The plans for the Galactic Empire's Death Star battle station were conveyed to Princess Leia Organa aboard the Alderaanian CR90 corvette Tantive IV by the Rebel Lambda-class T-4a shuttle Maria. Despite the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Immortal disrupting the meeting, the Tantive IV successfully fled to hyperspace carrying the schematics.
The Alliance to Restore the Republic managed to obtain the plans for the Galactic Empire's Death Star battle station through the use of stolen Imperial communications satellites. Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan was entrusted with transporting these plans to Alliance High Command onboard the Alderaanian CR90 corvette Tantive IV, leading to the arrangement of a rendezvous with the Rebel Lambda-class T-4a shuttle Maria.
The Maria was preceded to the designated meeting location by a trio of T-65 X-wing starfighters, who discovered the Tantive IV already present, concealed within a group of CR90 corvettes transporting supplies destined for Alderaan. Due to the risk of attracting Imperial attention, the Tantive IV couldn't openly identify itself; therefore, Captain Keyan Farlander, flying the X-wing known as Red Two, initiated a scan of the corvettes to pinpoint its location. Once Farlander verified the Tantive IV's presence, the Maria materialized from hyperspace to initiate the boarding process.
Shortly thereafter, the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Immortal arrived in the vicinity, deploying eight Assault Gunboats before quickly re-entering hyperspace. Farlander swiftly destroyed two of the Assault Gunboats using proton torpedoes, after which he and the X-wings of Gold Squadron engaged the remaining vessels. One of the Imperial starfighters evaded the X-wings and attempted to cripple the Tantive IV using its ion cannons, but Farlander pursued and intervened in time. Following the completion of the Maria's boarding operation, the Tantive IV jumped to hyperspace, and the Rebel ships retreated.
This battle was first featured in the 1993 LucasArts video game Star Wars: X-Wing, specifically in the eleventh mission of "Tour of Duty II: The Great Search", titled "Deliver Plans to Princess Leia." If the player fails to protect the Tantive IV from being disabled, the Immortal returns and attempts to seize it. Nevertheless, Farlander's post-mission report in X-Wing: The Official Strategy Guide confirms the ship's successful escape to hyperspace without sustaining damage.
The account of the Death Star plan delivery in X-Wing differs from the version presented in the 1981 National Public Radio adaptation of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, where the plans are transmitted to the Tantive IV from the planet Toprawa while the ship pretends to be malfunctioning, before it is attacked by the Star Destroyer Devastator.