This is in response to Berthold Gambrel’s comment on last week’s post, asking who my least favourite ‘Star Wars’ character is.

That got me thinking and I was left wondering if I did have one who’s my least favourite.

Not including the sequel trilogy because I feel that would be too easy, without a doubt, there are characters who annoy the pants off me, but I wouldn’t say I dislike any of them because they all serve a purpose, though some carry it off better than others.

For me, they don’t stay on the screen long enough for me to form that strong an opinion about them.

As that seemed to be a non-starter of a subject, I got to wondering who, in my opinion, might be on the opposite end of the scale to my favourite character.

And it didn’t take long for me to realise who that is.

Director Orson Krennic from ‘Rogue One’.

So, instead of talking about my least favourite character, this post will be about the character I believe to be the opposite of my favourite character, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The director of Advanced Weapons Research for the Imperial military, Krennic is the main antagonist in ‘Rogue One’, and one of the key people responsible for the construction and completion of the Death Star.

Like most, if not all, the Empire’s officers, he is merciless with an unrelenting hunger for power.

Where he differs from them is his penchant for personally dealing with problems that directly affect him instead of sending lackeys to do so on his behalf.

Despite being clearly intelligent, he is repeatedly compromised by his erratic, explosive temper; his responses are inevitably controlled by his volatile emotions.

His overarching goal is to secure as high a position as possible in the Empire and, to this end, he strives to earn the favour of the Emperor.

From the opening scenes of the film, we are left in doubt that Krennic will do whatever it takes to gain power and secure his future.

Years before, he had tricked his once-best friend, Galen Erso, to work on the Death Star, assuring him it was for altruistic purposes only.

When Erso discovered the true destructive nature of the Death Star, he fled with his wife and daughter.

At the start of ‘Rogue One’, the family have been tracked down by Krennic, who wants Erso to return and finish his work.

When Erso refuses, Krennic orders his troops to hunt down Erso’s family, which results in the death of Erso’s wife, but their daughter manages to remain hidden and avoid capture.

Years later, following the completion of the Death Star, Krennic orders the laser to be used on a city, not only to test it, but to take out a group of die-hard rebels undermining the Empire’s local operations, caring nothing for the thousands of innocents living there.

His pleasure at what he believes to be a successful operation is short-lived when his superior, Governor Tarkin, informs Krennic he is taking over the command of the Death Star.

That each abhors the other is plain to see.

Tarkin takes quiet pleasure in telling Krennic he no longer has command because the security and secrecy of the project, which is Krennic’s responsibility, has been compromised, and the betrayal has been linked to Galen Erso’s sector.

As Krennic was the one who had brought Erso back to finish the project, this does not reflect well on him.

The scene with Erso and his fellow scientists facing Krennic who’s attempting to flush out the traitor, clearly shows the latter’s total lack of decency, morals, and honour – he promises to do one thing and, when he gets what he wants, instantly reneges on that promise.

One might say all Imperial officers are seemingly devoid of any sense of decency, strong morals, and honour, so why pick Krennic over them?

The reason I shine a spotlight on Orson Krennic is because, by doing the ‘dirty work’ himself, he clearly demonstrates his lack of those qualities.

With those Imperial officers who delegate the ‘dirty work’, it’s harder to connect the decision to the awful aftermath because they’re not at the scene.

But with Krennic, we see, as does he, the immediate results of his ruthlessness, his unpredictable temper, his pettiness.

We see his complete lack of remorse as he – figuratively and literally – steps over the bodies of those who get in his way.

Just as Alec Guinness and Ewan McGregor portrayed the aspects of Obi-Wan Kenobi that make him a solid, dependable good guy, Ben Mendelsohn did a superb job with the character of Orson Krennic.

In Mendelsohn’s capable hands, Krennic is never reduced to a cardboard cut-out villain.

When things don’t go his way, you can sense his rising frustration, which usually ends in a violent outburst.

There are times he does his best to keep his temper in check, though that depends on who is present; even then, you can see the struggle.

It was chilling to see his total lack of remorse when he took another’s life.

Without the character of Krennic, I don’t think ‘Rogue One’ would have been as powerful as it was.

Unlike Obi-Wan Kenobi, Orson Krennic has no one’s back but his own, and only protects his own interests.

Do I Have A Least Favourite 'Star Wars' Character?