CT Liea let the Death Star track them, why

Why did Leia allow the Death Star to track them to the hidden base? She knew that was Vader's plan so why not go some place else, jump ship, then plan a sneak attack on the death star?

 

Not sure.

Maybe it had to do with making sure the Death Star came to them- if they'd gone to the Death Star, they'd have been chewed up by its fighter screen. By letting it come to them, they ensured that their fighters wouldn't get attacked until they were close.

Simpler reason might be- Lucas wanted a sense of urgency to the plot- and "destroy the Death Star before it kills the planet" gave that urgency.

 

You can't let the Empire just walk away with a Death Star. If they lose the Empire, then they have to track them down again and find the Death Star before attacking it. During that time, they could blow up a couple more planets, just because. Better to keep the Empire chasing them, focused on them and deal with the Death Star as soon as possible.

 

I'll just go with the plot device that Lucas needed the Empire to get within enough distance of Yavin IV so that a bunch of fighters could go destroy it, but as for an in-universe explanation, I'll just agree with what's been said that it would lure the Empire to the hidden base instead of the Rebels having to find the DS somewhere else. Besides, R2 had the plans inside of him at this time as well, so Leia needed to get those back to HQ immediately, even if it meant shortchanging the Rebels a bit by bringing the DS right to their doorstep in a relatively short time.

 

I get the impression that it was not Leia's intention to have the DS follow them to Yavin. Han was flying the Falcon and, despite his dealings with the Empire in the past, didn't seem to think a tracking device was possible.

 

She is not a very good strategist.

 

The Falcon I am sure was hyperspace, could the Death Star move that fast?

 

I believe that the Falcon had simply been fitted with some sort of tracking device.

 

That is my belief as well.

 

I'd have to say that it's basically a plot hole. I mean, at that point in time, Leia knew they were being tracked but she had no way of knowing that the data in R2 would reveal any weaknesses in the Death Star so she was putting every one of those rebels lives at risk. Surely they could have beamed the plans ahead of them just as they were beamed to the blockade runner?

 

Not to mention that the plans that the Rebels had did not even have an accurate schematic of the DS...

That one is probably best accepted as a plot hole, though

 

It did but the Death Star wasnt that far behind them so did it have hyperdrive also?

 

I think of it as a special effects change. At least one matte painting- with the equatorial crater- was done- it's in books that show the props from the movies.

 

Based on what I saw and heard in ANH, I always figured that it was done this way in order for the rebels to recieve and analyze the Death Star plans in R2 before it gets there-then it's a "race against time," as they lead their desperate mission to take advantage of the weakness they gambled they would find, before the Death Star could destroy them first. The whole thing is really a gamble, but I always viewed it as them luring the Death Star there so the rebellion could have this chance at destroying it.

 

Yeah, all ships in SW have hyperdrives. Wouldn't be much good if they didn't. "Oh, we have about fifty years until the Death Star arrives."

 

Yes, I agree.
Also if the rebels can't find any weakness on the DS then the rebellion is doomed anyway as the DS can keep blasting planets until they give up.
Having the DS come to them makes sure that no other planet needs to be destroyed on their account and it means that they know where the DS will be.
Otherwise they will have to look around for the DS and it is a big galaxy.

Be seeing you.
Blackboard Monitor.

 

I guess, for me, the issue is that it's not an all or nothing situation.

There seems very little reason for Leia to have led the Empire straight to the Rebellion considering how easy it would have been to remove the tracking device. We see, from ESB, that Han has the equipment to exit his ship even in the depth of space. Why not head to an uninhabited planet or asteroid, exit the ship and remove the tracking device, and then head to the Rebellion?

That would give the Rebels much more time to analyze the data and plan an attack. The Empire has already indicated that it plans to use the Death Star as an instrument of fear in the galaxy and uses Alderaan's destruction as a demonstration of that power. It seems much smarter, then, to wait until a weakness is found and then leak the information of the Rebellion's location to the Empire. Considering Tarkin's hubris throughout his entire encounter with Leia, there is little doubt that he would take the bait.

Plus, going straight to the Rebellion ignores one key problem: what if a weakness is found, but the Rebels don't have the technology or individuals on hand to carry out a successful attack? There was no guarantee that weakness would be something that the small band of Rebels would be able to exploit on their own. What if they had needed the backing of another planet? Or what if they had needed time to develop the requisite technology. Then they would have been stuck and destroyed for nothing.

I suppose I just find it odd that Leia never considers the fact that she may need to recruit others in order to bring down the Death Star -- that everything they need might not be right on Yavin (whether in terms of technology or personnel).

 

Well suppose that the DS will destroy one earth-sized planet each day until the rebels give up.

Stop to look for the tracking device? Who says it can be easilly found? Say they spend 2-3 days looking for it and while they do that 10-15 billion people die. Not sure that is so easy to live with.

Having the DS follow them makes sure that no other planets will be destroyed.
And they can't afford to waste time, if enough planets gets blasted then support for the rebellion might vanish.
You mentioned help/support from others. That support might be gone if they take too long.

Also, if a weakness can't be found or if they lack the needed tech/resources they could still leave their base at Yavin. Sure they will loose some equipment but most of the people will be able to get out.
And since that base did not have whatt it took, the loss is not critical.

So to sum up, yes it is a gamble to bring the DS to them. But if no weakness can be found in time or they lack the resources they can leave and try later. The alternative could mean the loss of billions of lives and that support for the rebels will vanish before they can get ready. Also the rebels own resolve might fade and they give up.

Leia had already lost her planet but others in the rebellion might decide that giving up is preferable to letting their home get blown up. The empire is using a terrible destructive power so stopping them as soon as possible is required. The rebels can't really afford the time to play it safe.

Bye for now.
Old Stoneface

 

Stop attempting to start continuity debates. -Mod.