The Mandalorian introduced us to Gina Carano's Cara Dune, an Alderaanian who had served as a shock trooper for the Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil War. When the Empire was defeated, Dune walked away from the fight (and the New Republic's politics) to become a mercenary.
As a key ally to Din Djarin and Grogu, Dune was later enlisted by Greef Karga on Nevarro, becoming a marshal of the New Republic.
There had been plans for a spin-off TV series led by Carano titled Rangers of the New Republic. However, the character has been absent ever since the former MMA fighter and actress compared being a Republican in the U.S. to being a Jew during the Holocaust. She also faced backlash for social media posts considered anti-trans and anti-vax.
However, after arguing that she was wrongly fired, she settled her lawsuit with Disney last year, marking a rare victory for the actress after her career fell apart (relegating her to direct-to-Digital fare and movies about Hunter Biden, produced by companies like Breitbart News).
At the time, Disney issued a statement saying that it looked forward to "identifying opportunities to work together" following the settlement. Could that include Carano's return to a Galaxy Far, Far Away?
Speaking to Ariel Helwani, Carano was asked whether she believes Hollywood would welcome her back. Admitting she isn't sure, Carano pointed out that "anybody in Hollywood, producers, directors, would come up to me and say 'They did you dirty.'"
Apparently, she's spoken with new Lucasfilm President Dave Filoni and The Mandalorian and Grogu helmer Jon Favreau, though it sounds like the conversation took place last summer.
"I’ve already had a conversation with Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau. Really lovely. After we settled the lawsuit, we got on a Zoom call. It was really nice," Carano revealed. "Dave Filoni taking over, CEO of Star Wars. And it’s like we didn’t even miss a beat and Jon Favreau was really funny. Got on the Zoom and he’s like 'So, where did we leave off?' And we hadn’t spoke for a while."
Does this mean Carano will make a surprise appearance in The Mandalorian and Grogu? It's possible, but not necessarily likely. It does, however, seem the door is now open for Cara Dune to make her Star Wars return.
When and where that could happen is a mystery, especially as Lucasfilm now seems to be prioritising big-screen storytelling over streaming titles.