Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn has returned to the Star Wars franchise in an unexpected way. The Secret Invasion star made his debut in the series back in 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story as the ambitious Death Star architect, Imperial Director Orson Krennic. Fans had speculated that the actor would reprise his role in Season 2 of Andor on Disney+. However, his comeback arrived sooner than anticipated.

Krennic’s Animated Return In The Bad Batch Season 2

Ben Mendelsohn made his unexpected return to the Star Wars universe through animation instead of live-action. He voiced his Rogue One villain, Director Orson Krennic, in Episode 15 of Star Wars: The Bad Batch’s second season, titled “The Summit.” In the episode, Krennic attended a summit helmed by fellow Rogue One villain, Grand Moff Tarkin. Following Doctor Hemlock’s proposal concerning clone experiments, Tarkin turned to Krennic, asking about the status of Project Stardust, the Empire’s plans to create the Death Star.

Connecting The Bad Batch To Andor

While fans expected Ben Mendelsohn’s return in live-action, his cameo in The Bad Batch’s second season makes perfect sense. As the Empire was actively planning the Death Star at this point in time, it connects The Bad Batch to Andor, which is a Rogue One spin-off and leads directly into the 2016 film. The Disney+ series Season 1 post-credits scene revealed the Death Star’s construction, further tying the two series together.

Expectations For Mendelsohn’s Return In Andor

Although Mendelsohn’s cameo in The Bad Batch reminds audiences of his character, it also begs the question of whether fans should expect other Rogue One references and cameos in future seasons of the animated series. Even so, odds are in favor of Mendelsohn making his live-action return in Andor Season 2, especially since the Disney+ series’ second and final season leads into Rogue One.