This article was originally published on SFFGazette.com; be sure to keep checking that site for all the latest updates on Star Wars and The Mandalorian!
MMA fighter turned actress Gina Carano looked destined for big things as part of the Star Wars franchise. Cast as Cara Dune in The Mandalorian, she soon became a recurring presence in the Disney+ series and Lucasfilm put plans in place for the Rebel hero to take centre stage in a now-scrapped spin-off titled Rangers of the New Republic.
However, in 2021, Carano faced backlash on social media after sharing her thoughts on the pandemic, the controversy surrounding the 2020 U.S. Presidential election, and views some deemed transphobic and antisemitic.
As a result, she was fired from the series, and essentially blacklisted in Hollywood. Since then, she's been relegated to Daily Wire-produced fare such as Terror on the Prairie, a movie that made only $804 at the North American box office this January.
When it comes to Cara Dune, though, the last time we saw her was in The Mandalorian's season 2 finale. She helped Din Djarin bring down Moff Gideon and was among those watching on when Luke Skywalker arrived and took Grogu to be part of his newly created Jedi Academy.
There was no mention of Cara in The Book of Boba Fett, though it's easy enough to imagine her once having been part of that spin-off had circumstances differed. Yesterday's season 3 premiere of The Mandalorian wastes no time in revealing what the deal is with the former Shock Trooper, though, with the reveal coming when Din and Greef Karga are reunited on Nevarro.
After an altercation with some pirates, Karga asks the bounty hunter to stick around and serve as the planet's new Marshall. When Din asks what happened to Cara, he responds: "After she brought in Moff Gideon, she was recruited by Special Forces."
We also get a small update on Gideon's status when Karga adds, "He was sent off to a New Republic War Tribunal."
While that villain is expected to return in season 3, it's clear now that we've seen the last of Cara for the time being. However, the fact she hasn't been killed off strongly suggests the character could eventually return, though we'd guess it will be with another actress playing her.
How do you feel about The Mandalorian writing Cara Dune out of the series in this way?