Warning: This episode contains spoilers for season 2, episode 4 of ‘The Mandalorian’
“Star Wars: The Mandalorian” recently hinted that Cara Dune could be headed somewhere else in a galaxy far, far away. And given the recent controversies over actress Gina Carano, it’s hard not to view the moment as a potential device for her to exit the show.
Why some are mad at Gina Carano?
Carano has been under fire in recent weeks for how she has shared her political beliefs on Twitter and social media. Carano talked about voter fraud in the 2020 election, tweeting a message about getting rid of fake votes and requiring identification at the voting booths, which I wrote about for the Deseret News.
There was a heavy social media reaction, with some fans calling for her to be let go from “The Mandalorian.” The responses were mostly isolated to social media, which doesn’t reflect the general population in most cases.
Carano received more social media backlash days later when she posted a meme that mocked people who wore face masks. She posted the meme on her Twitter account.
Fans immediately took off, prompting the hashtag #FireGinaCarano to trend on the social media platform.
‘The Mandalorian’ just gave her an exit
We don’t know how the rest of the second season is going to shape out. But the most recent episode — titled “The Siege” — gave Carano’s character Cara Dune an exit if she or Disney want the actress to leave the show due to the backlash.
The episode showed New Republic officers responding to an incident caused in the episode. One of the officers asks Dune if she’d ever consider joining the New Republic, referencing her history as a soldier and her time on Alderaan. She dismisses him, saying she doesn’t want to join the fight.
It’s one of those foreshadowing moments that hints at Dune making some sort of move in the future. She’s left with a New Republic medal, which she stares at with a longing eye. This is a deep hint that Dune may join the New Republic down the road.
Again, we don’t know if Carano wants to leave the show, or if “The Mandalorian” showrunners want her to exit. But the recent episode setup a potential exit point if the recent social media controversy becomes too much to handle.