Vlex Onopin

"Ready! Aim! And fire!"
"Stop! Stop! Stop! Krennic, stop! It was me! It was me! They have nothing to do with it. Spare them."

―Director Orson Krennic and Galen Erso, prior to the execution of Vlex Onopin and his colleagues —

Listen (file info)^[2]

Vlex Onopin was a human male scientist and programmer who earned a diploma from the prestigious Magrody Institute of Programmable Intelligence. After being unwillingly forced into Imperial service around 19 BBY, the engineer refined his expertise in the kyber crystal research field. During that time, Onopin worked in a division of the Tarkin Initiative known as the kyber crystal research team, which was based on the Outer Rim planet Eadu. Onopin and his colleagues worked under the leadership of the crystallographer Galen Erso to turn kyber crystals into a viable energy source for the Death Star's superlaser, giving it the capability to destroy entire planets.

In 1 BBY, Imperial Director Orson Krennic found evidence that a member of Onopin's research team had conspired with a cargo pilot to send a message to the Rebel Alliance about the Death Star project. Krennic brought death troopers to confront Onopin and his colleagues, instructing the traitor to expose himself. Although appreciative of Onopin's talents, the director proceeded to have his troopers execute the entire research team despite Erso admitting to the betrayal.

Biography[]

Forced conscription[]

Vlex Onopin's Imperial service was spent in a division of the Tarkin Initiative (emblem depicted).

The human male^[2] Vlex Onopin was a scientist and programmer who attended the Magrody Institute of Programmable Intelligence, graduating with a diploma from the prestigious institution^[3] at some point by the end of the Republic Era. Following the formation of the Galactic Empire in 19 BBY,^[1] he was forcibly conscripted into Imperial service to serve on the kyber crystal research team, a division of the Tarkin Initiative managed by Director Orson Krennic.^[4] As the team's lead programmer,^[3] Onopin became well-versed in the field of kyber crystal research.^[4] Identification records of the scientists working for Krennic,^[5] including Onopin,^[4] were deleted from public databases upon their admittance to Imperial service.^[5]

Onopin and his colleagues were stationed in the Outer Rim planet Eadu's Energy Conversion Laboratory, where they were kept secluded in laboratories^[4] hidden by the world's mountainous terrain.^[6] The programmer and the rest of his team labored on a project that would utilize kyber crystals as an energy source for the superlaser of the Death Star, a Geonosian-designed battle station that would, with the superlaser, possess the capability to destroy entire planets. While working in Eadu's laboratories, Onopin established coded sequences that calculated the^[3] hyperspatial^[4] formulas required for the energy translations of kyber crystals. He spent the majority of his time in Imperial service fine-tuning these sequencing devices with his coding, for every shot fired by the Death Star's superlaser would someday rely on the variables calculated by them.^[3]

The kyber crystal research team's day-to-day needs on Eadu were managed by Sirro Argonne, its operations manager.^[4] By 13 BBY,^[7] work on the superlaser had stalled^[8] and left the project years behind schedule,^[9] prompting Krennic to hunt down his former colleague, the crystallographer Galen Erso, and force him back into Imperial service.^[3] Onopin and his team proved able to complete the Death Star's superlaser after several years working under Erso, aided by the crystallographer's extraordinary intellect.^[8]

Imperial execution[]

"Gentlemen, one of you betrayed the Empire. One of you has conspired with a pilot to send messages to the Rebellion. And I urge that traitor to step forward."

―Director Orson Krennic, confronting Vlex Onopin and his colleagues —

Listen (file info)^[2]

Erso and fellow scientists — Vlex Onopin (center foreground) and his colleagues learn about Orson Krennic's unplanned visit.

