Retired, and replaced with the much higher efficiency trained military officers! I'd say it was the second best decision made, following the replacement of the obsolete "supreme chancellor" position with the "Emperor" position. Palpatine really knew what he was doing there.
I disagree, it's one of the few vehicles from Star Wars that has more utility than most. It ticks one of Alan's boxes for a replacement for the AT-TE, it's a massive wheeled vehicle. An alternative use for these could've been used in was moving people in hostile terrain, just like we saw at the start of Rouge One.
The Juggernaut tank, is indeed an amazing and versatile vehicle. However as a certain imperial commander noted, the Juggernauts are incredibly maintenance heavy and the parts to do so are quite rare. But still an amazing tank.
1. The AT-AT could hold, transport, and deploy more troops (which was it's real function anyway) than an AT-TE, and act as support artillery. 2. The AT-AT's higher elevation made hitting targets farther away much easier, and made it far less susceptible to boarding from enemy ground forces - unless they have grapples, as well as mines, grenades, etc. Plus, it's greater height also allows it to pass over or squish asparagus obstacles. 3. It was faster than the AT-TE mostly because of its quadrupedal, and longer legs. 4. The AT-AT's cockpit wasn't just a glass canopy; but a far larger, more comfortable, fully-armoured shell. Even if the glass was the Star Wars equivalent of "bulletproof", one shot to the cockpit of an AT-TE with the right weapon could pierce the glass and kill the driver. 5. The AT-TE was shown to be susceptible to artillery, from having their legs shot out from under them, to being obliterated by concentrated fire, even by a single missile; whereas the AT-AT has been shown to be much more resilient. 6. The AT-AT *does* not have a 360-degree field of fire, and *can* only shoot forward at a limited area. However, if it deployed it's troops, the two speeders it could store - or was accompanied by scout walkers as seen in the Battle of Hoth, then each could make up for it's blind spots. 7. Yeah, the AT-TE can climb vertical surfaces, and that IS an awesome feature. But if the Imperials had to storm a structure at the top of a rocky spire for instance, wouldn't it be better to just use air superiority and land troops in gunships and armoured troop transports? 8. And of course, tow cables. All a walker has to do to not be tripped is stop until the cables entangling its legs are removed. Granted, we've only seen one speeder at Hoth pull it off in the first place. I credit that to Wedge's steady flying and the rear-gunner's own skill.
*The ARC-170 was perfect for the Empire's needs.* It wouldn't be used in the Tie Fighter role, instead the Empire could have used it as a _light _*_Reconnaissance_*_ vehicle_ to extend the situational awareness of its larger ships. It goes on patrols to check out neighbouring systems, thus allowing it's larger ships to cover more territory. It finds something and then the main capital ship can jump in and deal with it, if it's bigger than a light freighter being shady - which a ARC-170 could handle. Just load up its torpedo launchers with ion torpedoes and it's capable of light interdiction. And the three man crew is actually a bonus for the Empire… as it keeps everyone honest. A one man hyperdrive ship is a defection risk, but _all three crewmembers_ would have to agree to defect for a ARC-170 to abscond. It was the compliment to the larger ships that couldn't be everywhere, and the smaller one man non-hyperdrive fighters that couldn't be anywhere (away from a support ship). And it's cost was perfect, it was already built!
Why does the Empire send out recon in teams of 3? One to observe, one to write down, and one to keep an eye on the two intellectuals. But honestly yeah, the empire would have massively benefited from this, as well as elite starfighter corps with hyperdrive. One wing or so per star destroyer, to pursue light fleeing enemies. Because yeah, the two things the Empire could realistically expect to face a lot are a) Ground-Based Insurgencies, no star fighters needed, and b) Light Skirmishers in space, where the ability to pursue and inflict further casualties becomes invaluable.
@@jamoecw If anything they should have made it slightly larger, just large enough to fit a crew compartment between the gunner turret and co-pilot's cockpit, so that the three man crew could actually take advantage of that by allowing each other to rest and refresh themselves without needing to land and leave the ship. At the size it is, they could have probably fit a narrow bunk, galley, and head in there without adding more than a meter or so to the beam of the fuselage and a meter in length.
Even so the ARC 170 Would still be outclassed by the rebels X wing fighters and A wing interceptors. Hell even a Z95 can outfly it if it meant to be used as recon It will make it exposed for Ambushes since its slower and less maneuverable a pair of A wings will have no problem taking it out And finally the empire could not afford to spare 3 pilots EVERYTIME they need a recon that would be an expensive investment remember these are human pilots not clones they need to be trained and again addressing the 2 points it would be a waste of lives that would make the rebellion had even greater support and can be used by rebels as propaganda for their cause
"Almost too much firepower to use against a civilian.." Lol... Kinda like a giant death laser housed in a structure the size of a big moon and with its lowest setting reading "nuke city".
@@kirbycooper9496 my issue with this statement is that the 34 had 600rpm and the 42 is 1200 to 1500 rpm what whould mean more changes then just a barrel replacement making the 42 quite a bit diffrent.
@@elimartin3982 Well its a fact that any national government that believes bigger is better always have the problem. Socialist and Communist countries in the real world know this all too well.
6:41 actually the weapon on the self-propelled heavy artillery is modular and capable of being swapped out with a variety of different main weapons including non-line-of-sight weaponry
Plus, they seem like pretty decent weapons to use against fortifications. OK, you lose the ability for indirect fire, but you gain accuracy and precision.
Gun nerd comment "Hitlers Buzzsaw" was more commonly a reference to the MG42. While the MG34 did fire at 600-1000 rpm, the MG42 fired from 800-1300 rpm. Depending on barrel heat and bolt weight/maintenance it was known to fire up to 2,300 rpm.
The ARC-170 starfighter was put in the wrong role by the GAR. It should have been used as a dive bomber instead of just a fighter. The ARC-170 could have been one of the galaxy’s greatest ships if it were properly used.
yeah, the ARC-170 was a recon fighter and frigate killer. given the low numbers and production of the GAR's military, but the elite nature of their forces, they needed to find production centers and weak points then strike at them to cripple the CIS or else attrition would defeat them. the ARC-170 was perfect for doing this and could have been used to quickly scout an area, letting local defense forces defend instead of fighting for them. have the jedi man the interceptors in a big concentrated overwhelming force and take out the production centers for the droids, then go after the capitol of the CIS and force a surrender. it would have cost civilian lives, since they would have to defend on their own (as they should be able to do if they weren't so corrupt) but it would end the war much quicker. in the end the civilian casualties would be about the same, but the rest of the cost of the war would be less (which is why palpatine wouldn't want that).
thinking of the ARC-170 as an interceptor is why it performed poorly. it is designed to operate on its own far away from support to deal with small ships and detect fleet movements. basically this is exactly what was needed to deal with the rebels. the rebels had small ships and snub fighters that used hit and run attacks while hiding their movements most of the time. using the ARC-170 for policing duties would mitigate pirates in a large area and give warning about the movements of rebels. rebels that split up to flee could be picked off by a few of the ARC-170s increasing the attrition from the battles the rebels lost. basically they would replace patrol frigates, as they might be weaker but they cover a wider area for the same cost, and when concentrated are in fact stronger. the way they were used is just another misuse of a tool by the Jedi, and everyone that comments on them follow the Jedi's logic.
The empire kept quite a few Acclimators. They just removed it from front line combat and used it for transporting slaves and prisoners at least as far as star wars legends has stated.
Yeah but they weren't heavily armed and required escort. The Empire was all about utility and given that they only needed ships to maintain a peace-keeping presence, star destroyers fit that role perfectly. Acclamators were designed to ferry an entire army for huge planetary engagements and weren't necessary for the Empire's stratagem.
On the AT-TE: a single AT-TE plus a single probe droid or scout to act as a spotter would have won the Battle of Hoth much earlier by simply walking through the theatre shield as the AT-ATs did and then using the mass driver cannon to destroy the shield generator from beyond visual range. On the SPHA-T: another use is during a ground battle against a hardened target that, for whatever reason, can't be hit from orbit through orbital bombardment, such as a mountain base close to something the Empire doesn't want to destroy or a theatre shield whose internal defensive lines prevent the Empire from slipping walkers through. On walkers vs repulsorcrafts: walkers can walk through theatre shields, repulsorcrafts can't.
Another reason that I've always considered is the fact that walkers are able to function in a large variety of gravitational conditions. Not every place where you need to deploy vehicles has a consistent, or stable gravitational condition, and thus I'd argue that repulsorlifts wouldn't be as useful in environments such as those.
If Admiral Ozzel didn't alert the Rebels by arriving so close, the fleet would have had the Rebels trapped and forced to submit. The Empire still crushed the Rebels without AT-TEs just fine.
@@BungieStudios The Rebels would have still fought the landing party. And considering the losses suffered by the assault force, you can't call it "crushing". In fact I wouldn't be surprised if the EMPIRE got traumatized after their prized AT-AT walkers started being defeated by tow cables or, as seen in Lost Stars, a jackass firing weak blaster cannons in the same point of a walker's foot until the bolts came undone. A single AT-TE with the indirect fire mass driver, on the other hand, could have blown up the shield generator and allowed the fleet to land troops directly on top of Echo Base.
