Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers from Season 3 Episode 1 of The Mandalorian.The much-anticipatedThe MandalorianSeason 3 is out, but not all the show’s characters have returned. The show primarily follows the Mandalorian warrior, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), and his small force-sensitive alien child, Grogu, but along the way, they have made many friends. These friends have a habit of popping up every once in a while. One frequently reoccurring character isGina Carano’s Cara Dune. But Dune does not appear in the Season 3 premiere, nor will she show up later in the season. It’s not a shock to fans asCarano was let go in 2021, so there has been time to get used to the idea.
However, it wasn’t clear how Cara Dune would be written offThe Mandalorian. As she wasn’t traveling with Din and Grogu, her absence could have been left unexplained, though at first, it may have felt odd that the character, who they so often turn to for help, was missing. Gradually, the audience would forget about the character from Seasons 1 and 2 as others take over. The show could have recast Dune. After Carano was fired, fans discussedwho could replace the actress, allowing Cara Dune to continue, but no one has been announced as a recast. The Season 3 premiere shows that executive producerJon Favreauand his team chose to deal with Dune’s absence differently. They addressed it head-on, explaining where Dune went without drawing undo attention to the fact that she wasn’t present.
Who is Cara Dune?
The character was introduced in Season 1 as a former rebel from Alderaan. She was off-world when the Death Star destroyed her home, and afterward, she joined the Rebel Alliance to fight the Empire. Once the Empire was defeated, Dune set out to hunt down former Imperial officers who had become warlords. As the New Republic formed, they became more political than military, which Dune hadn’t signed up for, so she left to become a mercenary. She found a remote location to live on Sorgan, where she met Din and Grogu.
At first, believing the Mandalorian was there to kill her, she fought. But after realizing the misunderstanding and receiving payment from Din, she agreed to help him protect a nearby city from raiders. The conflict bonded the two of them, and they parted ways as unlikely friends. When Din returns to ask Dune for help against Imperials that have taken over Nevarro, she agrees to help him once again. Along with Greef Karga (Carl Weathers), they manage to defeatMoff Gideon(Giancarlo Esposito) with the help of IG-11’s (Taika Waititi) sacrifice. Though unbeknownst to them, Gideon survives.
Din and Grogu leave, but Dune stays on Nevarro. She and Karga work together to clean up the city and protect it from further Imperial influence. Dune takes the role of the city’s marshal. Later she officially joined the government and became a New Republic Marshal and a ranger of the New Republic. She continued to help Din out when he asked, by obtaining information through her new status and even traveling with him when Grogu was captured by Moff Gideon. Dune was instrumental in defeating Gideon. She was last seen in the final moments of Season 2 when they saved Grogu andLuke Skywalkertook charge of the child.
Related:‘The Mandalorian’ Has No Clear End But Star Wars Should Know Better by Now
Where Is Cara Dune?
WhenThe Mandalorian’sstory continued inThe Book of Boba Fett,Dune wasn’t mentioned. It wasn’t particularly notable as her character had no reason to be involved in that part of the story. But the Season 3 premiere took Din and Grogu back to a flourishing Nevarro, and as it seems that is where Dune should be, her absence needed some explanation. The show did not disappoint. It seamlessly worked in a conversation about where Dune is without it seeming odd that she isn’t there. Din meets up with Karga, who has transformed Nevarro into a peaceful planet. But Karga still has work to do.
He offers Din a home on Nevarro and the role of marshal, which was once Dune’s. Din asks about her, and Karga explains that she turned Moff Gideon over to the New Republic and got a promotion. Now a special forces agent, Dune is busy somewhere in the galaxy and isn’t likely to get a break anytime soon. It seems like she will not run into the characters again. This explanation is concise and not forced into the context of the show. While Cara Dune was effectively written out ofThe Mandalorian,they managed to give her character a happy ending.
Why is Cara Dune Gone?
The character played a large role in the first two seasons of the show and quickly became a fan favorite, so why write her out? The answer is simple. It comes down to the actress. Gina Carano issued a string of controversial statements, ranging from transphobia to antisemitism. She mocked mask wearers during the Covid-19 pandemic,made fun of people’s preferred pronouns, and spreadmisinformation about voter fraud. Her statements drove fans to call for her firing. The final straw for LucasFilm was an Instagram post comparing being a Conservative in Hollywood tobeing Jewish during the Holocaust. Although the posts were later deleted, the damage had been done. A LucasFilm spokesperson called her statements “abhorrent and unacceptable” and officially said that she was no longer an employee of the studio. When this was announced, LucasFilm made it clear that she will no longer be inThe Mandalorian,nor do they have plans to work with her in the future.
So Carano isn’t returning to the show or thespinoff,Rangers of the New Republic,which would have starred Dune. But there is stillhope for the character. Carano’s firing wasn’t sudden. She had been stirring controversy for months before LucasFilmm issued their statement. She had previously been pulled from the presentation which announcedRangers of the New Republic.But the series was announced anyway, seeming to suggest a recast. Finding a new actress to portray the character would allow her story to continue despite the Carano controversy. However, it is clear that any recasting will not be forThe Mandalorian.
