Nerdist finally settled the age-old question: How do you canonically pronounce the acronym for All-Terrain Armored-Transport, or AT-AT?
Let me preface this article by saying I’ve always pronounced AT-AT, the acronym for the Empire’s All-Terrain Armored Transports, as AY-TEE AY-TEE. But the truth is, there is an official way of pronouncing it, and that’s not it. According to Nerdist, Lucasfilm PR confirmed back in 2010 the proper way of saying it as how it’s spelled: “AT-AT.”
When Nerdist starts presenting their evidence, I’ll admit I didn’t find the toy commercials very convincing as an official, Lucasflim-sanctioned confirmation of that correct pronunciation of the term in question. Even J.J. Abrams saying it as AT-AT isn’t completely binding, because just as I have my way of saying it, he has his, too. But the press release from Lucasfilm pretty much cinches it.
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The next question is: Does it really matter?
There are a couple of reasons why AT-AT’s being called “AT-AT’s” aren’t a big deal. First of all, there’s no reason why I or anyone can’t continue to refer to AT-AT’s as “AY-TEE AY-TEE’s”, because as the hostess in the Nerdist video pointed out colloquialisms are perfectly viable in and out of universe. In fact, inconsistencies with the pronunciation of words in the films already exist, like when Jan Dodonna calls Leia “Lee-uh” in Star Wars: A New Hope.
Additionally, most people are not mouthpieces of Lucasfilm or Disney, meaning they aren’t beholden to canonical ways of saying fictional terms. More importantly, though, a lot of people don’t care. In the grand scheme of things, with names like Mitth’raw’nuorodo and Hondo Ohnaka scattered throughout the Star Wars Legends and canon, who cares how anyone says a two-syllable acronym?
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How do you pronounce AT-AT? Does knowing there’s an official way of saying it change the way you choose to say it? Talk to us in the comments below.