Star Wars: Why The Rebels Use Snowspeeders
Warning: Spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 4.
The precursor to the iconic Rebel snowspeeder appears in Obi-Wan Kenobi, showing how the easily-modified vehicles were used against the Empire before the Rebellion even existed. The Empire Strikes Back’s iconic act 1 battle scene on Hoth featured snowspeeders being used to great effect against Imperial AT-AT walkers, exploiting a weakness in the bipedal vehicles. Earlier versions of the T-47 Airspeeders are shown in the Obi-Wan series and one of their original functions is revealed as well.
The Rebel Alliance used T-47 Airspeeders on numerous bases, but the Echo Base variants seen on Hoth are the most famous. As revealed in Legends-era Star Wars sources, the unmodified, civilian-grade T-47s only have room for a single pilot and are unarmed indicating that the Rebel modifications to the speeders are extensive. In addition to adding powerful forward and rear-facing blaster cannons, a tail gunner’s seat, and a harpoon and tow cable launcher, the Rebels also adapted the speeders to the frigid conditions of Hoth, resulting in the iconic snowspeeders.
Related: Luke Skywalker Missed A Big AT-AT Weakness In The Empire Strikes Back
The Obi-Wan episode “Part IV” reveals that the Rebels weren’t the first group to modify T-47s. The Path, a Jedi sympathizer group, uses T-47 Airspeeders with the same forward-facing blaster canons as the Rebel version, though their vehicles lack a tail gunner and rear-facing armaments. The episode also reveals their original intended use in the post-2014 canon continuity, with the humble vehicles being used to haul sewage before being turned into one of the Rebel Alliance’s greatest assets in the Battle of Hoth.
Although The Path’s versions of the T-47
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