The Mandalorian returned for its third season on Wednesday, giving fans the opportunity to rejoin Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu on their journey across the galaxy. The acclaimed Star Wars spin-off features a host of characters, from Jedi and bounty hunters to droids and stormtroopers.
But there is one character from The Mandalorian who will not be making a comeback for its latest outing. That is former Rebel soldier Cara Dune, who was axed from the show after its second season.
Cara was played by American actress and former mixed martial artist Gina Carano. The 40-year-old appeared in seven episodes of The Mandalorian throughout season one and two, with her character becoming an ally of the titular bounty hunter.
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Cara is a strong and independent former soldier of the Rebel Alliance from the planet Alderaan – the ill-fated home of Princess Leia. She last appeared in the finale of season two, helping Din rescue Grogu from Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) before the arrival of Luke Skywalker.
Things looked set for the actress, with a reported spin-off said to be in the works. That was until February 2021 – just two months after the season two finale – when she was essentially dropped from the franchise by Lucasfilm for making a series of controversial comments online.
Gina posted statements on social media about Jews, Nazi Germany and the United States’ divided political climate. She also made comments about mask-wearing and voter fraud.
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Following her comments, #FireGinaCarano began trending online. The actress was subsequently fired by her agency United Talent Agency, while Hasbro stopped the manufacture of Cara Dune action figures.
Lucasfilm released a statement regarding the controversy, saying: “Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future. Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.”
The actress’ departure has now been addressed with one line of dialogue in The Mandalorian’s season three premiere. In the episode – titled The Apostate – Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) confirms Cara is alive and well somewhere in the Star Wars universe, and has been recruited by New Republic special forces after capturing Moff Gideon.
The show’s executive producer has also revealed to Deadline that addressing Cara Dune’s departure was on the minds of the show’s writers. He said: “Cara was a big part and continues as a character to be part of the world.
“It had to be addressed in the creative, and [series creator Jon Favreau] took the time to think about that. It was something that was discussed as we knew it was going to have impact on the show, but at the same time, what has been at the heart of the show are the two characters — Din Djarin and Grogu — so ultimately it felt like a servicing of that, and around the Mandalorians.”
So that means Cara Dune still exists within the Star Wars canon, but viewers cannot expect to see her back on screens any time soon – if ever. Episode one of The Mandalorian season three is available to stream on Disney+.
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