‘The Mandalorian’: Fate of Gina Carano’s Character Revealed in Season 3, Episode 1

Following a years-long wait, The Mandalorian Season 3 is finally here, and while there were plenty of familiar faces, including Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin, or Mando, and his light-green, long-eared, adorable sidekick Grogu (aka Baby Yoda), one character was notably absent: Gina Carano’s Cara Dune. Carano, who starred on the series since Season 1, was fired by Lucasfilm over several controversial social media posts she made. So, what happened to Gina Carano’s Cara Dune in The Mandalorian Season 3 premiere? (Warning: This post contains spoilers for The Mandalorian).

First introduced in Season 1 as a former rebel from Alderaan, Dune eventually became a mercenary and found herself living in a remote location on Sorgan. She ultimately helped Din protect a nearby city from raiders and later helped him against Imperials who had taken over Nevarro. When fans last saw her, she had become Nevarro’s Marshal under Magistrate Greef Karga. As Din and Grogu traveled back to Nevarro in the Season 3 premiere, Karga informs Din that Dune “was recruited by special forces.” It turns out that after she turned Moff Gideon over to the New Republic, she received a promotion, a move that effectively wrote her character out of the show.

“Cara was a big part and continues as a character to be part of the world,” executive producer Rick Famuyiwa told Deadline. “It had to be addressed in the creative, and [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.”

Carano’s exit from the series came after the actress was swept up in controversy after she published and liked several offensive posts on social media, including a post comparing being a Republican to being Jewish during the Holocaust. The posts led to #FireGinaCerano to trend on Twitter. Lucasfilm later announced in February 2021 that Carano “is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future.” Addressing the firing shortly after, Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Chapek said Disney stands “for values that are universal: Values of respect, values of decency, values of integrity and values of inclusion. And we seek to have the content that we make reflective of the rich diversity of the world we live in. And I think that’s a world we should all live in harmony and peace.”