'Star Wars' Officially Debuts Gina Carano's Cara Dune Replacement

Two years after her firing, Star Wars finally confirmed and debuted the replacement for Gina Carano’s Cara Dune in The Mandalorian.

Back in 2019, The Mandalorian blasted into homes with the launch of The Walt Disney Company’s streaming service, Disney+. Pedro Pascal stars as the titular Mandalorian, the bounty hunter Din Djarin, and has since gone on to become one of the most beloved characters in the Star Wars galaxy.

The Mandalorian also brought “Baby Yoda” into the world. Grogu has captured hearts across the globe, and the relationship between the small green Force-user and Mando has been a fan-favorite element of Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s gritty space Western for the last almost six years.

Alongside Din Djarin and Grogu, many new characters stepped into the Star Wars universe, like the late Carl Weathers’ Greef Karga, Giancarlo Esposito’s Moff Gideon, and Gina Carano’s Cara Dune. There were some familiar faces, too, though. The Mandalorian also served as the television show that debuted Nite Owls leader Bo-Katan Kryze and former Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano (played by Katee Sackhoff and Rosario Dawson, respectively) for the first time in live-action. Sackhoff’s Bo-Katan joined Pascal’s Din Djarin in top-billing for The Mandalorian Season 3, even going so far as to prove the popular TV series is not just about the latter anymore.

As for Ahsoka Tano, Dawson reprised her role as the character in The Mandalorian spin-off and next chapter of the “Mando-Verse”, Ahsoka from Dave Filoni.

Related: ‘Star Wars’ Icons Harrison Ford and Pedro Pascal Blew Up the Internet Last Night

Gina Carano in The Mandalorian

But back to those newcomers. The galaxy far, far away welcomed Gina Carano’s Cara Dune in The Mandalorian Season 1 episode, “Chapter 4: Sanctuary”, from director Bryce Dallas Howard. The former MMA and Muay Thai fighter became a popular addition to the cast and frequently appeared throughout the show’s first and second seasons. Carano’s Cara Dune played a vital role in the battle against Moff Gideon and his Dark Troopers in the Season 2 finale, which also happened to feature the return of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).

Carano’s time in the Star Wars galaxy would be relatively short-lived after a string of problematic social media posts led to her firing from Lucasfilm and ousting from her talent agency, UTA. Carano’s removal from the Star Wars universe garnered as much backlash as her controversial statements did, with both sides of the argument weighing in and hashtags like #FireGinaCarano, #WeLoveCaraDune, and #IStandWithGinaCarano frequently trending during the fallout.

The former MMA fighter turned actress eventually ended up working with Ben Shapiro and his controversial news outlet, The Daily Wire. Her films since Star Wars have been widely regarded as flops.

So, with The Mandalorian Season 2 finale placing Cara Dune—a former Rebel shock trooper—as a Marshal of the New Republic on the planet Nevarro, all eyes would be on how Favreau and Filoni, and executive producer and now director Rick Famuyiwa, would handle the actress’s dismissal from Lucasfilm.

The first episode of The Mandalorian Season 3 revealed that Marshal Dune had been sent off-world, recruited by the Special Forces after her aid in apprehending Moff Gideon. A later episode alluded to her death and possible replacement. Star Wars then officially confirmed Cara Dune’s replacement in The Mandalorian, debuting the new Marshal of Nevarro in Season 3 of the TV show.

In the epilogue of the Season 3 finale, Pascal’s Din Djarin is seen approaching Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) with a request to work for the New Republic on a case-by-case basis. This came after the official adoption of Grogu, now Din Grogu, in an official commencement by The Armorer (Emily Swallow) on Mandalore.

While meeting with Teva, Din Djarin acquired the head of an IG-series assassin droid “for parts.” It is later revealed by Din Djarin in front of Greef Karga and a crowd on Nevarro, that IG-11 has been remade and will serve as the new Marshal of Nevarro–the position previously held by Carano’s Cara Dune.

IG-11 first appeared in The Mandalorian Season 1 as a bounty hunter hired to kill Grogu, then simply called the Child, but later served as an ally for Din Djarin, even being made into a mech, IG-12, for Grogu in the third season of the series.

Related: Massive “Mando-Verse” Crossover Confirmed as ‘The Mandalorian’ Movie Coming to Theaters

This was the official debut of Cara Dune’s replacement in the Star Wars universe and went a long way in sealing the story of Dune’s presence in the galaxy far, far away, as well as the story of Gina Carano in The Mandalorian.

However…

Lawsuit Update: Will Gina Carano’s Cara Dune Ever Return?

After nearly a year and a half of legal wrangling, Disney and Lucasfilm have reached a settlement with Gina Carano, bringing an end to the high-profile lawsuit stemming from her 2021 dismissal. Carano was removed from her role as Cara Dune after social media posts drew backlash, including one that compared the treatment of Republicans in the United States to that of Jews during the Holocaust—a statement Lucasfilm publicly condemned as “abhorrent and unacceptable.”

In her lawsuit, filed in February 2024 and backed financially by Elon Musk and the social media platform X, Carano alleged wrongful termination and political discrimination, pointing to what she described as a double standard when compared to comments made by male co-stars, specifically Pedro Pascal.

The legal action sought her reinstatement on the hit Disney+ series as well as at least $75,000 in damages. Musk’s involvement, according to Carano, came despite the two never having met and was framed as a defense of free expression. The case attracted significant attention from both fans and industry watchers, not only for its political overtones but also for the unusual alliance between the actress and one of the world’s most influential tech figures.

While the exact terms of the settlement remain confidential, the resolution appears to have ended on an unexpectedly positive note. In an official statement, Lucasfilm praised Carano’s professionalism and hinted at the possibility of future collaboration, saying they hoped to “work together with Ms. Carano in the near future.” Carano, in turn, described the agreement as “the best outcome for all parties involved,” signaling that both sides are ready to put the dispute behind them.

The news came as Lucasfilm continues expanding the Star Wars franchise, with The Mandalorian and Grogu set to hit theaters on May 22, 2026.

The settlement leaves the door open for a potential return to the galaxy far, far away. Given the sensitivity of the matter and the lack of public detail on the agreement, speculation is already mounting among fans about what this could mean for the character of Cara Dune and the larger Mandalorian storyline. Could Rangers of the New Republic, the now-defunct Cara Dune spinoff, be back in motion?

The Mandalorian joins The Book of Boba Fett as part of the “Mando-Verse”, along with other Star Wars series additions like Ahsoka and Jude Law’s Skeleton Crew.

Are you happy that IG-11 replaced Gina Carano in The Mandalorian? Do you think Cara Dune could return following the lawsuit settlement? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!