Detta adresseras direkt i den nya (canon) Star Wars-romaniseringen. Enkelt uttryckt hade Leias uppdrag två delar. För det första att samla planerna för Death Star och för det andra att samla Obi-Wan Kenobi från sin gömställe på Tatooine.
Admitting she failed made the words taste bitter in her mouth. Though she and the crew of the Tantive IV had downloaded the information and made the jump to Tatooine, she wouldn’t be able to complete the second part of the mission. Her father had requested that she seek out an old friend, one General Kenobi, because, in his own words, “a war demanded warriors” to fight. A legendary Jedi Knight, Kenobi had gone into secret exile on the remote desert planet to avoid the deadly purge that had wiped out his order.
Detta skulle tydligt förklara hennes närhet till planeten.