Orson Krennic will be Rogue One: A Star Wars Story's primary antagonist, but in the Empire, even he has higher ups to answer to. One of those superiors will be the Dark Lord of the Sith himself, Darth Vader. The Sith Lord's exact role in the movie has yet to be officially disclosed, but at some point, he will be checking in on Krennic's activities. When those two cross paths, there will inevitably be disagreements and clashing, which primarily stem from the two men's differing understanding of the Force.
Kiri Hart, Lucasfilm's head of story development, noted to EW how Orson Krennic, the Imperial Military's Director of Advanced Weapons Research, can't wrap his head around the Force in Rogue One, while Vader is all about that energy field created by all living things. Hart explained:
Here is the thing about Krennic: his perspective obviously is that of a person who doesn't understand the Force. And Darth Vader comes at everything from the perspective of understanding the Force. So that I think is the thing that you see sort of separating Darth Vader from other characters with regards to a super weapon like this.
Since Rogue One takes place shortly before A New Hope, that means approximately 19-20 years since most of the Jedi were exterminated, so support for the Force has mostly (but not completely) died down. Plus, although Orson Krennic is old enough to have been around when the Jedi were still prominent around the galaxy, that doesn't mean he ever saw one in person. Even if he saw Darth Vader levitating an object or choking someone from across the room, he, like the other Imperial officers, consider technology to be the primary source of power. Having a superior who is heavily invested in this ancient religion will make thing difficult for Krennic, especially since he's already on thin ice with the Imperial community.
This is retreading the same kind of ground as A New Hope. Longtime Star Wars fans will remember when Admiral Motti proudly claimed that there was nothing in the universe that could stand up to the Death Star, to which Vader warned him that the ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force. Motti then unwisely insulted Vader's religion, earning him a Force choke and nearly an early death had Grand Moff Tarkin not intervened. While it's unlikely that a similar scene will be included in Rogue One, there are rumors that Vader will exact punishment on Orson Krennic near the end of the story for ignoring his orders and using the Death Star too early. Krennic may not understand the Force, but that doesn't mean it can't be the cause of his untimely demise.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters on December 16.
