Star Wars legend Mark Hamill decided to do a bit of fan service and weigh in on the long running debate over the proper pronunciation of AT-AT.
Right now, many readers are probably asking "what debate?" before declaring "it's pronounced...."
But not everyone is going to be uttering the same thing.
The official Star Wars Twitter account kicked off the debate with a poll.
\u201cHow do you pronounce AT-AT?\u201d— Star Wars (@Star Wars) 1657297640
For the uninitiated, this is an AT-AT or All Terrain Armored Transport:
They first show up in 1980s The Empire Strikes Back in the battle on Hoth.
Some people confidently responded this thing is called an AT-AT which rhymes with cat hat or rat-a-tat-tat. While others said they are called an AT-AT which sort of rhymes with eighty eighty or Katie Katie.
The first seems like the obvious choice, but a good case can be made for the second one.
R2-D2 is Artoo-Deetoo. C-3PO is See Three Pee Oh. BB-8 is Bee Bee Eight.
Writer and former radio personality Tara Dublin decided to call in an expert.
\u201cThis is a job for @MarkHamill\u201d— Tara Dublin (@Tara Dublin) 1657319156
So what insight did Hamill share?
\u201c@taradublinrocks I think it's "@-@", even though I always called them "walkers"\u201d— Tara Dublin (@Tara Dublin) 1657319156
But he later added the ultimate authority on Star Wars—creator George Lucas—could not care less.
\u201cFYI: When we would ask George: "Is it Chew-bah-ka or Chew-back-a?" / "Is it Lay-a or Lee-a?" / "Is it Hahn or Han (as in hand)?"- he would just shrug & didn't really care. He told us it would be pronounced in various ways in different parts of the galaxy. \ud83e\udd28\n#TrueStory\u201d— Mark Hamill (@Mark Hamill) 1657478591
So, everyone is right?
People had some fun with the original poll and Hamill's responses.
\u201c@taradublinrocks @starwars ... or not. \ud83d\ude1c\u201d— Star Wars (@Star Wars) 1657297640
\u201c@LEGO_Group It\u2019s ok, we forgive you.\u201d— Star Wars (@Star Wars) 1657297640
\u201c@MageBeLike @taradublinrocks \ud83d\ude02\u201d— Tara Dublin (@Tara Dublin) 1657319156
\u201c@MarkHamill @taradublinrocks Same, although I can\u2019t say AT-ST like that, it feels like I\u2019m making fun of Scott Adsit.\u201d— Tara Dublin (@Tara Dublin) 1657319156
\u201c@MarkHamill @taradublinrocks It couldn\u2019t be more obvious.\u201d— Tara Dublin (@Tara Dublin) 1657319156
\u201c@HyperionShadow @MarkHamill\u201d— Tara Dublin (@Tara Dublin) 1657319156
\u201c@MarkHamill @taradublinrocks in France we call them "AH TAY AH TAY".\u201d— Tara Dublin (@Tara Dublin) 1657319156
\u201c@TedMoondust @MarkHamill @taradublinrocks "That Is correct" bro he's literally Luke Skywalker\u201d— Tara Dublin (@Tara Dublin) 1657319156
So now that that's settled—sort of—how do we pronounce AT-ST?
We have a very bad feeling about this...