IINM, this was the original design Lucas had for the Millenium Falcon, but he decided to go with the irregular-saucer shape (allegedly inspired by a burger with an olive next to it) instead, and kept this for Leia’s consular ship.
Having all those engines made perfect sense in the very first movie, when it was a blockade runner that had to outrun the “big Corellian ships”, but it seems like all that thrust would be unnecessary if it’s just moving Bail Organa here & there in the prequel times.