Rogue One (SPOILERS)

[Jesse James]

I've seen the pics and everythig says "This is not final" on it.  However, very little info I actually in it and what there is I'd say is probably fairly accurate.  It doesn't really spoil anything IMO.

[Jesse James]

I'll add in that, if they make a nice version of the Hovertank from the trailer (there's a pic of it from the front) I'll be a happy happy collector.  It's essentially a German StgIII from the front profile.  I love it!  One of my fav armor pieces of WW2.  Neat seeing kind of obvious nods to German armor for the Empire.

The fact they did a Hovertank for the Empire and broke up the Walker monotony had me right away.

[Nicklab]

The one thing that I took from this leak?  The character name for Ben Mendelsohn's character.  Well, actually his TITLE. 

Ever since the ROGUE ONE trailer broke, people have been going crazy saying "GRAND ADMIRAL!  GRAND ADMIRAL!"  OMG, people have Thrawn on the brain!!!  But if we go purely on movie material, those Imperial uniforms with the white tunics are only seen on officers of the Imperial Security Bureau.  Wulf Yularen has that sort of uni, and he's identified as a Colonel in the ISB.  There are other ISB officers seen on the first Death Star, too.  Well, the title held by Ben Mendelsohn's character is that of Director.  So is he perhaps the Director of the Imperial Security Bureau, tasked with making certain that information about the Death Star is kept secret?  That's certainly what it's looking like to me.

[Matt_Fury]

And with that cape he obviously hasn't been paying attention to Edna Mode.

[Jesse James]

Capes are all the rage in the SW uni.  They're in.  Always.

I'm with Nick on this...  I never figured GA since the trailer once I saw the black pants.  ISB makes perfect sense.

[Jayson]

loving this closer look at the characters from Rogue One

[Nicklab]

Interesting to see that this Imperial walker is being identified as an AT-ACT, or All Terrain Armored Cargo Transport.  So this is clearly not the same model of walker that we saw in TESB.

[Scockery]

Do Walkers have to do well on the AT-ACT to get into AT-AT school?

[JediJman]

Do Walkers have to do well on the AT-ACT to get into AT-AT school?

Surprised they didn't go with AT-CAT.  I like just about everything I've seen coming out of this movie, but the idiot who thought we needed an AT-ACT instead of an AT-AT should be slapped upside the head.   Seriously, just read these two possible sentences:

"Prepare the AT-ATs for ground assualt"
"Prepare the AT-ACTs for ground assualt"

[Jesse James]

Unless it's not pronounced that way but rather by letter.  I'm all for variations myself and was talking with Jayson about this very topic...  The AT-ACT strikes me as having a modular mid section...  Perhaps for getting cargo to hostile areas, to build bases or just get equipment to troops?  Something very different to a troop mover I'd assume.

Ironically an AT AT, for all it's size, is little more thank a troop truck or APC...  WIth a ton of armor I suppose.

[JediJman]

I just don't see the need to differentiate.  If the mid section is swappable, then swap out the troop carrier for cargo containers as needed.  It is still an "Armored Transport" regardless of what it's transporting.  I like the concept - just not the name.

[P-Siddy]

It's just a way to sell more product. 

I'll be interested in seeing how these walkers perform in the grand scheme of things.  Will they be easier to destroy (lighter armor?) than the ATs?  To me, it felt like the Rebels first encountered the ATs on Hoth (even though they knew of them) since they had inadequate firepower to take them down and only realized using the tow cables would work if they could get close enough.  The Rebels seemed unsure of how to defeat them.

[Matt_Fury]

It's just a way to sell more product. 

I'll be interested in seeing how these walkers perform in the grand scheme of things.  Will they be easier to destroy (lighter armor?) than the ATs?  To me, it felt like the Rebels first encountered the ATs on Hoth (even though they knew of them) since they had inadequate firepower to take them down and only realized using the tow cables would work if they could get close enough.  The Rebels seemed unsure of how to defeat them.

My read on that was that the speeders couldn't take them down.  I thought perhaps an X-wing or Y-wing could do it, but they needed the X-wings to escort the transports.  Never saw a Y-wing on Hoth.

[JediJman]

My take on the Hoth battle was that most ships couldn't function well in the extreme cold.  Xwings could take off and land, but might not function very well in a battle situation where higher speeds and maneuverability are needed.  That's why the AT-AT's didn't have TIE Fighter support, and likely a key reason why the rebels decided to build a base on Hoth.  They mention early in the film that they are working to adapt the speeders to the cold, so they did the best they could under the circumstances.  The Snow Speeders don't carry the firepower of the AT-ATs, so the rebels were hoping to just harass and delay the imperials versus somehow actually winning that battle.

[P-Siddy]

Yes, but what about the laser cannons and turrets?  Those were like slinging stones at the walkers too.  I get that the speeders were being adapted to the cold and fighters were useless, so that leaves the ground attack (besides orbital) as the only option.

My only guess is that the rebels worked in cells, Leia's cell heard about walkers but never faced them, whereas Mon Mothma's might.  Therefore those laser turrets were untested against the might of the AT-ATs.