Star Wars AT-AT Walkers? Port of Oakland Cranes?

Port of Oakland star wars cranes
Oakland Pictures

This is a picture of the Port of Oakland shipping container cranes at one of the berths. It was taken from a Ferry on the Ports Free Harbor Tours. As you have probably heard George Lucas got his idea for the AT-AT Walkers (All Terrain Armored Transport) from the Port of Oakland Cranes while flying into the Bay Area’s Oakland International Airport (OAK)at one time. Can it be confirmed? Who knows the truth. I think it is highly possible because he does live here in the North Bay. However he claims recently that this is NOT the case. George Lucas says he did not get his AT AT Walker idea from the Port Cranes. Is this true? Would he give the Shipping Container Cranes credit for his Walkers? Or would he say it is obviously an unique idea created purely by my own imagination?
AT-AT Walkers

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4 Responses to “Star Wars AT-AT Walkers? Port of Oakland Cranes?”

  1. atat says:

    [...] [...]

  2. [...] rocks and is the 4th largest Port in the nation! These are Bay Area Landmarks with the whole George Lucas Star Wars tale and all. These shipping cranes move so many tons of goods through our system daily! Rock the [...]

  3. jld_oakland says:

    I’m convinced it is an urban legend – one that I’m just as guilty of propagating before I knew better and I still wear the T-shirt proudly. However since Lucas himself has denied it -http://3.ly/O7O – there is little point in pretending. It is not like he gains anything by denying it. I admit it is more than possible that there is a subliminal influence involved, designers are notorious for being susceptible to stuff they see around them, whether they realize or not. We do know that he spent a considerably amount of time in the area while filming parts of his first movie THX 1138 in the Webster Tube

  4. [...] of Oakland.  Looking north towards the mainland across the channel are the well known shipping cranes of the Port of Oakland. I call the cranes robots, Allison calls them dinosaurs. I thought it would [...]

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