In 1 BBY,^[1] Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin informed Krennic that a rebel sympathizer within Erso's research team had conspired with a cargo pilot to deliver a message to the Rebel Alliance concerning the Death Star. Enraged, Krennic traveled to Eadu with a group of death troopers to investigate,^[2] informing the laboratory's workers, including Onopin, of his shuttle's impending arrival.^[10] Although Krennic's visit worried the programmer, he was annoyed at the director's visit interrupting his work with bureaucratic nonsense. Stormtroopers ushered the scientists out of the laboratories^[8] to near the entrance of Krennic's shuttle.^[11] The director then recalled each scientist by name, ordering his death trooper unit to assemble near the scientists.^[8]

Krennic announced his knowledge of the conspiracy against the Empire and instructed the traitor to expose himself.^[2] As the director surveyed the team of scientists for signs of guilt, he noticed Onopin opening and closing his mouth as if begging for the turncoat to reveal himself.^[8] When Krennic received no response in the moments afterward, he concluded that the scientists had conspired in a group effort. As Krennic's death troopers readied themselves to execute the scientists, Erso intervened and confessed to being the traitor in an attempt to save Onopin and his colleagues. However, as soon as Erso stepped toward the director, his scientists were shot and killed by the death troopers per Krennic's orders.^[2]

Onopin's work contributed to the completion of the Death Star project,^[8] and his coding sequences were used by the space station during its subsequent deployments. However, the Death Star was ultimately destroyed not long after Onopin's death when the Rebel Alliance targeted a faulty thermal exhaust port^[3] that Erso had deliberately planted inside.^[8] In 35 ABY,^[12] the historian Beaumont Kin negatively compared the team that Onopin was part of to Erso in^[9] his^[13] book, The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire.^[9]

Personality and traits[]

"In Erso's absence Krennic was forced to try and persevere with his other captive scientists, none of whom possessed the raw intellect of the man he had lost."

―Beaumont Kin, The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire^[9]

When Onopin was forced into Imperial service, his passion for programming diminished despite the excellent sequences he still produced.^[4] The time he spent in the kyber crystal research team's laboratories on Eadu left him frail and unused to the outdoors by the time of his death.^[11] Onopin disliked interruptions to his work, regarding Krennic's initial arrival on Eadu as bureaucratic nonsense. Although Krennic reflected on how much he appreciated the programmer, the director ordered his execution alongside his colleagues' regardless. When confronted by Krennic's death troopers, Onopin was terrified at the prospect of death and looked from side to side in an effort to convince the traitor to reveal himself.^[8] In his book, Kin expressed his opinion that neither Onopin or any of Krennic's other captive scientists possessed Erso's "raw intellect."^[9] The programmer had pale skin, brown eyes, a gray beard, and brown hair that was graying by the time of his death.^[4]

Skills and abilities[]

A gifted programmer, Onopin was extremely talented at forming new coding sequences. During his Imperial service, he became exceptionally skilled in the field of kyber crystal research.^[3]

Equipment[]

EaduScientists — Onopin (left) wore a blue-and-white engineering jumpsuit while part of the kyber crystal research team.

While on Eadu, Onopin wore a long-sleeved, blue-and-white engineering jumpsuit.^[8] His jumpsuit's antiseptic coveralls sported the dark-gray insignia of the Empire on the left sleeve and a chest pocket that held two code cylinders programmed with access to restricted areas.^[4] The fractured kyber crystal–inspired^[6] logo of the Tarkin Initiative was present on the chest of Onopin's coveralls.^[4]

The programmer's uniform included shoes that were grounded against potential static charges present within laboratories. He also donned a tunic that would change colors when in the presence of harmful radiation. Onopin's work on Eadu centered around using various computers to code sequences for use in the Death Star.^[4]

Behind the scenes[]

"For the Visual Guide, gave a bunch of these scientists names that were basically phonemes made up of Los Alamos scientists' names chopped up, tossed into a blender and stuck together again."

―Pablo Hidalgo^[14]

Vlex Onopin first appeared in the Anthology film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, in which he was portrayed by Weston Gavin.^[2] He was first pictured in a trailer for the film released on the official Star Wars YouTube channel on October 13, 2016.^[15] Although the film's credits simply refer to him as "Engineer,"^[2] Onopin's name was revealed in both Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide, an accompanying reference book written by Pablo Hidalgo,^[4] and in Star Wars: Rogue One: Secret Mission, a DK Readers title authored by Jason Fry,^[16] which were both released alongside the film on December 16, 2016.^[17] Hidalgo created several of the scientists' names by combining elements from the names of the real-life scientists associated with the Los Alamos National Laboratory.^[14]