50 reasons Star Wars is better than Lord of The Rings

30. AT-AT vs. Olifants

What were the AT-ATs? Behemoth walking machines used in ground offensives by the Empire

What were the Olifants? Especially large elephants used by forces aligned with Sauron

Verdict: As cool as the olifants from Return of the King were, they didn’t get the same love as the AT-ATs. It probably had something to do with them not being much more than big pachyderms. Maybe they would do better if they weren’t being compared to a gigantic metal quadruped with guns coming out of its head.

Unfortunately for our oliphants friends, that’s precisely what the AT-ATs are. Like the Falcon, they are wildly iconic, immediately evoking all sorts of feels from the fans out there who (rightly) consider The Empire Strikers Back as the best Star Wars movie. No one is shrugging their shoulders at an AT-AT.

In truth though, the AT-ATs are kind of ridiculous in the context of the movie itself. They’re basically very intimidating ground assault vehicles that rely on absolutely ideal conditions to operate at all. Like what does the Empire do if they get down to Hoth’s surface only to find that the Rebel base was in the mountains, or even just in the foothills. Those AT-ATs going to be able to make that journey? Seems unlikely.

We later see AT-ATs patrolling part of the exterior of the Empire’s base on Endor, which is somehow even more impractical. Considering that their lumbering hulks of metal with weapons fixture that only point in one direction, what use are they going to be if they actually see the Rebels approaching from any direction but right in front of them? Do they have the hope that Han and company will be patient enough to let them take a clumsy U-turn?

People willfully ignore these and other absurd facts because, well, it’s Star Wars. It doesn’t have to make sense. It just has to look cool and sell toys. For inspiring that level of indifference to logic, the AT-AT takes the round.

Star Wars wins

Next: 29. Force vs. Magic