The HI-CT walker, also known as the heavy industrial crane transport or Trask walker, represented a specific type of quadrupedal walker designed for crane transport. These machines functioned as cargo lifters and were commonly seen on the estuary moon of Trask, as well as the planets Ferrix and Cantonica.
The HI-CT walkers, sharing certain design elements with the OI-CT manufactured by Kuat Drive Yards, were noted for their exceptional balance and robust armor. These towering machines, often seen dominating the seaside loading areas of Trask, possessed ample power to hoist a waterlogged ST-70 class Razor Crest M-111 from the ocean's depths. Every HI-CT featured four strong legs and feet, a command bridge, a crew deck, and a crane that could be extended. While the walker's legs were meticulously sealed against seawater, they were also deployed in land-based operations.
Numerous heavy industrial crane transports were present near Ferrix City on the planet of Ferrix around 5 BBY. By 3 ABY, these walkers were in service within the Worker's District of Canto Bight located on the planet Cantonica. Around 9 ABY, HI-CT walkers were observed patrolling the waters surrounding a black market port on Trask. One of these cranes was instrumental in recovering Din Djarin's Razor Crest—the ship of the Mandalorian bounty hunter—from the sea following an unsuccessful landing during his mission to Trask. In that same year, a similar, but different, version of another model was utilized by the New Republic Correctional Corps across the Karthon Chop Fields on the moon Karthon.
The mobile loading gantry made its debut in the 2020 The Mandalorian Season Two episode "Chapter 11: The Heiress," where it was described in the episode's audio description. Industrial Light & Magic created the CG shot of the gantry carrying the Razor Crest. In 2022, The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season Two specifically identified it as a "Trask walker." The walker was formally designated as the "heavy industrial crane transport (HI-CT walker)" in an Amazon pre-order listing preview for the book Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy, which was released on November 19, 2024.
According to concept artist Christian Alzmann, the original design concept for this walker involved the idea that it was constructed from salvaged All Terrain Armored Transport components left over after the fall of the Galactic Empire. However, this concept was later discarded following the walker's appearances in projects like Andor and Star Wars Outlaws.