Tantive IV

The Tantive IV was a CR90 Corellian corvette which served as a consular ship during the waning days of the Old Republic. At the close of the Clone Wars, the ship was used to transport Obi-Wan Kenobi and infant Luke Skywalker to the planet Tatooine. It was also used to help Yoda go into hiding on the swampy world of Dagobah. At this time, the ship also brought Bail Organa and his adoptive daughter Leia to his home world of Alderaan.

Eighteen years later, the ship was still being used for diplomatic missions, but was also secretly a vessel for the Alliance to Restore the Republic. In the year 0 BBY, Princess Leia and her Rebel Alliance had intercepted a transmission containing detailed schematics for the Empire's newest super-weapon the Death Star space station. The Empire learned of the transmission and Darth Vader led the mission to retrieve them. The Imperial Star Destroyer Devastator overtook the Tantive IV as it was passing through the Tatoo system. With little time to spare, Leia uploaded the Death Star plans into the memory circuits of the astromech droid R2-D2. R2 and his protocol droid companion C-3PO took an escape pod and jettisoned themselves from the ship towards the planet Tatooine.

Vader meanwhile, captured and interrogated the ship's captain Raymus Antilles. Antilles refused to give up any information relating to the stolen plans and insisted that the ship was on a diplomatic mission. Vader did not believe him as there were no ambassadors aboard the ship and he killed Antilles by choking him then casually throwing his body into a bulkhead.

Though he failed to retrieve the stolen data, Vader and the 501st Legion succeeded in capturing Princess Leia. She was brought aboard his ship, after which, Vader ordered the ship to be scuttled and its crew killed. The Empire issued an official, albeit falsified report that the Tantive IV was destroyed in an asteroid storm.

Notes & Trivia

 * Originally known as the Star of Alderaan.


 * Informally referred to as a Rebel Blockade Runner.