The Mandalorian: Why Was Gina Carano Fired From the Star Wars Series?

Gina Carano’s Cara Dune played a prominent supporting role in Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian‘s first two seasons, only to abruptly disappear in the third. So, why was Gina Carano fired from The Mandalorian?

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Why Lucasfilm Fired Gina Carano From The Mandalorian

Lucasfilm fired Gina Carano after the star shared an Instagram post (since deleted) that likened being a Republican to Jewish people’s experiences during the Holocaust. The production company terminated Carano’s contract in February 2021 and issued a statement branding her post “abhorrent and unacceptable.”

At the time, The Hollywood Reporter quoted a source close to Lucasfilm who claimed studio executives “[had] been looking for a reason to fire [Carano]” in the months leading up to her dismissal, after she made at least two other controversial posts in late 2023. One of these posts appeared to mock pandemic-related safety measures, while the other seemingly supported claims of voter fraud in the 2020 US presidential election.

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Lucasfilm’s parent company, Disney, also weighed in on the matter. Per THR, on a March 2021 shareholders call, then-CEO Bob Chapek denied that Carano was fired over her conservative views. Instead, he insisted the former mixed martial artist was shown the door for failing to exhibit “universal values… values of respect, values of decency, values of integrity and values of inclusion.” For her part, Carano effectively vanished from the public eye – until February 2024. That month, the star filed a lawsuit against Disney and Lucasfilm, alleging “wrongful discharge and sexual discrimination.” Elon Musk is funding the lawsuit, which Disney is trying to get dismissed.

How Did The Mandalorian Address Gina Carano’s Exit?

That’s what happened behind the scenes – but how did The Mandalorian deal with Gina Carano’s departure on-screen? In decidedly light-touch fashion, as it goes. Rather than recast the Cara Dune role, showrunner Jon Favreau explained away the New Republic marshal’s absence via a brief dialogue exchange. When series protagonist Din Djarin asks after Dune in Season 3’s premiere, Greef Karga reveals that she joined New Republic Special Forces between Seasons 2 and 3. This conveniently shunts Dune across the galaxy (and off-screen) for the foreseeable future.

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Carano’s firing had other, less visible effects on the Star Wars franchise’s direction, as well. Aside from sidelining Cara Dune from The Mandalorian‘s narrative, it also pumped the breaks on a planned spinoff project. Titled “Rangers of the New Republic,” this Disney+ show would’ve featured Dune prominently – possibly even as its lead character. Lucasfilm halted active development on Rangers of the New Republic shortly after Carano’s Mandalorian exit.

All three seasons of The Mandalorian are currently streaming on Disney+, as part of the platform’s Star Wars collection.