The Mandalorian addresses Gina Carano's exit in season 3 episode 1
Cara Dune was briefly mentioned in episode 1.
Warning: This article contains minor spoilers for The Mandalorian season 3 episode 1.
After a long wait, season 3 of The Mandalorian is finally here! And with it, there was plenty of explaining to do.
A lot has happened since we last saw Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu (AKA Baby Yoda) in season 2, including a big reunion in The Book of Boba Fett and Gina Carano's (Cara Dune) exit from LucasFilm after she shared a widely-criticised social media post.
Episode 1 of the new season sees the character's departure being explained away as her being recruited by Special Forces after she brought in the evil Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito).
After heading to the newly-reformed Nevarro, Djarin meets up with old friend Greef Karga (Carl Weathers), who offers him a job as Marshall.
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Djarin's on a mission for redemption so he's got no time for a new job, asking: "What about Marshall Dune?"
Karga responds: "After she brought in Moff Gideon, she was recruited by Special Forces."
As for Esposito's Gideon? "He was sent off to a New Republic war tribunal," Karga explains. Something tells us that's not the last we've seen of him, though...
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Carano's exit from LucasFilm was confirmed in February 2021. At the time, a spokesperson said: "Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future. Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable."
It came after the actor shared and then deleted a post on Instagram talking about the Second World War and modern day America. Screenshots were shared across social media, prompting the hashtag #FireGinaCarano to trend on Twitter.
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It wasn't the first time Carano had shared an inflammatory social media post prompting outcry from some Star Wars fans. In November 2020, she shared a series of Tweets criticising mask wearing to stop the spread of COVID-19 and called for a "clean election" amid former President Donald Trump's false claims of widespread voter fraud.
While Carano won't be back for The Mandalorian season 3, which promises "resolution" for our heroes, stars including Pascal, Esposito, Weathers, and Katee Sackhoff will be back.
The Mandalorian returns to Disney Plus on Wednesday 1st March — sign up to Disney Plus now for £79.90 for a year or £7.99 a month. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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