Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, isn't your average Star Wars movie. The first Anthology film in the series, Rogue One takes place in between Episode III and Episode IV, right in the middle of Darth Vader's rise to galactic power. And, while Darth Vader is expected to have a decent presence in Rogue One (read: screen time), he's not the only villain in Rogue One. Obviously Darth Vader, one of the most iconic cinematic villains of all time, will be a major player, don't get me wrong, but there's another Imperial baddie who will add to the Rogue One drama. So, who is the Rogue One villain? Here's what we know so far.
All of the confirmed information on Rogue One points to Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) as the film's big bad. Director Krennic appears in the trailers wearing an intimidating, all-white outfit, and is described on the official Star Wars website as "obsessed" with completing the Death Star. According to his character biography on the site, Krennic is "a cruel but brilliant man" who acts as "director of Advanced Weapons Research for the Imperial military." As the only Imperial character featured on the official Star Wars Rogue One website's Characters section, it's safe to assume that Krennic is the main Rogue One villain. Now that we've established Krennic's place as Rogue One's big bad, here's everything known about Director Krennic.
He Really, Really Loves The Death Star
Director Krennic is heavily featured in the prequel book, Rogue One: Catalyst, and, according to Inverse, the book establishes that Krennic not only believes in the Death Star, he's staked his entire reputation (and, knowing Vader, his life) on it's success. The Death Star is Krennic's legacy, and he needs it to be perfect. However, the Death Star is also running behind schedule, which will cause tension between Krennic and the Emperor, not to mention Darth Vader.
He Doesn't Get Along With Darth Vader
Krennic is a strong believer in technology and weapons, like the Death Star laser he hopes can destroy planets. Darth Vader believes in the Force above all else, which puts the two bad guys at odds. "Here is the thing about Krennic: his perspective obviously is that of a person who doesn't understand the Force," producer Kiri Hart said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly . Mendelsohn confirmed his character's ideological conflict with Vader, telling Empire, "Darth is very much about the Force. Krennic is force. Not really down with the whole mystical thing."
He Has Ties To Jyn Erso
Krennic has an unexpected relationship to Rogue One protagonist, Jyn Erso. As described in Catalyst, Krennic actually went to college with Galen Erso, Jyn's father, and the two were close until Krennic left to join the Imperial army. Later, according to Inverse, he manipulated Galen by, among other things, kidnapping him, taking over entire planets, sending his wife and daughter (a young Jyn) away and, essentially, tricking Galen to work on the planet-destroying laser for the Death Star under the guise that he's working on a project for peace. When Galen realized what Krennic was really making him build, he managed to run away and escape, but it looks like Krennic is hot on his tail in Rogue One.
The most important thing to know about Director Krennic going into Rogue One is that he is ambitious, ruthless, and desperate for power. In other words: he's going to be a tough man to beat, with or without the Force.
Images: Walt Disney Studios; elvenbarnes/tumblr (2); mikkelsenmads/tumblr
