Howsoever could the Empire, with all its martial and technological might, lose to a bunch of scrappy upstarts has long been a question at the core of Star Wars. And for just as long, there’s been an answer: just like real-world authoritarian regimes, willing adherents of fascism crave power for themselves more than anything else, blunting the absolute terror of the systems they uphold with endless infighting and petty squabbling that will ultimately undo them in the face of unified resistance. Suffice to say then, when we first learned that Andor season two would bring back Rogue One‘s most petty fascist of all, Ben Mendelsohn’s Director Krennic, it was clear that over at the ISB, the girlies were going to be fighting.
And it turns out that Krennic’s biggest rival is going to be none other than everyone’s favorite evil girlboss, Dedra Meero.
“If they didn’t see eye to eye, to me, it’s cute,” Mendelsohn told Empire Magazine of Krennic and Dedra’s relationship in season two. “Dedra versus Krennic? I think it’s a bit of a mismatch. They’re all underlings to Krennic.”
It should come as no surprise that the two will be at each others’ throats (proverbially or otherwise). After all, Krennic spent more time in Rogue One squabbling with Tarkin over who got credit for the Death Star than he did menacing the Rebellion, and in Andor season one, Dedra cut her teeth on learning to play the politics of the ISB in her verbal sparring with Supervisor Blevin. There are perhaps no two people in Andor‘s reflection of the Imperial regime more likely to hate each other’s guts, professionally or otherwise, than Dedra and Krennic.
But for Mendelsohn, that’s part of what makes the idea of exploring the Imperial perspective interesting in the first place. “They’re all going in one direction,” Mendelsohn continued. “The Empire, if you speak your mind, there are differences of opinion.”
It’s those differences of opinion that are ultimately going to lay not just Krennic, but the whole Empire, low—but before it all comes crashing down around him in Rogue One, it’s going to be absolutely fascinating to watch Krennic and Dedra square off and make each other miserable. A match made in hell for them, and heaven for us, when Andor returns to Disney+ April 22, 2025.
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