Walker

A walker was any vehicle, usually military, that used legs as its primary method of locomotion rather than the more common repulsors, wheels, or treads. The term could also refer to especially large droids with legs (usually combat droids), though such droids were usually referred to using more specific terminology (such as "spider droid"). The All Terrain series contained some of the most well known examples of walkers. The designs for walkers utilized by the Galactic Empire were directly inspired by the successful use of animal cavalry from ancient civilizations.

Walkers were first utilized during the Clone Wars, with then-Supreme Chancellor Palpatine even admitting that, while awe-inspiring, they also were a terrifying force to behold.

Owing to their use of legs for locomotion, they held several advantages to repulsorlift vehicles, including them being able to freely operate on worlds with atmospheric conditions that prohibit the operation of repulsorlift vehicles. As such, they are obviously immune to anti-repulsorlift jammers. In addition, part of the reason why the walkers were frequently designated as "all-terrain" was because they were able to react to changing surface conditions and shift footing similar to ordinary soldiers, unlike repulsorlift vehicles and/or treaded vehicles, and yet are still able to brace the ground against the recoil of heavy weaponry. They do have their weaknesses, however: Namely, while they are immune to anti-repulsorlift jammers, they are not immune to having their feet blown off by explosive mines.

Text and facts from the “Walker/Legends” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.