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Credit: LucasfilmThe firing of Gina Carano from The Mandalorian is perhaps one of the most publicly divisive actions The Walt Disney Company and Lucasfilm have taken since the latter’s acquisition by Disney in 2012.
Carano was fired from her role as Cara Dune in The Mandalorian after the actress and former MMA fighter shared controversial political opinions on social media. Now, years later, the tide has turned for Carano, and over the last half a decade, many have weighed in on the actress’s removal from the galaxy far, far away.
Carano first debuted in Star Wars in Jon Favreau’s hugely popular The Mandalorian. Joining a cast made up of actors like Pedro Pascal (Din Djarin), Carl Weathers (Greef Karga), and Giancarlo Esposito (Moff Gideon), Carano’s Cara Dune helped usher in a new wave of characters for Lucasfilm. And we must not forget the pop culture icon, and universally adorable, “Baby Yoda” AKA Grogu.
The second season of the bounty hunter series also welcomed Rosario Dawson and Katee Sackhoff into the live-action Star Wars universe as Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan Kryze, respectively, as well as reprising Ming-Na Wen’s Fennec Shand from Season 1 alongside Temuera Morrison’s Boba Fett.
Oh, and, of course, Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker made that sensational cameo in the Season 2 finale, defeating the Dark Trooper squad and taking Grogu to begin his Jedi training following his own training in the original trilogy.
However, Luke’s appearance in The Mandalorian Season 2 finale came under scrutiny when it was revealed that the placeholder for Hamill’s role was another fan-favorite Jedi Knight. The Mandalorian Season 3 followed, as did The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Skeleton Crew, which all occupy the New Republic timeline.
During the height of the Carano controversy, Star Wars fans saw polarizing trends both in support of Carano and against the actress’s actions. #IStandWithGinaCarano, #WeLoveCaraDune, and #FireGinaCarano all fired up around the time of Carano’s firing. It was here, too, that fans called out actions, or lack thereof, against showrunner Jon Favreau and Carano’s co-star and leading man, Mando himself, Pedro Pascal.
In the time that has passed since her firing, Carano has been seen on Running Wild With Bear Grylls, which led to #GinaGoneWild to trend for hours on social media. The actress also appeared on The Daily Wire-produced Terror on the Prairie (2022) and Breitbart News’s My Son Hunter (2022).
When all this broke down, one Mandalorian star approached the subject, speaking out on Carano and her subsequent firing.
Has anyone from The Mandalorian spoken about Carano’s firing?
In a discussion at Dragon Con in Atlanta in 2021, Emily Swallow, who played the Armorer in The Mandalorian Season 1, had this to say on the controversial Carano firing. Via The Direct:
“All I can say is that Gina, and working with her personally, what impressed me about her from the beginning is that she is so interested in other peoples’ opinions, and is so welcoming of other peoples’ opinions. She wants to have a genuine dialogue. She’s just like that in her day-to-day life. On set, she’s more curious about other people. She’s very giving, she’s very gracious.”
Swallow confirmed she was not privy to the situation behind the scenes. In fact, even Carano herself has said she found out about her firing on social media.
“I know so little about what happened. I experienced it like you did. I don’t know anything about the inner workings of it. I can only speak about Gina being a lovely person, which she is.”
The Mandalorian actress expanded on the broader situation, such as “cancel culture”, which led to Carano’s firing from Star Wars.
“I am thoroughly baffled by a lot of what we’re dealing with right now with cancel culture and I think that it’s… oh man. There’s so many layers to it that are important to look at, but I think that the hatred that comes into it and when people start refusing to listen to the other side, no matter which side they’re on, I think that that’s really dangerous. One of the things that is so beautiful about our country is we have free speech. We can hear things that we don’t like, and we can disagree, and that’s fine.”
The now-defunct Rangers of the New Republic seemed to hint at the character of Cara Dune’s bigger story, but Lucasfilm confirmed ages ago that this was “no longer in active development”. But, years later, Carano’s story may not be completely over.
After more than a year of legal back-and-forth, Disney and Lucasfilm officially settled their dispute with Gina Carano, concluding the widely followed lawsuit that began after her 2021 departure from The Mandalorian.
Carano was dismissed from the series following controversial social media posts, including one that compared the treatment of Republicans in the U.S. to the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust—a comparison Lucasfilm swiftly denounced as “abhorrent and unacceptable.”
Carano filed her lawsuit in February 2024, with financial backing from Elon Musk and the platform X. In the complaint, she accused the studio of wrongful termination and political bias, arguing that she was held to a different standard than her male co-stars—specifically citing Pedro Pascal.
The suit called not only for her return to the Disney+ series but also a minimum of $75,000 in damages. Carano stated that Musk’s involvement came despite them never having met and was rooted in protecting free speech. The case quickly gained traction throughout Hollywood and online, drawing attention for both its political implications and the unlikely partnership between the actress and the high-profile tech mogul.
Though the settlement details were not made public, the conclusion took a surprising turn. In an official statement, Lucasfilm commended Carano’s professionalism and hinted at the door being open, expressing interest in potentially collaborating again—saying they hoped to “work together with Ms. Carano in the near future.”
Carano described the settlement as “the best outcome for all parties involved,” suggesting both sides are ready to move forward.
The resolution arrives as Lucasfilm continues building out the Star Wars universe, with The Mandalorian and Grogu scheduled to hit theaters on May 22, 2026. It’s safe to say that The Mandalorian franchise and the Mando-Verse as a whole are a key part of Star Wars history.
Have you been following the Gina Carano situation over the years? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!