How ‘The Mandalorian’ Handled Absence of Gina Carano’s Cara Dune
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[This story contains a spoiler for The Mandalorian season three premiere.]
In the aftermath of Gina Carano’s firing from The Mandalorian two years ago, the Star Wars show’s season three premiere has answered the long-speculated question of what would happen to her character.
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Introduced in the show’s first season, Carano played Cara Dune, an Alderaanian warrior who ultimately rose to the rank of marshal of the New Republic. In her time on the series, Dune was a strong ally to protagonist Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and baby Grogu. Before becoming marshal, Dune worked as a mercenary for hire on Nevarro for Greef Karga (Carl Weathers).
Released on Wednesday, the first episode of The Mandalorian‘s third season addressed Dune’s absence from the current storyline in a conversation between Din and now-High Magistrate Greef Karga. Karga explains that Dune was recruited by Special Forces of the New Republic, due to her part in helping capture Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) last season. In her absence, Karga is searching for a new marshal to maintain order in Nevarro, and asks Din if he’d be interested in the job.
In 2021, Carano sparked controversy after sharing posts to social media comparing the nation’s current political divide to Nazi Germany. Previously, the actress had also shared controversial opinions on mask-wearing amid the COVID-19 pandemic and voter fraud in U.S. elections. In response to Carano’s comments, Lucasfilm released a statement soon after that the former MMA fighter was no longer employed at the company, calling her posts “abhorrent and unacceptable.” She was also dropped as a client by UTA.
Before breaking out with The Mandalorian, Carano was known from the world of fighting, as well as roles in the first Deadpool, Fast & Furious 6 and Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire. Following The Mandalorian, she has partaken in roles backed by conservative media companies such as The Daily Wire, which made the Western Terror on the Prairie, and Breitbart News, which produced My Son Hunter, focused on President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden.
This season, The Mandalorian continues the adventures of Din Djarin and Grogu, as they embark on a journey to Mandalore. New episodes release on Disney+ every Wednesday.
