When we watched The Last Jedi, we may have noticed how the First Order Walkers on Crait appeared to have red eyes. We may wonder if engineers installed these eyes on purpose and, if so, what purpose they served. The red eyes seem to provide intimidation and function but are also not consistently used.
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Did the First Order Engineer Install Red Eyes on its Walkers?
The First Order AT-HH Walkers we saw in The Last Jedi seem to have menacing red eyes. This “Tug Walker” was deployed at the Battle of Crait, with two of them hauling the superlaser cannon that was fired at the Resistance base. While they acted as tuggers of siege weapons, these Walkers had dual laser cannons and heavy armor.
As a vehicle to support and provide destruction, the engineers may have installed a red front visor or “eyes” to be even more intimidating. As discussed here, that approach would align well with the First Order’s intentions and draw on a real-world parallel.
One post from above astutely describes how the German Junkers JU 87 “Stuka” dive bombers had sirens purposely installed to “cause fear and panic” during World War II. This video reveals the terror and destruction that the Stuka caused when attacking the Allies, in a comparable way to the First Order.
Yet, the First Order was not the first time this effect was used. If we look at the original Imperial AT-AT Walker, it too had a red stripe on the front that accentuated this attack vehicle’s power. It would seem that Imperial to First Order engineers agreed with this tactic.
Intimidation is one reason for the red eyes, but functionality is another purpose. The red tint on the viewing panel could be used to deflect outside light and prevent glares. It could also help with transitioning from lighter to darker environments and even for night vision.
This video explores the capabilities of AT-ATs and details the “movable command section” or cockpit of the vehicle. For “forward visualization,” AT-ATs had a “glowing red command viewport” that helped orchestrate the attack on Hoth. Red eyes appear to serve a visibility purpose.
Are the Viewports Actually Red?
Despite these purposes, it is not actually clear that AT-AT eyes are red, at least all the time. We have seen AT-ATs with both black and red viewports on the fronts, and from the inside view, the window looks clear.
As this technical commentary reveals, AT-ATs could have “one or more viewports that may be either open to the air or made of airtight transparisteel.” For the latter, the viewport is typically transparent, with no color. We also get some clarification of the “enigma about the forward viewport”. That is how it may appear red from the outside, but on the inside, it does not.
Instead, at least on Hoth, the red color may arise from an AT-AT that “just fired its weaponry” or a “reflection of the red flash”.
Then again, and returning to Crait, it seems like the AT-HHs have red viewports all the time. It could be that these were commander vehicles with red lights inside the cockpit or a red tint to the window for the reasons outlined above.
A post on this discussion may help us see that some Imperial and First Order Walkers had “a red holographic on the viewport to counteract reduced vision.” That red viewport could also instill terror.
Red Eyes on Walkers
We seem to have red eyes on Walkers going back to the Battle of Hoth and the Empire, at least on some vehicles. The red tint on the viewport could instill fear and serve as a way to enhance visibility. That we see a clear view from the inside of the cockpit may be a discrepancy in the filming or indicate that the light comes from an internal source or outside blast.