How The Mandalorian Wrote Out Gina Carano — Is Cara Dune Still Alive?

The following contains a singular, small spoiler from the Season 3 premiere of Disney+’s The Mandalorian.

Where in the world is Cara Dune?

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The Mandalorian Season 3 premiere was quick to account for the Rebel shock trooper-turned-Nevarro marshal’s absence, given that the show severed ties with actress Gina Carano shortly after Season 2 ended.

In the Season 3 opener (now streaming on Disney+), Mando (played by Pedro Pascal) and Grogu paid Nevarro a visit, with a very specific and surprising purpose. There, Magistrate — sorry, High Magistrate — Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) explained that because of her role in bravely helping capture Moff Gideon (in the Season 2 finale), the New Republic recruited Cara for its Special Forces team.

Lucasfilm severed ties with Carano after the actress and former mixed martial artist drew fire for a spate of problematic social media posts, including one in which she stated that Jews in World War II were not beaten by German soldiers but “by their neighbors.”

“Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future,” a Lucasfilm representative said in a Feb. 10, 2021 statement. “Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.”

As Chapter 17 director Rick Famuyiwa recently told our sister site Deadline ahead of Season 3, “Cara was a big part and continues as a character to be part of the world.” As such, “It had to be addressed in the creative, and [writer/EP 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.”

Our full recap of the Season 3 premiere will publish later this morning.

Want scoop on The Mandalorian, or for any other Star Wars show? Email InsideLine@tvline.com and your question may be answered via Matt’s Inside Line.

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