Star Wars: The Last Jedi (SPOILERS)

[McNutt]

Another one of my favorite Star Wars mysteries: if Leia knew the Empire was tracking the Millennium Falcon, why did she have it flown to the secret Rebel base? This was the base that she refused to name even when they threatened to blow up Alderan. A few hours later and she's okay leading the Empire to Yavin when she has no way of knowing if the plan will expose a weakness?

[Isgrimnur]

Stack Exchange

Carrie Fisher's audition tape for "A New Hope" indicates that, at least in that draft, Leia knew they were being tracked, and decided to lure the Death Star to Yavin, as Colin Q. Bang's answer said.

Leia's lines read:

I know they'll follow, and they'll bring the Death Star. Our only hope is to destroy it before it destroys us. Look, hiding is useless now! With the Death Star they'll continue destroying systems until they've found us. We have no alternative but to process the information and use it while there's still time.