Transport Canada recalls the AT-AT walker for poor cold weather performance

Today is May the 4th, which has become an international day for recognizing the mega franchise we all know and love and shower with our dollars almost continually lately via movie ticket and product purchases. It’s also a day that can be truly fun, especially when staid government agencies get in on the gag, as Transport Canada has done with a recall notice it issued today for the All-Terrain Armored Transport, or AT-AT as it’s more colloquially known.

The lumbering, four-legged armored battle vehicle is familiar to Star Wars fans new and old – first for its pivotal appearance in the Hoth battle scenes from Empire Strikes Back, then for its reappearance on Scarif defending the Imperial archives from a small team of rogue rebel soldiers. Transport Canada has recalled the vehicle, which is classified under the official categorical designation of “STAR WARS,” for its tendency to experience failures in “extreme cold temperatures, such as on planet Hoth or in Northern Canada.”

The recall impacts 10,000 vehicles, but the notification type is listed as “Inconsequential,” which is not among the more serious categories of concern on Transport Canada’s recall rating scale. The recall also lists the maker of the AT-AT as “Galactic Empire,” when we all know very well that the real manufacturer is Kuat Drive Yards, which makes the transports under exclusive contract to the Empire. That’s how you can tell this is just a joke.