I would consider the GAT-12h Skipray Blastboat as the Empire's replacement to the ARC-170. Same crew complement, but the recon and independent patrol capabilities make up for it... and the Empire doesn't need that many of them either. Plus, it uses ion cannons so it can chase down and disable those pesky corellian YT freighters that always cause so many problems.
DC-15A FUN FACT: on the 2011 blu-ray special features the weapons design comes from a time crunch. The barrel is an upside down E-11 the "sites" on top are what's left over from the handle and the E-11s "tripod" and the cylinder below is the E-11s scope. It's like poetry it rhymes
FINALLY a video on what the Empire did well! The nonsencial mistakes the Empire made - especially in the new canon - are confusing to say the least. Great someone pointing out imperial moves that actually made sence.
the MG42 was a bit heavier but could fire alot more and supress almost everything but armoured vehicles. while the MG-34 was kept in most of their tanks due to the ability for the crew to replace the barrel without needing to open up anything of the tank to do so. *just pull the MG back out after turning the receiver all the way to the left, take the barrel out, put another back in and shove the MG back into the mantlet* vehicles (tanks and tank destroyers) which had the MG-42 equipped were: - a whole lot of early 1942 tanks - the sd.kfz 234/2 - 3 - 4 - probably all vehicles which had an alternate role to fight infantry (alot of Anti Air vehicles before everything went 20mm) both of these were pretty cool but the MG-42 just did not fit in when it came to barrel switching in most german tank designs
I would argue any situation where the AT-AT was deployed the Empire should've used At-TE instead, though I tend to agree that the 6 legs should've been replaced with repulsor lifts
The DC-15A is just an just two E-11's mashed together with a few doodads added. It's creation was in a behind the scenes video for Attack of the Clones.
Normally blasters in Star Wars are supposed to be significantly lighter than weapons in real life. While 9.5 pounds (AK/DC15) may not seem like much, it can be a lot over time for fatigued soldiers, especially considering the DC-15 length and center of gravity.
He did, but also remember that the AK47 is a fairly compact design - shorter than even some modern carbines. They generally use wood stocks to help with both cost and the weight due to the amount of steel used in the construction, especially with the gas piston system that it uses (as opposed to a gas block system like the M16). When you have that much weight along the length of such a long weapon, and you have serious balance and fatigue issues with the shooter. And with modern firearms (no idea if this translates to the SW universe), the reason that weapons with long barrels often have bipods to support them is because those barrels are too heavy to hold an accurate bead due to sway when held be the average person. Recoil and barrel ‘climb’ are usually mitigated by extra mass, too much on the barrel side will actually make the gun want to “run away” from you under rapid fire. Best analogy I can think of was a conversation with a Marine vet from Vietnam. When talking about rapid firing his M14 (heavier weapon and more powerful cartridge than the M16 uses) he said this: “The first round was right on target. The second would be high and a bit to the left. By the third, it was an anti-aircraft gun.”
@@edgarestrada4491 that's a question of the battlefield. The DC-15 is a terrible choice the shorter the battle distance becomes. I would mix my squad or even give an E-11 with my troops for short fighting distance. Because the longer a weapon is the longer it takes to chance firing direction. Made the experience my self in german military.
No Yavin base, no later twincest due to Leia being death starred at Yavin base. And a major blow to the Rebellion along with the Death Star being triumphant and unassailable, due to knowledge of its Achilles heel being obliterated. On the plus side Han gets out from under Jabba's bounty, having paid him off. Although he now has to worry that his ship blew out of the Death Star, and the Empire would have gotten the ID. So it's time for some panelbeating and modifying the look, as well as a new ID package. And if they had surveillance cameras inside the Death Star, well how good is plastic surgery in the Star Wars universe? Chewie could start using _Just for Wookies_ to change his fur colour. On the plus side he has Luke as a crewmember, who's pretty useful and seems to have some psychic powers he's just learning to develop - although the kid is being nagged by the ghost of the old man they lost at the Death Star.
Thinking about the ARC-170, there are some tactical holes the Empire could have used new vehicles for. Besides existing light cruisers and dedicated anti fighter frigates that have been mentioned in many videos and already existed, just not in the numbers needed, what was needed but had nothing really to fill the niche… A heavy *repulsor lift medium tank* that basically had the dimensions somewhere between the AT-TE and the chicken Walker (perhaps several sizes/types), but who's purpose was infantry suppression and to help lock down a city. It would hover and move around a city, able to fly above streets and buildings, shielded, it could take hits from any weaponry that a militia would possess, and it could lay down suppressing ground fire, even directly beneath it. As well it's weapons would be capable of stun settings. A good example of its application would have been the city of Jedda under martial law. AT-ST's just couldn't react fast enough and were clumsy and vulnerable in built up City streets (and heavily forested areas…). Flying shielded tanks with powerful sensors and blasters that could take you down or even stun you for capture and interrogation would have been a great deterrent and countermeasure to irregular forces. It's basically a APC and helicopter gunship that can just patrol the city from the sky. The Empire should have just transitioned from Walkers to repulsor lift vehicles, repulsion jammers were very rare, and if used they would just summon in a main taskforce to deal with whoever possessed one. And emergency wheels were always a option. … … … … A ship that was needed was a versatile gunship to use as a medium range patrol vessel. It would be the Star Wars equivalent of a naval patrol boat. Something that would scare snubfighter pilots _with multiple turreted laser cannons,_ and be able to handle civilian armed light freighters _with heavier ion cannons_ to force a stop and surrender. It would compliment the ISD, being able to act as a screening vessel and go off on its own to investigate suspicious activity or areas outside the sensor range of the main fleet. The patrol boat would be able to stay on station for a long time, so it could fly in formation as a screening ship or go on its own long range investigations. Having a large enough crew to man it as a ship, it would be safe from defection and so it could be equipped with a hyperdrive. That would also allow it to jump with a fleet to remain on station while they jumped. In fact a faster hyperdrive would be useful as it could be used to scout jump zones before the main fleet arrived, and to catch up if it went off on its own mission. It should be capable of landing without faculties on planet, to help with scouting and just to be parked at bases, and it should be able to fit in hangars without fins that get in the way (unlike the armed Lamda shuttle variant that had fins above _and_ below). It's debatable whether it needed a compliment of troops to board ioned freighters or whether it should remain a lighter AA support ship. It's mission profile could best be described as being a mini version of the Raider Corvette, at a fraction of the size, cost and crew compliment, and no hanger of its own. In fact it could be used as an escort for a Raider Corvette. There could be different sized versions from a patrol ship thats like a modern Patrol boat, able to act as a coast guard and keep small craft away from the fleet, to scaled down to the PT Patrol boats in Vietnam [Apocalypse Now… a light vessel with a few guns to keep order]. Another game changer ship class that never got widely adopted were the tie fighter variants from Rogue One, on Scariff. The Tie Striker was a brilliant fighter that outclassed everything else in atmosphere, _was cheap,_ and could also devastate ground targets. Mass produced it would have been the bane of any PlanetSide action. And having wings as well as repulsor lift, it would have solved the issue of anyone using a repulsor jammer - with extreme prejudice. And while it could fly in space (it could even be used as a transport/personnel ground to orbit shuttle in a pinch) it wasn't long range enough to be worth nicking to run away with, so being kept in hangers at bases wasn't a interstellar security risk. The Tie Reaper was also a far superior ship to its competitors such as the Lamda shuttle. In fact a modified version could be the basis of the gunship idea I suggested above… a reasonably costing ship that could cover the tactical holes in the standard Imperial fleet and was able to be mass produced and Logistically sound. The Empire really lacked in the intermediary niche between small one man basic snub fighters and light capital ships. They really needed something to counter the heavily modified Correlian light freighters that became the favourite tool of every criminal and often rebels as well. In fact they really should have commissioned the Correlians to design them something for that, a military spec version based off their YT series. But then every Rogue, Smuggler and Soldier of Fortune would have been trying to hijack them.
The AT-TE would have been better if continued instead of the AT-AT as it could scale vertical cliffs to approach enemies. The reason to not use repulser lifts was so they could go through ray shields. The ATRT was a better form of the AT-ST as it was able to move quicker and was would cause fewer casualties(during driving) than BARC speeder bikes and costed less repairs and maintenance as seen in rebels when one faulty part led to a BARC exploding something that may have been common among the empire spending its large budget on large intimidating weapon rather than reinforcing its ground and overall naval forces.
