Oh. I added so much to it that I forgot I was editing and not writing that last post. I may have rambled slightly.
Might be worth re-reading.
I’m of the mind Artoo has the plans before the Tantive is captured. They certainly can’t be on the “ATM card” Leia is putting in him. I think all she’s doing at that point is recording the message and giving Artoo his marching orders.
Also keep in mind when they get to Yavin, they hook up Artoo to a large unit to do essentially a data dump. That looks like something that would take a little time to do.
I disagree. I think from the way they put emphasis on the card (which they downloaded the plans from the Profundity onto, I’ll remind you) and then emphasis on physically handing it to Leia, that the card holds the plans.
The Problem is not so Much the scene of Vader on the Profundity.
It’s more the fact that it was made very clear Leia was going to Tattooine to get Obi-Wan, and C3-P0 and R2-D2 exclaim probably before they board the Tantive IV parked outside the Massassi temple “The’re going to Scariff”
Yeah, Bail is going to send Leia to Tatooine to find Obi-Wan. That much we know from what he says, and we know Artoo and Threepio are stationed on the Tantive IV from Revenge of the Sith. They probably think they’re headed to Tatooine, so when everything is suddenly redirected to Scarif because Jyn and Cassian et al went rogue, Threepio expresses his disdain for being left out of the loop.
I assume Leia’s ship was docked with the Profundity in orbit above Yavin IV considering we see Admiral Raddus at the Rebel meeting to discuss attacking Scarif, after which he leaves in a huff, which is then when Bail goes to give Leia her mission. When Raddus hears about Rogue One’s attack on Scarif and decides to go fight, she’s kinda trapped and along for the ride in his ship, not knowing she’d end up with the plans.
Once she gets them and escapes, she continues the mission Bail gave her to find Obi-Wan, but this time with more urgency since she now has the plans. And of course it’s all thrown for a loop when Vader catches up with her and she’s captured, but it all works out for the Rebels in the end.