The All Terrain Defense Pod (AT-DP) was a bipedal walker utilized by the Galactic Empire and were manufactured by Kuat Drive Yards prior to and during the Galactic Civil War. They were driven by Imperial combat drivers.
AT-DP interior view.
The AT-DP walker, a successor to the AT-RT used by the Empire's predecessor state, the Galactic Republic, it served as the mainstay of backwater garrisons and support for larger war machines, including the AT-AT. Unlike the bulky AT-AC which was almost as tall, and the smaller AT-ST, that boasts a host of armaments, the AT-DP was armed only with a single Maad-38 heavy laser cannon. The weapon was powerful enough to destroy another walker of the same type. The cockpit had seating for a driver and a gunner, with the gunner situated behind the driver, though both crewmen could move the walker, fire the cannon and had access to the gyroscopic controls used to keep the walker stable. Each of these walkers had a hatch at the top to access the cockpit; a main viewport at the front, with bulbs on the side and slits to improve visibility; and holographic projectors.
Kanan shooting an AT-DP with a disruptor rifle.
To protect the crewmembers and equipment, each walker possessed armor strong enough to protect from blaster fire. This armor could not protect against missile launchers, however, and in one instance, an AT-DP was disabled when shot with a T-7 ion disruptor rifle. Thermal detonators exploded near the legs and feet of a walker could also cause damage. Although the walkers were sturdy, their heads were prone to exploding under sustained duress, such as being pressed by an AT-AT.
AT-DPs were used throughout the Empire to keep the populations of occupied worlds in line and to combat insurgent forces. Many of these walkers were used in Imperial facilities such as Imperial Academies for both defensive purposes and training cadets. In situations where an Imperial presence needed to be established quickly and powerfully, two walkers could be attached to the underside docking clamps of a Gozanti-class cruiser for landing in almost any suitable environment.
The AT-DP was originally intended to be used to protect Imperial assets on occupied worlds. The Imperial 291st Legion used the newly released AT-DP walkers to clear out a nest of Thalassian slavers on Galpos II. They subsequently used the AT-DP walkers as the vanguard in urban fighting on Mendavi. In 18 BBY, AT-DPs were deployed to Mon Cala and fought in the Battle of Dac City under Darth Vader to combat the forces of King Lee-Char on Mon Cala.
Some time later, while on a mission to steal unknown Imperial weapons, the Spectres located T-7 Ion disruptor rifles and used them to disable attacking AT-DPs. Many of these walkers saw action against the rebel cell located on Lothal. These walkers were also prominent in many Empire Day festivals, serving in a similar capacity to stormtroopers and Star Destroyers as omnipresent symbols of the Empire's strength. Between 4 BBY and 3 BBY, the Spectres undertook a heist within an Imperial base. In order to escape, the rebel cell then needed to steal AT-DPs and fight their way out.
AT-DP's were used in the Battle of Atollon.
During the Mandalorian Civil War, Imperial Governor Tiber Saxon deployed two AT-DP's to defend a Mandalorian prison during a mission to Mandalore, and used a special variant of the AT-DP to carry the Arc Pulse Generator nicknamed the Duchess. The weapon and the walker were both destroyed, along with Tiber Saxon, when his Star Destroyer was destroyed. Grand Admiral Mitth'raw'nuruodo "Thrawn" sent AT-DPs operating under his armored division into the Battle of Atollon.
The Alliance to Restore the Republic stole a number of these walkers and provided them to Saponza's Gang after the Battle of Yavin.
The design of the All Terrain Defense Pod was developed from an early illustration by concept artist Joe Johnston in 1979.
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