@@pedrokantor3997 yes however the pod design left it a lot less agile and as a in between stage of the heavily armored AT-ST and the light armored AT-RT. Personally i would take the AT-RT for what it was meant for, charging the enemy while having other units like the AT-TE lay down suppressing fire with its mass driver cannon as one ATTE held two ATRTS along with a small amount of clones (20+). For wider used tactics of the rebels being hit and run i think the faster ATRT could have stopped rebels and a simply detonation if the driver were to die would keep them out of rebel hands(think of how vulture droids detonated without a signal if they got jammed)
I agree with the AT TE part, but I think they still should've used the AT ST. While the AT TE is more like a heavy tank that'd slow but charges the field, the AT ST is like a light rank, fast, weaker, but still good for rushing the enemy. The AT RT is still the best scout vehicle though
Actually, the empire's designs were one of the cheapest, because it mostly relied on numbers and high level training(except for the at-at and star destroyer)
@@jamesricker3997 still think would have been a better idea to upgrade them and and then make a venator II with all the upgrades built in from the start along with some more as new tech was created like they did with the imperial II 2 of these plus a SD would have been able to project the empires rule better than just one imperial
@@borderlandsforlife7068 I’d keep the basic design of the venator, make it larger, give it better armor, and give it more guns/better guns. That way it would fulfill the same functions as the ISD while being equipped with better fighter craft
The Venator actually was used alongside the Imperial class Star Destroyer in some of the Empire's earlier campaigns for example in the Catalyst novel, a fleet composed of Tarkin's Imperial class Star Destroyer the Executrix and some Venators and ARC-170 during a campaign in the Salient system in the Corporate Sector. There was also a Venator assisting Tarkin in a mission to take out a rebel group led by a former Republic Intelligence agent.
@@saber5694 The AT-DP was precursor of the AT-ST however when compared to the AT-RT it lacks the mobility, cost effectiveness and versatility of the AT-RT. Though I will say there is one downside which would really backfire for the AT-RT being that if the AT-RT driver isn't using it's speed to it's advantage it's really easy to just shoot the driver and hyjack the AT-RT hints why you mentioned having the walker be closed could help mitigate this but this might ruin what made the AT-RT so good.
@@MajorKitty true but in this case the AT-DP wasn't supposed to fit the fast attack purpose of the AT-RT. The roll of the AT-RT was split between the RRT speeder bike and the AT-DP
For what need the Empire a heavy armed Gunship? The big scale war was over. And they replaced it with a smaller Police-"Little Bird" (I forget the name)
@@BansheeNT-D true, however it was still an astounding ship that would have had plenty of application. Perhaps if they had removed some unnecessary weaponry (like the rockets and rear cannon)?
Even though the galaxy wide Clone Wars was over, the Empire still experienced large scale operations against the local militaries of worlds they invaded, the LAAT would be useful in such operations and they would also serve well in counter insurgency missions, attacking the bases and camps of local rebel factions.
@@akinaccord they kept those, but those aren’t exactly LAATs. Those are probably more suited to patrols and putting down small insurrections, but LAATs could be used on battlefields like Hoth.
DC-15A Blaster Rifle was pretty much replaced by DC-15S Carbine during the Clone Wars. You could say that this transition was very similar how USA swapped their standard infantry rifle from M14 to M16. DC-15A Blaster Rifle was still used by the Clone snipers and DMRs and was replaced by E-11s Sniper Rifle during the Empire's reign.
MG42 was “hitlers buzz saw”, the 34 was used prior to the release of the 42 and possessed certain tactical advantages but could not match the 42 for speed
Alan, normally you'd be right, but you're wrong about one thing, Sir. The MG-34 did NOT get the nickname "Hitler's Buzzsaw". That nickname was earned by its predecessor, the MG-42. THAT was "Hitler's Buzzsaw".
The MG-34 is the earlier design, as Budlight noted, and also the MG-34's nickname was 'Hitler's Zipper', not 'buzzsaw'. It was because the rate of fire was over twelve hundred rounds per minute, making the gun's report sound like a hellish zipper
I wish I could think of a good one you haven't haven't already, but I think you got good ones as it, and nailed it as usual. Thanks again. I always love your shows. For the of all gods -(if you believe in such things), don't ever stop. We need you guys.!!
The DC-15A wasn't completely retired by the Empire when the E-11's were introduced, the Purge Troopers featured in the Darth Vader Dark Lord of the Sith comics and Jedi Fallen Order still used them and in the main Marvel Star Wars series a DC-15A was used by SCAR Squadron. The AT-RT wasn't even retired by the Empire for example, they were in active service in the Darth Vader comic series 2015
Great vid GenTech. I can see why the Empire would phase out the Y-wing as well, leading the Rebels to seizing as many as they could before they were all scrapped.
Agreed. Mostly, the "flaw" with the AT-AT is that it shouldn't have been used like a combination main battle tank/APC. It would have made an excellent command vehicle or self-propelled antitank/assault gun, but combined-arms doctrines are difficult to show in an interesting way.
The AT-AT can be tripped incredibly easily, and if you have heavy enough firepower, one good shot on its massive legs will likely cause it to tip over, likely killing the crew because the guns will malfunction and blow the fuck up, taking the pilots with it. It’s too fucking big, that’s a major detriment that can be exploited way too easily.
The SPHA platform had interchangeable weapon systems. It could fire heavy-duty concussion missiles and thermobaric warheads, be equipped with an Ion cannon or use a Mass Driver.
They were wrong to retire the Republic consular class frigate with nothing to replace it. The Imperial shuttle is too small and a stardestroyer is overkill. The freighter is about the same size but does not fill the same functions.
They had a lot of Gozanti- and Arquitens-class light cruisers for those sorts of patrol and courier roles. Thrawn's first two Imperial fleet postings were to such ships. They'd also adopted the Nebulon-B frigate, though the only ones we see on screen were captured ships in service to the Rebellion. They could have used a wider adoption of the Lancer-class frigates, though that platform had some teething problems. It was great at outgunning fighters, but it was kind of slow for its role, and its AA specialization meant it was _only_ really good for knocking down fighters. Smugglers could outrun them, and pirates could outgun them, so without refitting it with better engines and/or a turbolaser or two, the only role the Lancer really had was escorting other warships.
"And since the empire isn't facing any faction that uses orbital bombardment," well, unless Saw Guerra and his partisan's get their hands on a star destroyer.
the Self-propelled artillery platform reminds me of the PTS weaponry in "The Emperor of the Fading Suns". it seem to be designed to discourage bringing vehicles into low orbit to make troop landings, basically you cannot land a large ship anywhere near these things without it being wasted - it is a defence against direct landings, forcing the use of smaller landing vehicles from a longer range (though i wonder if any coordinated spotters were used to fire at extreme range). in episode 2 they used it offensively in an ambush, which seems reminiscent to me of Rommels use of 88's in the africa campaigns.
The picture of Mikhail Kalashnikov has him holding an AK prototype rather than the production AK or AKM rifle. I do think the DC-15A was way too long, but wonder why the Purge Trooper commanders in _Jedi Fallen Order_ used them instead of more modern Imperial blasters.
I think the DC-15 should’ve stayed in service, it had plenty of potential to be used on other ways. It would’ve been really good in a supporting unit role because of it’s pretty good fire rate while simultaneously maintaining good accuracy and/or a marksman unit role because it’s effective range was ridiculously impressive.
The AT DP was used for riot controll and urban surveillance instead of at rt. Its just weak enough for the smallest and weakest rebel groups to cut them down like grass.
The AT-TE could be best compared to modern day Merkava tanks (Israel) - they too have different compartments in the back. And sources state that the walker could reach speeds up to 60 kilometres per hour, which makes it as fast as modern MBTs. (The footage always shows infantry walking besides them). They should have improved it rather than switching it for the ridiculous AT-AT
The only thing I have against this list is the Self Propelled Artillery walker, just because according to both cannon and EU it was configurable to fire as an indirect Artillery piece. The only reason we don't see it outside Episode 2 and the 2D cartoon series is, for a reason Alen (praise humanity) pointed out, it was too large, as it required an Acclimator class assault ship to offload just 3 of the behemoths, which was obviously impractical unless you where experiencing siege warfare.
You have got to remember the Venators where built in an emergancy in an extreme hurry. Its a wonder we dont hear of them being as riven by design flaws and mechanical faliures as the imperial SD if not more so.
The SPHAT was useful in sieges against planetary or localized shields. They were meant to be planted in a safe area and destroy targets from afar. Not all SPHATs used strictly laser weaponry. It did against shielded targets, but it could and would be equipped to fire a multitude of high yield explosive projectiles if the situation was appropriate.
Let’s not forget the RX-200 Falchion Assault Tank. It was an assault tank armed with only an ion cannon, which limited its usefulness for maintaining order. Also, if you’re maintaining a Galactic Empire, what’s the chance that a Rebel faction will show up with a Zillo Beast that require the use of ion cannon tanks to take it down?
I feel like he forgets that replusorlifts can be disabled by natural causes and generators specifically designed to stop them. Plus they are STUPID expensive and much more difficult to maintain compared to walkers
The AT-TE was actually perfect in size for the Empire, I think. At least as a main battle tank. Maybe replace the walker legs with wheels or, hell, ADD wheels. Use it as your main battle tank, maybe in smaller numbers or under lesser production, then develop a new, smaller and lighter craft for peacekeeping and scouting.
