For the last 27 years, residents of the San Francisco Bay Area has been proud of the container cranes at the Port of Oakland because according to local lore, the cranes were the inspiration for the AT-AT Walkers from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. There is even a popular t-shirt that is sold in the area drawing the comparison.
I’ve always been skeptical of the claim. Two weeks ago while driving across the Bay Bridge on my way to Pixar Animation Studios, I discussed with Alex from FirstShowing a possible story to discover the truth behind the creation of the AT-AT Walkers. The problem is that no one in publicity or available contacts could provide us with a definite answer, and that the only way you could be sure is to ask George Lucas himself, which is, well, almost impossible. And we concluded that we would probably never get the real answer.
Well it turns out that San Francisco Chronicle journalist Peter Hartlaub was finally able to ask Lucas about the story, and guess what? Yup, it’s completely untrue. Just another urban myth:
“That’s a myth,” Lucas said, politely but firmly. “That is definitely a myth.”
And for anyone who might also believe that the trench-like San Pablo/MacArthur exit on I580 might have inspired the surface of the Death Star, Lucas also insisted “that’s a myth, too.”
Phil Tippett, the stop-motion animator who was responsible for the sequence says that the original vehicles actually looked nothing like a container crane, and more like a garbage truck.
“At one point in the design they were going to be big and kind of radio controlled,” he said. “More like big armored vehicles with wheels.”
So there you have it. Another Urban Movie Myth BUSTED. Next week on Urban Movie Myth Busters we will attempt to prove that the Hoverboard from Back to the Future isn’t real.
June 26th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
If the hoverboard isn’t real, then what is that contraption in your living room that you use to get from place to place. Hey, we don’t blame you with these gas prices, hovering is just the more economic choice.
June 26th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
I know that “Slave 1″ was inspired by a street light….. //
June 26th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
yea… looked like a garbage truck… but then what inspired them to go from garbage truck to something that looks like the crane? I kinda consider this one even less busted now
June 26th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
aww this makes me sad. i live really close to those cranes.
June 26th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
my pops is a straight liar, fucking con man. I know for a fact that madafkr jacked ideas from everywhere and every1
fat obese-randy neuman looking b!tch
June 26th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
to claim that the AT-AT Walkers are inspired by those cranes is complete nonsense anyway.. they are clearly inspired by the cow… duuh.
June 26th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Looks more like the dinosaurs from Jurassic Park. Better make a new t-shirt and get Spielberg on the phone.
Who the hell came up with this myth its absolutely ridiculous.
June 26th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
And Lucas is all about myths. :)
June 26th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Boo. What a terrible myth bust - us Bay Area natives have very little to cling to when it comes to Hollywood-type glamour. Couldn’t you just give us the AT-AT’s George? Couldn’t you??
June 26th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Jen: George will give you nothing, and you’ll like it! :P
June 26th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Lucas is a liar he doesn’t wanna pay the Cranes creator restitution :P. Just like Obi Wan met Anakin as a young rebel star fighter :P.
June 27th, 2008 at 7:41 am
… since George Lucas never stole ideas from anything in his entire life.
June 27th, 2008 at 7:52 am
its a fucking camel.
no cranes, camels!
July 21st, 2008 at 1:50 pm
I think he just wants to pretend he came up with it all on his own?
p.s.
I work at the Port and you should check my link out. I have some awesome pictures of the cranes.
http://oaklandmofo.com/blog/star-wars-at-at-walkers-port-of-oakland-cranes/