets. Their impregnable armor and massive firepower proved overwhelming in virtually every engagement they participated in. They were vulnerable though, as the resourceful Rebel troopers showed on Hoth; a simple cable around their legs could stop and even topple the giant walkers.