Lets test his theory on ATRT'S Imperial riot squad uses ATRT to intimidate riot Riot squad: *charges forward to rout rioters* Rioters: *runs* Riot squad: *chases* Overzealous trooper: *stomps on a rioter*
A lot of the designs for republic vehicles were made to counter Separatist strategy. Once you no longer have a coordinated army to face the more specialized weapons have to be converted to other things. One of the things I noticed is the Empire incorporated a lot of CIS technology into their arsenal. Smoother hovering and Walker stability being the main points.
I’d argue the AT-TE should have been kept, especially to support the AT-AT. It should just have the Mass Driver replaced with quad blaster canons for Anti-Air and light vehicle targets since the Heavy Blaster canons on the AT-AT could destroy hardened targets like the shield generator on Hoth. The ARC-170 was phenomenal in its role of aggressive reconnaissance. It was just shoe horned in as a dogfighter which was a role the V-Wing better filled. It would have been useful in small detachments on ISDs scouting nearby systems for rebel or pirate activities, and the concern about deserters was problem for the Empire from Day 1. One could argue the issue with how expendable TIE pilots were treated while still being some if the best trained Imperial personnel is a horrible waste. Half trained farm boys in X-wings got ungodly high k/d ratios on TIEs despite TIE pilots being exceedingly well trained because their equipment was absolute garbage. That’s not even getting into how the ARC-170 properly equipped with concussion Missiles and Proton Torpedoes could fulfill the role of TIE Bombers better than they ever could.
I think the ARC 170 was a good ship for the empire. A hyperdrive would allow it to chase down corvettes and frigates, and it had the sensors to track its target, not to mention the fire power to bring it down. The early rebellion relied on smaller space craft for its navy, so having heavy fighters that could take them one and chase them down in battle would be useful. With the swaths of territory the empire had to cover, maximizing the area that can be surveilled makes sense, and the ARC 170 was built for that.
I agree with all of these but I hesitate a bit with the ARC-170 considering that it was a very powerful ship. I guess that it was quite slow but it’s still really badass.
U should discuss the real goat 🐐 vehicle the Naboo star fighter which never saw retirement all the way up to return of the Jedi. Very effective fighter. Well designed.
German Correction: The MG42 was the one that has a terrifying rate of fire and also nicknamed "Hitler's Buzzsaw" The MG34 however was the older machine gun with a slightly less rate of fire than the MG42.
That massive heavy laser platform looks to me like a mobile anti capital/landing ship weapon. So it would be useful for the clones if they were isolated on a world. It could also be useful for defending imperial outposts in the later period of the rebellion.
A Self Propelled Artillery Platform destroyed and entire CIS large starship in Episode 3. Anakin had one put on an Venator ship and the scene where a single beam is fired from under the Venator into the CIS destroying it and sending the "kitchen sink" back crashing into the Venator, that was an SPAP.
AT-AP: built around the mass driver cannon which as previously discussed was overkill Juggernaut: while certainly a better choice than the AT-AT, it’s massive size, immovability, and oversized firepower made it ill suited for the empire’s needs Z-6 rotary cannon: while epic beyond belief, their were few situations in which imperial troopers would need to mow down swaths of enemies following the clean up of separatist outposts Consular-class frigate: barely capable of keeping up during the clone wars and completely outclassed by the CR90 corvette as a blockade runner (which weren’t needed by the empire) it was about time this ship was retired. Pelta-class frigate: a ship known for being a vulnerable target. The empire has no room for vulnerable targets
Hear me out: the AT-TE, because of the Republic's doctrine, didn't need to be fast. The GAR rarely inserted its forces outside of visual range from the battlefield, and often dropped them into a hot LZ. The AT-TE wasn't meant to be a panzer elite, born to compete, never retreat (ghost division) kind of vehicle, it was meant to support a slow-moving infantry advance. One thing I don't really like is that the Clone Wars makes them look like they're made out of tissue paper. Ironically enough though I think the AT-RT could be a very good platform if the doctrine it was used for changed. Rapid frontal assaults should be left to TX-130 sabre tanks, whereas the AT-RT makes more sense as a recon vehicle that can take on armor or large groups of infantry if need be. Republic military doctrine makes a lot of sense in some places, but no sense in others. I think this is because the Kaminoans ordered a wide variety of overpowered vehicles because they had absolutely no idea who the clones would be fighting, and when the Jedi got a hold of the army, they used doctrine meant for force wielders who didn't use vehicles other than fighters, and then clones like Rex and Echo created new doctrine in the middle of the war that was so complicated and specific that if the CIS got a hold of it, they could counter it. Seriously, seeing the Bad Batch arc in Season 7 of the Clone Wars really confused me, considering that Rex said him and Echo created plans for battles that wouldn't happen for years to come. Understanding how the enemy fights can give you an advantage, but most of the time, you need to know when and where an attack is coming to be able to use very specific counters against basic infantry tactics.
Retiring the jedi from service after the clone wars was another great decision for the empire
I agree since the Jedi are all dead they wouldn’t really be much help now would they. Lol
Nah you need jedi
Wait, I thought they retired themselves
Retired, and replaced with the much higher efficiency trained military officers! I'd say it was the second best decision made, following the replacement of the obsolete "supreme chancellor" position with the "Emperor" position. Palpatine really knew what he was doing there.
@@raxenladevaldak1749 unironically yes
The Juggernaut is amazing, so amazing that they outlasted the Empire.
I disagree, it's one of the few vehicles from Star Wars that has more utility than most. It ticks one of Alan's boxes for a replacement for the AT-TE, it's a massive wheeled vehicle. An alternative use for these could've been used in was moving people in hostile terrain, just like we saw at the start of Rouge One.
@@johnrussell9836 agree, which is why I said it was awesome and that it outlasted the Empire.
@@luisemoralesfalcon4716 Oh heh, I miss-read, my bad. Glad to see other appreciates this rare wheeled vehicle.
@@johnrussell9836 no problem.
The Juggernaut tank, is indeed an amazing and versatile vehicle. However as a certain imperial commander noted, the Juggernauts are incredibly maintenance heavy and the parts to do so are quite rare. But still an amazing tank.
The Empire: Retires the AT-TE because it was considered overkill.
Also the Empire: Develops the AT-AT, an even larger and more powerful walker.
They learned from Obi-Wan and decided to take the high ground.
I see nothing wrong! Empire!!
At least he was protected from landmines
@@noahshreve5237 And it was protected by the deadly option of putting metal spikes on the ground .
1. The AT-AT could hold, transport, and deploy more troops (which was it's real function anyway) than an AT-TE, and act as support artillery.
2. The AT-AT's higher elevation made hitting targets farther away much easier, and made it far less susceptible to boarding from enemy ground forces - unless they have grapples, as well as mines, grenades, etc. Plus, it's greater height also allows it to pass over or squish asparagus obstacles.
3. It was faster than the AT-TE mostly because of its quadrupedal, and longer legs.
4. The AT-AT's cockpit wasn't just a glass canopy; but a far larger, more comfortable, fully-armoured shell. Even if the glass was the Star Wars equivalent of "bulletproof", one shot to the cockpit of an AT-TE with the right weapon could pierce the glass and kill the driver.
5. The AT-TE was shown to be susceptible to artillery, from having their legs shot out from under them, to being obliterated by concentrated fire, even by a single missile; whereas the AT-AT has been shown to be much more resilient.
6. The AT-AT *does* not have a 360-degree field of fire, and *can* only shoot forward at a limited area. However, if it deployed it's troops, the two speeders it could store - or was accompanied by scout walkers as seen in the Battle of Hoth, then each could make up for it's blind spots.
7. Yeah, the AT-TE can climb vertical surfaces, and that IS an awesome feature. But if the Imperials had to storm a structure at the top of a rocky spire for instance, wouldn't it be better to just use air superiority and land troops in gunships and armoured troop transports?
8. And of course, tow cables. All a walker has to do to not be tripped is stop until the cables entangling its legs are removed. Granted, we've only seen one speeder at Hoth pull it off in the first place. I credit that to Wedge's steady flying and the rear-gunner's own skill.
*The ARC-170 was perfect for the Empire's needs.* It wouldn't be used in the Tie Fighter role, instead the Empire could have used it as a _light _*_Reconnaissance_*_ vehicle_ to extend the situational awareness of its larger ships.
It goes on patrols to check out neighbouring systems, thus allowing it's larger ships to cover more territory. It finds something and then the main capital ship can jump in and deal with it, if it's bigger than a light freighter being shady - which a ARC-170 could handle. Just load up its torpedo launchers with ion torpedoes and it's capable of light interdiction.
And the three man crew is actually a bonus for the Empire… as it keeps everyone honest.
A one man hyperdrive ship is a defection risk, but _all three crewmembers_ would have to agree to defect for a ARC-170 to abscond.
It was the compliment to the larger ships that couldn't be everywhere, and the smaller one man non-hyperdrive fighters that couldn't be anywhere (away from a support ship).
And it's cost was perfect, it was already built!
exactly, everyone treats them as fighters, but they really aren't.
Very solid arguments here.
Why does the Empire send out recon in teams of 3? One to observe, one to write down, and one to keep an eye on the two intellectuals.
