Star Wars: Andor Reveals First Look at Krennic’s Return (After Ben Mendelsohn Denied It)

An actor has lied to us again, if you can believe it. Ben Mendelsohn swore that his Star Wars villain character Director Orson Krennic would not be making a return in Star Wars: Andor Season 2 — so imagine the surprise of now seeing the character on Empire Magazine‘s cover, as part of a preview look at Andor Season 2.

How Director Krennic Fits Into Andor Season 2’s Story

Empire‘s article on Andor Season 2 reveals how Krennic will fit into the seasonal storyline: not just as a key figure that Cassian Andor is tracking, but also as a rival to one of the show’s primary antagonists, Lt. Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) of the Imperial Security Bureau. At the end of Andor Season 1, Meero was nearly killed in the civilian uprising on Andor’s adopted homeworld of Ferrix, only to be saved by disgraced Imperial officer Syril Karn (Kyle Stoller). Meero was distinctly smart and cunning, and was seemingly one of first Imperial officers to ring the bell of alarm that a fully organized and sophisticated rebellion was forming under the Empire’s nose.

Presumably, Dedra Meero will still be on the hunt for Cassian Andor in Season 2. It’s not hard to see her coming into contact, and conflict with Krennic, if she is able to connect the dots and discern that the Rebellion is on a mission to undermine the Empire’s superweapon plans. As Season 1 proved, Meero’s greater challenge is often getting the mechanisms of Imperial procedure and heirarchy to work for her, rather than having her unparalleled critical thinking dismissed (if not reprimanded). We know from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story that Krennic is riding high on ego at this period in time, while doing some political sparring with the likes of Grand Moff Tarkin; it’s hard to see him looking at someone like Dedra Meero seeding doubt in his “Project Stardust” and take it too kindly.

“If they didn’t see eye to eye, to me, it’s cute,” Mendelsohn told Empire about a Krennic vs. Meero conflict. “Dedra versus Krennic? I think it’s a bit of a mismatch. They’re all underlings to Krennic. They’re all going in one direction. The Empire, if you speak your mind, there are differences of opinion.”

There’s every bit of possibility that we could see Dedra Meero in rooms where high-ranking Imperials reside — including Tarkin, as well as Krennic. However, Mendelsohn wouldn’t confirm any additional cameos from iconic Star Wars Imperials, saying, “You know I can’t answer that. And I delight in not being able to answer your question. It’s a beautiful thing.” 

Star Wars: Andor Season 2 will stream on Disney+ starting on April 22nd.