but as is it would mess with the pace and tension release too much
You mean provide a welcome break from the snail’s pace of the Tatooine section?
Maybe for everyone who is used to Star Wars that’s how Tatooine feels, as a kid I loved the mystery of the barren planet with the droids before meeting Luke. And yes if there was an exciting chase through a tight winding cavern in the beginning of the movie it would cause diminishing returns by the end of the movie, the sequence the entire story is building up to.
Maybe go from the Tantive IV section to Luke flying, then have that end with him flying home & have the T16 really small in the sky as you pan down to the escape pod with the droids walking away? Or move it later and have it pan down to the stormtroopers inspecting the crash site?
This is a fun idea, reminds me of the cut scene of Luke looking up at the action from the beginning.