But honestly yeah, the empire would have massively benefited from this, as well as elite starfighter corps with hyperdrive. One wing or so per star destroyer, to pursue light fleeing enemies. Because yeah, the two things the Empire could realistically expect to face a lot are a) Ground-Based Insurgencies, no star fighters needed, and b) Light Skirmishers in space, where the ability to pursue and inflict further casualties becomes invaluable.
@@jamoecw If anything they should have made it slightly larger, just large enough to fit a crew compartment between the gunner turret and co-pilot's cockpit, so that the three man crew could actually take advantage of that by allowing each other to rest and refresh themselves without needing to land and leave the ship.
At the size it is, they could have probably fit a narrow bunk, galley, and head in there without adding more than a meter or so to the beam of the fuselage and a meter in length.
Even so the ARC 170 Would still be outclassed by the rebels X wing fighters and A wing interceptors. Hell even a Z95 can outfly it
if it meant to be used as recon It will make it exposed for Ambushes since its slower and less maneuverable a pair of A wings will have no problem taking it out
And finally the empire could not afford to spare 3 pilots EVERYTIME they need a recon that would be an expensive investment remember these are human pilots not clones they need to be trained and again addressing the 2 points it would be a waste of lives that would make the rebellion had even greater support and can be used by rebels as propaganda for their cause
"Almost too much firepower to use against a civilian.." Lol... Kinda like a giant death laser housed in a structure the size of a big moon and with its lowest setting reading "nuke city".
Hitler’s Buzzsaw is the MG42. Not the MG34.
You are right about that.
And the mg34 is used for an imperial sniper rifle, the starter weapon in star wars battlefront 2
They're basically the same gun, with the 42 just being more streamlined and cheaper to make
@@kirbycooper9496 my issue with this statement is that the 34 had 600rpm and the 42 is 1200 to 1500 rpm what whould mean more changes then just a barrel replacement making the 42 quite a bit diffrent.
Also, the DC15 had the falshmer 32's [sorry if i butchered its name] reciever
1:49 “And they definitely did not need that giant mass driver canon”
**proceeds to build Death Star**
To be fair, no one taught Palpatine proper budget management
@@elimartin3982 Which is funny considering who his master was.
@@elimartin3982 Well its a fact that any national government that believes bigger is better always have the problem. Socialist and Communist countries in the real world know this all too well.
Well the death star was canonically just a huge flex
Be honest, Allen, you want a Speeder bike.
Every motorcyclist does, along with Kaneda's Bike from Akira…
who wouldn't?
I don't want a speeder bike myself. I want an AT-AT lol I want to stomp things to a squishy paste lol.
I just want to say i was your 69th like
Ooooh do the Akira slide!
I want an AT-TE
I love how you open your videos with "welcome back friends", it makes me feel included and I really appreciate it.
6:41 actually the weapon on the self-propelled heavy artillery is modular and capable of being swapped out with a variety of different main weapons including non-line-of-sight weaponry
Is this cannon?
@@HighDiver5555 yes
Plus, they seem like pretty decent weapons to use against fortifications. OK, you lose the ability for indirect fire, but you gain accuracy and precision.
Gun nerd comment
"Hitlers Buzzsaw" was more commonly a reference to the MG42. While the MG34 did fire at 600-1000 rpm, the MG42 fired from 800-1300 rpm. Depending on barrel heat and bolt weight/maintenance it was known to fire up to 2,300 rpm.
I'm glad I wasn't the only one who caught that
Noticed that too. Granted I follow Forgotten Weapons and Gun Jesus.
The ARC-170 starfighter was put in the wrong role by the GAR. It should have been used as a dive bomber instead of just a fighter. The ARC-170 could have been one of the galaxy’s greatest ships if it were properly used.
Facts
yeah, the ARC-170 was a recon fighter and frigate killer. given the low numbers and production of the GAR's military, but the elite nature of their forces, they needed to find production centers and weak points then strike at them to cripple the CIS or else attrition would defeat them. the ARC-170 was perfect for doing this and could have been used to quickly scout an area, letting local defense forces defend instead of fighting for them. have the jedi man the interceptors in a big concentrated overwhelming force and take out the production centers for the droids, then go after the capitol of the CIS and force a surrender. it would have cost civilian lives, since they would have to defend on their own (as they should be able to do if they weren't so corrupt) but it would end the war much quicker. in the end the civilian casualties would be about the same, but the rest of the cost of the war would be less (which is why palpatine wouldn't want that).
thinking of the ARC-170 as an interceptor is why it performed poorly. it is designed to operate on its own far away from support to deal with small ships and detect fleet movements. basically this is exactly what was needed to deal with the rebels. the rebels had small ships and snub fighters that used hit and run attacks while hiding their movements most of the time. using the ARC-170 for policing duties would mitigate pirates in a large area and give warning about the movements of rebels. rebels that split up to flee could be picked off by a few of the ARC-170s increasing the attrition from the battles the rebels lost. basically they would replace patrol frigates, as they might be weaker but they cover a wider area for the same cost, and when concentrated are in fact stronger. the way they were used is just another misuse of a tool by the Jedi, and everyone that comments on them follow the Jedi's logic.
It was a bad idea to retire most Aclimators, they were very useful in carrying troops.
Not just troops, but supplies in general. Not to mention their more armed and armored than smaller transports at the cost of mobility.
The empire kept quite a few Acclimators. They just removed it from front line combat and used it for transporting slaves and prisoners at least as far as star wars legends has stated.
Yeah but they weren't heavily armed and required escort. The Empire was all about utility and given that they only needed ships to maintain a peace-keeping presence, star destroyers fit that role perfectly. Acclamators were designed to ferry an entire army for huge planetary engagements and weren't necessary for the Empire's stratagem.
On the AT-TE: a single AT-TE plus a single probe droid or scout to act as a spotter would have won the Battle of Hoth much earlier by simply walking through the theatre shield as the AT-ATs did and then using the mass driver cannon to destroy the shield generator from beyond visual range.
On the SPHA-T: another use is during a ground battle against a hardened target that, for whatever reason, can't be hit from orbit through orbital bombardment, such as a mountain base close to something the Empire doesn't want to destroy or a theatre shield whose internal defensive lines prevent the Empire from slipping walkers through.
On walkers vs repulsorcrafts: walkers can walk through theatre shields, repulsorcrafts can't.
Another reason that I've always considered is the fact that walkers are able to function in a large variety of gravitational conditions. Not every place where you need to deploy vehicles has a consistent, or stable gravitational condition, and thus I'd argue that repulsorlifts wouldn't be as useful in environments such as those.
AT-TEs don’t scare cities and defense forces into behaving. The battle you don't need wage is the one you win.
@@BungieStudios So if you have to fight at all you automatically lose?
I think I'll have my howitzers, thanks.
If Admiral Ozzel didn't alert the Rebels by arriving so close, the fleet would have had the Rebels trapped and forced to submit.
The Empire still crushed the Rebels without AT-TEs just fine.
@@BungieStudios The Rebels would have still fought the landing party. And considering the losses suffered by the assault force, you can't call it "crushing". In fact I wouldn't be surprised if the EMPIRE got traumatized after their prized AT-AT walkers started being defeated by tow cables or, as seen in Lost Stars, a jackass firing weak blaster cannons in the same point of a walker's foot until the bolts came undone.
A single AT-TE with the indirect fire mass driver, on the other hand, could have blown up the shield generator and allowed the fleet to land troops directly on top of Echo Base.
I would consider the GAT-12h Skipray Blastboat as the Empire's replacement to the ARC-170. Same crew complement, but the recon and independent patrol capabilities make up for it... and the Empire doesn't need that many of them either. Plus, it uses ion cannons so it can chase down and disable those pesky corellian YT freighters that always cause so many problems.
DC-15A FUN FACT: on the 2011 blu-ray special features the weapons design comes from a time crunch. The barrel is an upside down E-11 the "sites" on top are what's left over from the handle and the E-11s "tripod" and the cylinder below is the E-11s scope. It's like poetry it rhymes
FINALLY a video on what the Empire did well! The nonsencial mistakes the Empire made - especially in the new canon - are confusing to say the least. Great someone pointing out imperial moves that actually made sence.
“Hitler’s Buzzsaw” actually refers to the MG42, the replacement for the MG34 which was cheaper and easier to make and had an even higher rate of fire.
the MG42 was a bit heavier but could fire alot more and supress almost everything but armoured vehicles. while the MG-34 was kept in most of their tanks due to the ability for the crew to replace the barrel without needing to open up anything of the tank to do so. *just pull the MG back out after turning the receiver all the way to the left, take the barrel out, put another back in and shove the MG back into the mantlet*
vehicles (tanks and tank destroyers) which had the MG-42 equipped were:
- a whole lot of early 1942 tanks
- the sd.kfz 234/2 - 3 - 4
- probably all vehicles which had an alternate role to fight infantry (alot of Anti Air vehicles before everything went 20mm)
both of these were pretty cool but the MG-42 just did not fit in when it came to barrel switching in most german tank designs
I would argue any situation where the AT-AT was deployed the Empire should've used At-TE instead, though I tend to agree that the 6 legs should've been replaced with repulsor lifts
The DC-15A is just an just two E-11's mashed together with a few doodads added. It's creation was in a behind the scenes video for Attack of the Clones.
