How Do You Pronounce AT-AT?

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Yes, I know I’m a bit late for Techland’s Star Wars month, but hey, every month is Star Wars month for true Star Wars aficionados.

The question at hand, the proper pronunciation of the AT-AT walker, arose after watching Techlander Allie Townsend’s Star Wars Yoga video. Her Star Wars Yoga master pronounced AT-AT phonetically as “at at,” as in it rhymes with “hat hat,” however, I have always held the belief that the vehicle was pronounced by saying its letters, or Ay Tee-Ay Tee. This seemingly improper pronunciation was irksome and one mini-nerdrage later, I decided to use my journalistic mettle to settle the matter.

There is much evidence within the Star Wars universe itself to support my pronunciation given that other walkers like Return of the Jedi’s AT-ST and the prequels’ AT-TE are pronounced by their letters. Even everyone’s most beloved droid, R2D2, is pronounced by the letters that comprise its name, whereas there is little, if no, precedent for the pronunciation of AT-AT phonetically.

So who’s correct, the Star Wars Yoga master (unlikely), or me (most definitely)?

An email blast to Lucasfilm’s public relations department provided the definitive verdict. The official pronunciation for AT-AT is the phonetic one, as in it rhymes with “hat hat.”

Alas, the force was not with me.

Star Wars Yoga Master: 1

Joseph Lin: 0

How do you pronounce AT-AT and will this change your pronunciation of the iconic walker?