Disney Thinks Gina Carano's The Mandalorian Firing Was Justified For One Key Reason
In February 2021, the "Star Wars" franchise saw a major shakeup on the cast list of one of its most popular entries. The actor behind one of Din Djarin's (Pedro Pascal) biggest allies, Cara Dune (Gina Carano), was fired from "The Mandalorian" for controversial comments she made on social media. Her character was promptly written out of the "Mandalorian" narrative, and a spin-off series said to be centered on her, "Rangers of the New Republic," soon disappeared from the release slate as well. Now years removed from Carano's firing, those at Disney still find their decision to cut ties with her justified.
In February, Carano filed a lawsuit against Disney, expressing her belief that her firing was unlawful because her political views were opposed to those of the company. As reported by Variety, Disney lawyers have motioned to have the suit thrown out, arguing that it has "a constitutional right not to associate its artistic expression with Carano's speech." They added, "The First Amendment mandates deference to the speaker's own decisions about what speech to associate with, even if others might consider those decisions 'internally inconsistent.'"
With all of this in mind, it stands to reason that Carano won't return to the "Star Wars" universe any time soon. Still, that doesn't mean her character has to disappear forever.
Just because Carano was fired doesn't mean Cara Dune has to disappear forever
At the time of publication, Cara Dune's and, therefore, Gina Carano's final appearance on "The Mandalorian" is during the Season 2 finale. She joins the likes of Din Djarin, Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) — who has been theorized as the main character of "The Mandalorian" Season 4 – and Luke Skywalker (Max Lloyd Jones, Mark Hamill) in freeing Grogu from Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito). It's shared in Season 3 that she has since joined the New Republic Special Forces, hence her absence. Dune has yet to reemerge in any form in the "Star Wars" canon, but just because Carano was fired and is now in litigation with Disney doesn't mean the character should be retired.
Dune already has some interesting elements about her that could lend to future stories. She fought in the Rebellion during the Galactic Civil War, and she was born on Alderaan, which the Empire destroyed with the Death Star. Not to mention, she later becomes a New Republic operative, opening even more fascinating narrative doors. Fan interest in Dune's return is also alive and well, as evidenced by such online discussions as a thread by Redditor u/KayakingLion. They and others discuss how they wish the character would come back, even if she first needs to be re-cast.
Although the creative forces behind "The Mandalorian" had their plans to fill the hole left by Gina Carano and Cara Dune, the possibilities for the character to return to the "Star Wars" universe are endless.