How is the DC-15 too heavy when you literally said it was the same weight as a ak 47 when fully loaded?
yeah, i caught that slip up as well.
Normally blasters in Star Wars are supposed to be significantly lighter than weapons in real life. While 9.5 pounds (AK/DC15) may not seem like much, it can be a lot over time for fatigued soldiers, especially considering the DC-15 length and center of gravity.
He did, but also remember that the AK47 is a fairly compact design - shorter than even some modern carbines. They generally use wood stocks to help with both cost and the weight due to the amount of steel used in the construction, especially with the gas piston system that it uses (as opposed to a gas block system like the M16). When you have that much weight along the length of such a long weapon, and you have serious balance and fatigue issues with the shooter. And with modern firearms (no idea if this translates to the SW universe), the reason that weapons with long barrels often have bipods to support them is because those barrels are too heavy to hold an accurate bead due to sway when held be the average person. Recoil and barrel ‘climb’ are usually mitigated by extra mass, too much on the barrel side will actually make the gun want to “run away” from you under rapid fire.
Best analogy I can think of was a conversation with a Marine vet from Vietnam. When talking about rapid firing his M14 (heavier weapon and more powerful cartridge than the M16 uses) he said this: “The first round was right on target. The second would be high and a bit to the left. By the third, it was an anti-aircraft gun.”
Video aside, I think we would all choose the DC-15 over an E-11 any day
@@edgarestrada4491 that's a question of the battlefield. The DC-15 is a terrible choice the shorter the battle distance becomes. I would mix my squad or even give an E-11 with my troops for short fighting distance. Because the longer a weapon is the longer it takes to chance firing direction. Made the experience my self in german military.
Video idea... What would have happened if Luke had gone with Han when he asks In the New Hope just before the Deathstar battle???. Third time asking🥴😎
No Yavin base, no later twincest due to Leia being death starred at Yavin base.
And a major blow to the Rebellion along with the Death Star being triumphant and unassailable, due to knowledge of its Achilles heel being obliterated.
On the plus side Han gets out from under Jabba's bounty, having paid him off.
Although he now has to worry that his ship blew out of the Death Star, and the Empire would have gotten the ID. So it's time for some panelbeating and modifying the look, as well as a new ID package.
And if they had surveillance cameras inside the Death Star, well how good is plastic surgery in the Star Wars universe? Chewie could start using _Just for Wookies_ to change his fur colour.
On the plus side he has Luke as a crewmember, who's pretty useful and seems to have some psychic powers he's just learning to develop - although the kid is being nagged by the ghost of the old man they lost at the Death Star.
@@casbot71 Not to mention that an IG-88 unit would probably have control over the Death Star and start the Droid revolution.
The T-21 Repeating Blaster was based off the Lewis Gun and the DLT-19 Heavy Blaster was based off the German MG-42
Thinking about the ARC-170, there are some tactical holes the Empire could have used new vehicles for.
Besides existing light cruisers and dedicated anti fighter frigates that have been mentioned in many videos and already existed, just not in the numbers needed, what was needed but had nothing really to fill the niche…
A heavy *repulsor lift medium tank* that basically had the dimensions somewhere between the AT-TE and the chicken Walker (perhaps several sizes/types), but who's purpose was infantry suppression and to help lock down a city.
It would hover and move around a city, able to fly above streets and buildings, shielded, it could take hits from any weaponry that a militia would possess, and it could lay down suppressing ground fire, even directly beneath it. As well it's weapons would be capable of stun settings.
A good example of its application would have been the city of Jedda under martial law. AT-ST's just couldn't react fast enough and were clumsy and vulnerable in built up City streets (and heavily forested areas…).
Flying shielded tanks with powerful sensors and blasters that could take you down or even stun you for capture and interrogation would have been a great deterrent and countermeasure to irregular forces.
It's basically a APC and helicopter gunship that can just patrol the city from the sky.
The Empire should have just transitioned from Walkers to repulsor lift vehicles, repulsion jammers were very rare, and if used they would just summon in a main taskforce to deal with whoever possessed one.
And emergency wheels were always a option.
… … … …
A ship that was needed was a versatile gunship to use as a medium range patrol vessel. It would be the Star Wars equivalent of a naval patrol boat.
Something that would scare snubfighter pilots _with multiple turreted laser cannons,_ and be able to handle civilian armed light freighters _with heavier ion cannons_ to force a stop and surrender.
It would compliment the ISD, being able to act as a screening vessel and go off on its own to investigate suspicious activity or areas outside the sensor range of the main fleet.
The patrol boat would be able to stay on station for a long time, so it could fly in formation as a screening ship or go on its own long range investigations.
Having a large enough crew to man it as a ship, it would be safe from defection and so it could be equipped with a hyperdrive. That would also allow it to jump with a fleet to remain on station while they jumped.
In fact a faster hyperdrive would be useful as it could be used to scout jump zones before the main fleet arrived, and to catch up if it went off on its own mission.
It should be capable of landing without faculties on planet, to help with scouting and just to be parked at bases, and it should be able to fit in hangars without fins that get in the way (unlike the armed Lamda shuttle variant that had fins above _and_ below).
It's debatable whether it needed a compliment of troops to board ioned freighters or whether it should remain a lighter AA support ship.
It's mission profile could best be described as being a mini version of the Raider Corvette, at a fraction of the size, cost and crew compliment, and no hanger of its own.
In fact it could be used as an escort for a Raider Corvette.
There could be different sized versions from a patrol ship thats like a modern Patrol boat, able to act as a coast guard and keep small craft away from the fleet, to scaled down to the PT Patrol boats in Vietnam [Apocalypse Now… a light vessel with a few guns to keep order].
Another game changer ship class that never got widely adopted were the tie fighter variants from Rogue One, on Scariff.
The Tie Striker was a brilliant fighter that outclassed everything else in atmosphere, _was cheap,_ and could also devastate ground targets.
Mass produced it would have been the bane of any PlanetSide action. And having wings as well as repulsor lift, it would have solved the issue of anyone using a repulsor jammer - with extreme prejudice. And while it could fly in space (it could even be used as a transport/personnel ground to orbit shuttle in a pinch) it wasn't long range enough to be worth nicking to run away with, so being kept in hangers at bases wasn't a interstellar security risk.
The Tie Reaper was also a far superior ship to its competitors such as the Lamda shuttle. In fact a modified version could be the basis of the gunship idea I suggested above… a reasonably costing ship that could cover the tactical holes in the standard Imperial fleet and was able to be mass produced and Logistically sound.
The Empire really lacked in the intermediary niche between small one man basic snub fighters and light capital ships.
They really needed something to counter the heavily modified Correlian light freighters that became the favourite tool of every criminal and often rebels as well.
In fact they really should have commissioned the Correlians to design them something for that, a military spec version based off their YT series.
But then every Rogue, Smuggler and Soldier of Fortune would have been trying to hijack them.
The AT-TE would have been better if continued instead of the AT-AT as it could scale vertical cliffs to approach enemies. The reason to not use repulser lifts was so they could go through ray shields. The ATRT was a better form of the AT-ST as it was able to move quicker and was would cause fewer casualties(during driving) than BARC speeder bikes and costed less repairs and maintenance as seen in rebels when one faulty part led to a BARC exploding something that may have been common among the empire spending its large budget on large intimidating weapon rather than reinforcing its ground and overall naval forces.
But isn't the AT-PT a better version of the AT-RT?
@@pedrokantor3997 yes however the pod design left it a lot less agile and as a in between stage of the heavily armored AT-ST and the light armored AT-RT. Personally i would take the AT-RT for what it was meant for, charging the enemy while having other units like the AT-TE lay down suppressing fire with its mass driver cannon as one ATTE held two ATRTS along with a small amount of clones (20+). For wider used tactics of the rebels being hit and run i think the faster ATRT could have stopped rebels and a simply detonation if the driver were to die would keep them out of rebel hands(think of how vulture droids detonated without a signal if they got jammed)
I agree with the AT TE part, but I think they still should've used the AT ST.
While the AT TE is more like a heavy tank that'd slow but charges the field, the AT ST is like a light rank, fast, weaker, but still good for rushing the enemy.
The AT RT is still the best scout vehicle though
I disagree, the GAR stuff is cooler. All the empire designs are gaudy tarkin doctrine superweapons. Overdesigned & excessively expensive.
Actually, the empire's designs were one of the cheapest, because it mostly relied on numbers and high level training(except for the at-at and star destroyer)
@@uuhwhat1854 They used cheap stuff at the smaller level to afford all the superweapons. Double ideology of zerg rush & big stick.
🤔, I guess . . .
Idk i generally like the style of the empire a lot more than the republic.
