Credit: LucasfilmThe most recent episode of The Mandalorian Season 3, “Chapter 21: The Pirate”, has a lot to unpack. Mandalorians engaging in battle with a pirate warship on Nevarro, a surprise live-action cameo from Zeb Orrelios (Steve Blum) from animated show Star Wars: Rebels (2014), even more Coruscant, and, of course, that ending.
We’ve already recapped the entire episode in full, so let’s jump straight to the episode’s final scene, in which New Republic officer Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) is investigating a destroyed prison transport ship that’s adrift in space.
Related: 6 Actresses Who Could Play a Younger Ahsoka in the Upcoming Series
With his handy little droid, Carson is able to scan the ship’s interior and relay his findings back to base, and we learn a few shocking things about the wreckage. Firstly, this ship was carrying Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that this is the result of an extraction (although Carson decides to tell us all the same).
Secondly, the hull was breached with a Beskar-made weapon, which is the alloy the Mandalorians use to forge everything from the armor on their backs to the “whistling birds” inside their forearm-gauntlets. So, which Mandalorian did this? Well, we’re sure we’ll find out in the season finale.
Related: ‘The Mandalorian’ Creators Drop HUGE Detail About Grogu’s Future In ‘Star Wars’
But the most surprising part about this discovery might be something that, on first glance, isn’t so obvious. Inside the wreckage are several dead bodies that have been frozen by the coldness of space. Among them are New Republic officers, but there’s no Moff Gideon in sight — because, of course, the character will undoubtedly be making a surprise return further down the line in Season 3.
However, while we don’t get any close-ups of the bodies on board, it’s entirely possible — perhaps even very likely — that Cara Dune is among them, the character who was previously played by Gina Carano, before she was fired in January 2020 for sharing a controversial tweet in which she compared the way American Republicans were treated to the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust.
Related: Here’s How ‘The Mandalorian’ Could Do a Major Time Jump
Here in the real world, there has been very little word from Disney and Lucasfilm on Carano, at least up until recently, when one of the show’s executive producers, writers, and directors Rick Famuyiwa, and Lucasfilm’s executive creative director Dave Filoni, broke their silence on the character’s absence (although they said next to nothing on the matter).
Within the show itself, in The Mandalorian Season 3‘s first episode, “Chapter 17: The Apostate”, Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) explains to Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) that Cara Dune has since been recruited by special forces within the New Republic. When asked by Din where she is, Karga says, “After she brought in Moff Gideon, she was recruited by special forces,” adding that Gideon “was sent off to a New Republic war tribunal”, foreshadowing, of course, Carson’s discovery of the prison transport in “Chapter 21”.
Related: The 5 Best Episodes of ‘The Mandalorian’
It’s possible that Cara Dune isn’t among the bodies on the prison transport ship, and that Gina Carano may even be replaced further down the line, with a new actress stepping in to fill Cara Dune’s boots. Although many fans believe that the character of Carson Teva is already fulfilling a role that was previously set out for Dune.
Either way, Greef Karga’s throwaway line doesn’t feel like much of an explanation for the absence of one of the most beloved characters in the Mando-Verse. On the other hand, neither does an off-screen death…
Check out the official trailer for The Mandalorian Season 3 below:
Related: Everything You Need to Know About Bo-Katan Before ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 3
As per Disney+, here’s the official synopsis for The Mandalorian Season 3:
The journeys of the Mandalorian through the Star Wars galaxy continue. Once a lone bounty hunter, Din Djarin has reunited with Grogu. Meanwhile, the New Republic struggles to lead the galaxy away from its dark history. The Mandalorian will cross paths with old allies and make new enemies as he and Grogu continue their journey together.
The Mandalorian Season 3 stars Pedro Pascal (Din Djarin/The Mandalorian), Giancarlo Esposito (Moff Gideon), Carl Weathers (Greef Karga), Katee Sackhoff (Bo-Katan Kryze), Emily Swallow (The Armorer), Omid Abtahi (Dr. Pershing), Amy Sedaris (Peli Motto), and Tim Meadows (Captain Tuttle), and Christopher Lloyd in an undisclosed role.
Related: Where is Ahsoka During All Three ‘Star Wars’ Trilogies?
The Mandalorian Season 3 is now streaming on Disney+.
Do you think Cara Dune is dead? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!