Quote Originally Posted by Mando Knight View Post
Spoiler: Walkers
Show
The other thing about Hoth is that the Rebels needed their X-Wings ready for escorting the transports. By sending them against the walkers, they risk having their starfighters get shot down there (the AT-ATs do pick off some of the speeders at Hoth, and even the vaunted prodigy flyboy and Death Star killer Luke Skywalker gets shot down) and then they have fewer ready for escape, while the speeders are relatively disposable for defense and the pilots can potentially survive a crash to get into their fighters.
Spoiler: Fighters and Fighter planes
Show
Just so you know, even if the pilots don't survive or are injured, it's a truism that there are always many more pilots than there are craft, at least in the real world. The other pilots could do the escort duty if the speeder pilots are killed.