While a lot of the GAR weapons were designed for combat effectiveness and versatility
i keep on watching your videos, your voice is so clear and your topics are so interesting and are more or less agreeable, so good
personally i think he should have upgraded the venator and used it alongside the imperial class
Yeah, it would have been way better than something like the secuter class carrier
They were able to build a lot of Venators very fast that leads me to believe they took shortcuts in their Construction
@@jamesricker3997 still think would have been a better idea to upgrade them and and then make a venator II with all the upgrades built in from the start along with some more as new tech was created like they did with the imperial II
2 of these plus a SD would have been able to project the empires rule better than just one imperial
@@borderlandsforlife7068 I’d keep the basic design of the venator, make it larger, give it better armor, and give it more guns/better guns. That way it would fulfill the same functions as the ISD while being equipped with better fighter craft
The Venator actually was used alongside the Imperial class Star Destroyer in some of the Empire's earlier campaigns for example in the Catalyst novel, a fleet composed of Tarkin's Imperial class Star Destroyer the Executrix and some Venators and ARC-170 during a campaign in the Salient system in the Corporate Sector. There was also a Venator assisting Tarkin in a mission to take out a rebel group led by a former Republic Intelligence agent.
Empire’s artillery idea: AT-AT with massive ion cannon in the back
It exists, look up AT-IC (All Terrain Ion Cannon) it was rare though
@@nathaniellazo5912 I know, I was just saying it in a funny way
@@benkenobi1907 oh... misunderstanding LOL.
I always love AT-RT. It's fast and manuverable. I wish such vehicle even real.
Most likely it's going to be real in our time line I saw one TH-camr make a walker and a company in Japan is making a mech
The At-Rt could have been easily improved by installing a clear dome-like canopy on top
They did this. Can't remember the name of it but the empire did have an in-between walker
@@saber5694 at st is probably what you're thinking of
@@saber5694 The AT-DP was precursor of the AT-ST however when compared to the AT-RT it lacks the mobility, cost effectiveness and versatility of the AT-RT.
Though I will say there is one downside which would really backfire for the AT-RT being that if the AT-RT driver isn't using it's speed to it's advantage it's really easy to just shoot the driver and hyjack the AT-RT hints why you mentioned having the walker be closed could help mitigate this but this might ruin what made the AT-RT so good.
@@brandonmarzka1420 Your close but it's the AT-DP but it's far to clumsy and tall to really fit the AT-RT's role.
@@MajorKitty true but in this case the AT-DP wasn't supposed to fit the fast attack purpose of the AT-RT. The roll of the AT-RT was split between the RRT speeder bike and the AT-DP
Hello There!
General Kenobi
Master Broda, my little green smoking friend.
Come here my little friend
Master yoda?? Ngl you got pretty BUFF since i left the jedi council
You should do a video on the ones that were incorrectly retired. The LAAT comes readily to mind.
For what need the Empire a heavy armed Gunship?
The big scale war was over. And they replaced it with a smaller Police-"Little Bird" (I forget the name)
@@BansheeNT-D true, however it was still an astounding ship that would have had plenty of application. Perhaps if they had removed some unnecessary weaponry (like the rockets and rear cannon)?
Even though the galaxy wide Clone Wars was over, the Empire still experienced large scale operations against the local militaries of worlds they invaded, the LAAT would be useful in such operations and they would also serve well in counter insurgency missions, attacking the bases and camps of local rebel factions.
@@LysimedVenteel i think they kept the "police LAAT"(dont know the real name), which was basically what you described. i saw them in rebels
@@akinaccord they kept those, but those aren’t exactly LAATs. Those are probably more suited to patrols and putting down small insurrections, but LAATs could be used on battlefields like Hoth.
DC-15A Blaster Rifle was pretty much replaced by DC-15S Carbine during the Clone Wars. You could say that this transition was very similar how USA swapped their standard infantry rifle from M14 to M16.
DC-15A Blaster Rifle was still used by the Clone snipers and DMRs and was replaced by E-11s Sniper Rifle during the Empire's reign.
MG42 was “hitlers buzz saw”, the 34 was used prior to the release of the 42 and possessed certain tactical advantages but could not match the 42 for speed
Alan, normally you'd be right, but you're wrong about one thing, Sir. The MG-34 did NOT get the nickname "Hitler's Buzzsaw". That nickname was earned by its predecessor, the MG-42. THAT was "Hitler's Buzzsaw".
Mg 34 is is the predecessor to the mg 42
The MG-34 is the earlier design, as Budlight noted, and also the MG-34's nickname was 'Hitler's Zipper', not 'buzzsaw'.
It was because the rate of fire was over twelve hundred rounds per minute, making the gun's report sound like a hellish zipper
@@Omniseed mg 42* and it had both nicknames but buzz saw was the more common one.
This is the earliest I have been to one of these videos. Yay!!!!!
I wish I could think of a good one you haven't haven't already, but I think you got good ones as it, and nailed it as usual.
Thanks again. I always love your shows. For the of all gods -(if you believe in such things), don't ever stop. We need you guys.!!
The standard juggernaut tank. Easily the Republic's greatest feat of engineering, but not exactly what I'd call a peacekeeping tool
Its a command post and apc on steroids. Perfect for COIN ops.
Protected troop movement and C2 facilities.
@@OrDuneStudios that's a pretty good point actually
The DC 15A has such a long barrel it makes the FAL barely look like are SMG
The DC-15A wasn't completely retired by the Empire when the E-11's were introduced, the Purge Troopers featured in the Darth Vader Dark Lord of the Sith comics and Jedi Fallen Order still used them and in the main Marvel Star Wars series a DC-15A was used by SCAR Squadron.
The AT-RT wasn't even retired by the Empire for example, they were in active service in the Darth Vader comic series 2015
Great vid GenTech. I can see why the Empire would phase out the Y-wing as well, leading the Rebels to seizing as many as they could before they were all scrapped.
I prefer the AT-AT over the AT-TE fot two reasons, it has a 3-man turret and the crew is well(Actually)protected.
Agreed. Mostly, the "flaw" with the AT-AT is that it shouldn't have been used like a combination main battle tank/APC. It would have made an excellent command vehicle or self-propelled antitank/assault gun, but combined-arms doctrines are difficult to show in an interesting way.
Sir I’m going to need you to delete your heresy
The AT-AT can be tripped incredibly easily, and if you have heavy enough firepower, one good shot on its massive legs will likely cause it to tip over, likely killing the crew because the guns will malfunction and blow the fuck up, taking the pilots with it. It’s too fucking big, that’s a major detriment that can be exploited way too easily.
@@Fallout42069e agreed ATTE for life!
@@decimation9780 The Same goes for the AT-TE
The DC-15A blaster rifle was not retired correctly, that's a good blaster! The same can be said for the DC-17 hand blaster!
Generation tech: "the at-te's retirement was justified"
Me: *covers smol at-te's ears* *gasp* *gasp* *gasp*
Aye mate great video, they named the mg42 the hitlers buzz saw by the way, mg 34 was just about as devastating tho!
*sits on toilet*
*sees new GT video*
A surprise to be sure but a welcome one
The SPHA platform had interchangeable weapon systems. It could fire heavy-duty concussion missiles and thermobaric warheads, be equipped with an Ion cannon or use a Mass Driver.
ARC-170 was actually used by Empire post Clone Wars, just in its intended purpose as long range scout, similar to Long Probe Y-Wing.
“Step in the wrong direction” That was a terrible pun. I loved it.
They were wrong to retire the Republic consular class frigate with nothing to replace it. The Imperial shuttle is too small and a stardestroyer is overkill. The freighter is about the same size but does not fill the same functions.
They had a lot of Gozanti- and Arquitens-class light cruisers for those sorts of patrol and courier roles. Thrawn's first two Imperial fleet postings were to such ships. They'd also adopted the Nebulon-B frigate, though the only ones we see on screen were captured ships in service to the Rebellion.
They could have used a wider adoption of the Lancer-class frigates, though that platform had some teething problems. It was great at outgunning fighters, but it was kind of slow for its role, and its AA specialization meant it was _only_ really good for knocking down fighters. Smugglers could outrun them, and pirates could outgun them, so without refitting it with better engines and/or a turbolaser or two, the only role the Lancer really had was escorting other warships.
"And since the empire isn't facing any faction that uses orbital bombardment," well, unless Saw Guerra and his partisan's get their hands on a star destroyer.
While that might be an accurate assumption of what Saw would use it for, he’d never have enough men for even a skeleton crew.
the Self-propelled artillery platform reminds me of the PTS weaponry in "The Emperor of the Fading Suns". it seem to be designed to discourage bringing vehicles into low orbit to make troop landings, basically you cannot land a large ship anywhere near these things without it being wasted - it is a defence against direct landings, forcing the use of smaller landing vehicles from a longer range (though i wonder if any coordinated spotters were used to fire at extreme range). in episode 2 they used it offensively in an ambush, which seems reminiscent to me of Rommels use of 88's in the africa campaigns.
It would be interesting to see a video if it's not already out there about why the Rebellion used Mon Calamari cruisers instead of the Venators
The picture of Mikhail Kalashnikov has him holding an AK prototype rather than the production AK or AKM rifle. I do think the DC-15A was way too long, but wonder why the Purge Trooper commanders in _Jedi Fallen Order_ used them instead of more modern Imperial blasters.
