The Rebels learning about the Death Star helped set the Empire’s downfall in motion and took Director Orson Krennic along with it. Often seen as one of the more pathetic villains in Star Wars canon, Krennic’s downfall is nothing short of satisfying.
The Leak of the Death Star
Krennic has been involved in the construction of the Death Star from the very beginning. He was responsible for recruiting the engineers and scientists needed for the project, sometimes resorting to threats and intimidation. It was also his duty to keep Project Stardust a secret.
But unfortunately for Krennic, some of his staffers sent files related to the Death Star to Imperial Security Bureau Supervisor Dedra Meero, who didn’t report the error despite not being involved in the project. Rebel spy Lonni Jung stumbles upon these plans by accident and shares this intel with Luthen Rael, spymaster of the Axis network.
The ISB Can’t Contain the Breach
The ISB scrambles to investigate the breach, but they’re also dealing with the fallout from Dedra’s failed raid on Luthen’s antique shop. Luthen kills Lonni to keep the Empire from learning about the leak, then commits suicide before the ISB can interrogate him.
While the bureau attempts to detain Luthen’s adopted daughter Kleya (and fails), Krennic interrogates Dedra. Despite the fact that the leak was mostly his fault due to the carelessness of his staff, he places the blame entirely on Dedra. This is the single greatest leak in Imperial history and it’s coming when the Death Star is close to deployment. Krennic’s career and possibly his life are on the line, and he needs a scapegoat. He twists Dedra’s overzealous and ambitious nature by painting her as a spy working for the Rebel Alliance. Or at the very worst, a Supervisor who’s really incompetent at her job. The series finale of Andor implies Krennic was successful since Dedra’s arc ends with her being imprisoned.
Krennic Pays the Price
By the time we get to the film Rogue One, the damage is done. Several members of the Rebel Alliance are investigating the Death Star. Grand Moff Tarkin is skeptical of Krennic’s ability to lead Project Stardust. When the Death Star is complete and Krennic successfully tests its planet-killing superlaser by annihilating Jedha City, it’s supposed to be a crowning moment for him.
Instead, Tarkin uses a recent security leak as an excuse to wrest control of the Death Star away from him. He kills research scientist Galen Erso after learning he was responsible for the latest breach. Then Krennic travels all the way to Mustafar to speak with Darth Vader, hoping to seek an audience with Emperor Palpatine to regain control of the Death Star. Darth Vader rejects his request by Force-choking Krennic.
Later, Krennic travels to Scarif to prevent the Rebels from stealing the Death Star’s plans hidden in Scarif’s Imperial facility. He tries to kill Galen’s daughter Jyn but is shot by Cassian Andor. To add salt to the wound, an incapacitated Krennic is killed when the Death Star’s superlaser is fired on Scarif on Tarkin’s orders.
It’s an ironic end for Orson Krennic. He’s dismissed and discarded by the Empire, only to be killed by the very weapon he dedicated himself to building.
