Okay, so did the DS reactor in ROTJ have the same implanted flaw? What about the reactor on the Trade Federation ship? The saga clearly shows us that hitting the reactors can blow these things up. All three films demonstrate, as you quoted, that a hit to the reactor should do the trick.
In TPM and ROTJ they were able to get direct shots on the main reactor of those ships. In Star Wars they have to hit a vulernable reactor module that will set off a chain reaction that leads to the destruction of the main reactor.
Or the third choice - it all went down like the original movie said it did and the rebels simply exercised great ingenuity borne of desperation and, thanks to Luke Skywalker, achieved the nigh impossible.
Nothing in Rogue One precludes what you just said.
Yes, not the Tantive itself. The dialogue makes no sense.
Sorry, I’m confused here. So Vader didn’t know the plans were being handed through the door and was only preventing any escapes. So why pursue the Tantive at all? It only makes sense to pursue Leia if he thinks the plans are aboard - and he’s only going to know this by virtue of having seen the plans being handed through the doorway - which means he knows they weren’t transmitted - which means the dialogue in ANH makes no sense…
Why persue the Tantive? Precisely because he suspects the plans are aboard. The plans obviously weren’t found in the main computer of the Profundity so Vader likely suspects they were beamed directly to the Tantive. Even failing that, the Tantive was birthed inside the Profundity at the time the plans were transmitted. Making the Tantive tantamount to an extension of Profundity itself. Either way, the Tantive is directly tied to receiving the plans so of course it would be persued.
The whole point in ANH is that Vader’s holding her on suspicion alone - hence “holding her is dangerous, if word gets out etc etc”. Vader says “I have traced the rebel spies to her…”. Why not just say “she was present at the battle of Scariff, resisted arrest, and is now a war criminal”?
As was just covered, Vader does suspect the plans are onboard precisely because the Tantive is tied to these transmissions from Scarif.
And why not just say this to Leia, rather than some song and dance about supposed diplomatic missions to Alderaan?
I already went over why Leia is giving him a song and dance. And if you watch the scene again you’ll see Vader cut straight through her cover story every time she tries to use it: “Don’t act so surprised your highness, you weren’t on any mercy mission this time.” “You are part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor!”