I didn't know that an AK-47 w/a loaded magazine weighs that much! That is heavy!
The ol PIT maneuver, I’d say too soon but it made me laugh.
More like this please !
I think the DC-15 should’ve stayed in service, it had plenty of potential to be used on other ways. It would’ve been really good in a supporting unit role because of it’s pretty good fire rate while simultaneously maintaining good accuracy and/or a marksman unit role because it’s effective range was ridiculously impressive.
SPHAs had mass driver variants for indirect fire support, but I agree that it is a huge target with a lot of manpower needed to operate it.
The AT DP was used for riot controll and urban surveillance instead of at rt. Its just weak enough for the smallest and weakest rebel groups to cut them down like grass.
The AT-TE could be best compared to modern day Merkava tanks (Israel) - they too have different compartments in the back. And sources state that the walker could reach speeds up to 60 kilometres per hour, which makes it as fast as modern MBTs. (The footage always shows infantry walking besides them). They should have improved it rather than switching it for the ridiculous AT-AT
Shame about the DC-15, I like the way it looks.
One asset I think that would be useful for the Empire would be the Acclamator to move large volumes of troops and equipment to large scale operations.
Excuse you, the DC-15A was an excellent rifle!
The only thing I have against this list is the Self Propelled Artillery walker, just because according to both cannon and EU it was configurable to fire as an indirect Artillery piece. The only reason we don't see it outside Episode 2 and the 2D cartoon series is, for a reason Alen (praise humanity) pointed out, it was too large, as it required an Acclimator class assault ship to offload just 3 of the behemoths, which was obviously impractical unless you where experiencing siege warfare.
You have got to remember the Venators where built in an emergancy in an extreme hurry. Its a wonder we dont hear of them being as riven by design flaws and mechanical faliures as the imperial SD if not more so.
The SPHAT was useful in sieges against planetary or localized shields. They were meant to be planted in a safe area and destroy targets from afar. Not all SPHATs used strictly laser weaponry. It did against shielded targets, but it could and would be equipped to fire a multitude of high yield explosive projectiles if the situation was appropriate.
Stormtroopers E11 blasters Acctually based off the British 9mm sterling SMG
Let’s not forget the RX-200 Falchion Assault Tank. It was an assault tank armed with only an ion cannon, which limited its usefulness for maintaining order. Also, if you’re maintaining a Galactic Empire, what’s the chance that a Rebel faction will show up with a Zillo Beast that require the use of ion cannon tanks to take it down?
I think it's funny he talks about how SPHAs are direct fire weapons while using a clip from the cartoon when that cartoon shows their shots arcing.
I think the DC-15A blaster rifle is a great blaster they should use it as a sniper
I feel like he forgets that replusorlifts can be disabled by natural causes and generators specifically designed to stop them. Plus they are STUPID expensive and much more difficult to maintain compared to walkers
Loved the vid!
Just to note the venator class looks good and the Star destroyer looks way more evil
I think the artillery platform is a hold over from b4 close-air-support. Another hx lesson, as well as rockets too.
The AT-TE was actually perfect in size for the Empire, I think. At least as a main battle tank. Maybe replace the walker legs with wheels or, hell, ADD wheels. Use it as your main battle tank, maybe in smaller numbers or under lesser production, then develop a new, smaller and lighter craft for peacekeeping and scouting.
Lets test his theory on ATRT'S Imperial riot squad uses ATRT to intimidate riot
Riot squad: *charges forward to rout rioters*
Rioters: *runs*
Riot squad: *chases*
Overzealous trooper: *stomps on a rioter*
A lot of the designs for republic vehicles were made to counter Separatist strategy. Once you no longer have a coordinated army to face the more specialized weapons have to be converted to other things.
One of the things I noticed is the Empire incorporated a lot of CIS technology into their arsenal. Smoother hovering and Walker stability being the main points.
Video idea: besides Basic, which languages are the most useful to learn in the SW galaxy? Also which SW characters are the polyglots?
For the Empire 🤝
I get why the empire would replace some of these to improve their military. Great video
I’d argue the AT-TE should have been kept, especially to support the AT-AT. It should just have the Mass Driver replaced with quad blaster canons for Anti-Air and light vehicle targets since the Heavy Blaster canons on the AT-AT could destroy hardened targets like the shield generator on Hoth.
The ARC-170 was phenomenal in its role of aggressive reconnaissance. It was just shoe horned in as a dogfighter which was a role the V-Wing better filled. It would have been useful in small detachments on ISDs scouting nearby systems for rebel or pirate activities, and the concern about deserters was problem for the Empire from Day 1. One could argue the issue with how expendable TIE pilots were treated while still being some if the best trained Imperial personnel is a horrible waste. Half trained farm boys in X-wings got ungodly high k/d ratios on TIEs despite TIE pilots being exceedingly well trained because their equipment was absolute garbage. That’s not even getting into how the ARC-170 properly equipped with concussion Missiles and Proton Torpedoes could fulfill the role of TIE Bombers better than they ever could.
Hey just a correction to your MG34 statement, Hitler’s buzz saw was the MG42 due to its high rate of fire and sounding like, well, a buzz saw
It was the MG42 that got the nickname "Hitlerlersäge" or "Hitler's Buzzsaw" not the MG34.
I think the ARC 170 was a good ship for the empire. A hyperdrive would allow it to chase down corvettes and frigates, and it had the sensors to track its target, not to mention the fire power to bring it down. The early rebellion relied on smaller space craft for its navy, so having heavy fighters that could take them one and chase them down in battle would be useful. With the swaths of territory the empire had to cover, maximizing the area that can be surveilled makes sense, and the ARC 170 was built for that.
The DC-15 is based more on the Lewis gun from WW1.
I agree with all of these but I hesitate a bit with the ARC-170 considering that it was a very powerful ship. I guess that it was quite slow but it’s still really badass.
U should discuss the real goat 🐐 vehicle the Naboo star fighter which never saw retirement all the way up to return of the Jedi. Very effective fighter. Well designed.
German Correction: The MG42 was the one that has a terrifying rate of fire and also nicknamed "Hitler's Buzzsaw"
The MG34 however was the older machine gun with a slightly less rate of fire than the MG42.
That massive heavy laser platform looks to me like a mobile anti capital/landing ship weapon. So it would be useful for the clones if they were isolated on a world. It could also be useful for defending imperial outposts in the later period of the rebellion.
I hope they make a Warthunder version for Star Wars. The Empire of course having a crazy list of vehicles.
"Almost too much firepower to use against a civilian"
I love that quote
A Self Propelled Artillery Platform destroyed and entire CIS large starship in Episode 3. Anakin had one put on an Venator ship and the scene where a single beam is fired from under the Venator into the CIS destroying it and sending the "kitchen sink" back crashing into the Venator, that was an SPAP.
AT-AP: built around the mass driver cannon which as previously discussed was overkill
Juggernaut: while certainly a better choice than the AT-AT, it’s massive size, immovability, and oversized firepower made it ill suited for the empire’s needs
Z-6 rotary cannon: while epic beyond belief, their were few situations in which imperial troopers would need to mow down swaths of enemies following the clean up of separatist outposts
Consular-class frigate: barely capable of keeping up during the clone wars and completely outclassed by the CR90 corvette as a blockade runner (which weren’t needed by the empire) it was about time this ship was retired.
Pelta-class frigate: a ship known for being a vulnerable target. The empire has no room for vulnerable targets
Question? What happened to the republics droid army after the rise of the empire?
I am sad the Empire not used the Droid Tri Fighter. :c
I want to know what the Empire should've kept.
Hear me out: the AT-TE, because of the Republic's doctrine, didn't need to be fast. The GAR rarely inserted its forces outside of visual range from the battlefield, and often dropped them into a hot LZ. The AT-TE wasn't meant to be a panzer elite, born to compete, never retreat (ghost division) kind of vehicle, it was meant to support a slow-moving infantry advance. One thing I don't really like is that the Clone Wars makes them look like they're made out of tissue paper.
Ironically enough though I think the AT-RT could be a very good platform if the doctrine it was used for changed. Rapid frontal assaults should be left to TX-130 sabre tanks, whereas the AT-RT makes more sense as a recon vehicle that can take on armor or large groups of infantry if need be.
Republic military doctrine makes a lot of sense in some places, but no sense in others. I think this is because the Kaminoans ordered a wide variety of overpowered vehicles because they had absolutely no idea who the clones would be fighting, and when the Jedi got a hold of the army, they used doctrine meant for force wielders who didn't use vehicles other than fighters, and then clones like Rex and Echo created new doctrine in the middle of the war that was so complicated and specific that if the CIS got a hold of it, they could counter it.
Seriously, seeing the Bad Batch arc in Season 7 of the Clone Wars really confused me, considering that Rex said him and Echo created plans for battles that wouldn't happen for years to come. Understanding how the enemy fights can give you an advantage, but most of the time, you need to know when and where an attack is coming to be able to use very specific counters against basic infantry tactics.