Under the command of Captain Antilles, Princess Leia's registered Alderaanian consular ship carries her throughout the galaxy on missions of political negotiation and aid to imperiled populations.
For these missions the Princess Senator employs a Corellian Corvette named the Tantive IV, frequently using the craft for her covert espionage activities on behalf of the Rebel Alliance. The ship has earned its reputation as a "Rebel Blockade Runner."
It is the Tantive IV that carries Leia to Tatooine to find General Obi-Wan Kenobi after she receives technical readouts of the Empire's super weapon, the Death Star. But even with its eight turbolaser cannons and heavily reinforced armor and shields, the Tantive IV is no match for the speed and firepower of an Imperial Star Destroyer.