The sophomore season The Mandalorian ended on a high with rave reviews from fans and critics and a jaw-dropping surprise cameo. This is why fans were surprised to learn The Book of Boba Fett, a new Star Wars Disney+ series starring Temuera Morrison, was next to air on Disney+ and not Season 3 of the space western.
But, now it appears that this pause to regroup is exactly what Lucasfilm needed since one of the series' original characters won't be returning to that galaxy far, far away.
Actress Gina Carano, who played Cara Dune in The Mandalorian, was recently fired due to her controversial social media activity. In the days following this announcement, Carano shared she's partnering with The Daily Wire to develop and produce her own film.
While Carano's firing wasn't exactly a surprise due to the steady stream of backlash she's received in recent months, questions surrounding the details and timing of her release have persisted.
Carano herself is finally shedding some light on what transpired between her and the legendary studio.
GINA CARANO LEARNED SHE WAS FIRED THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA
When writer Bari Weiss contacted Gina Carano, the actress opened up about how Lucasfilm attempted to force her apology over posting "beep/bop/boop" in her Twitter bio last fall:
"Earlier on last year before The Mandalorian came out, they wanted me to use their exact wording for an apology over pronoun usage. I declined and offered a statement in my own words. I made clear I wanted nothing to do with mocking the transgender community, and was just drawing attention to the abuse of the mob in forcing people to put pronouns in their bio."
According to Carano, Lucasfilm responded by barring her from all press and promotion for Season 2 of The Mandalorian. She complied with the decision saying that it was "...heart-breaking, but I didn't want to take away from the hard work of everyone who worked on the project, so I said ok."
On February 11, following the actress's Instagram post comparing Nazi Germany to today's political atmosphere, a Lucasfilm rep issued a statement stating Carano was no longer with Lucasfilm.
Carano elaborated on this further saying that Lucasfilm excluding her from press was "...the last time I was contacted about any type of public statement or apology from Lucasfilm. I found out through social media, like everyone else, that I had been fired.”
While Carano's character Cara Dune wasn't in every episode of either Season 1 or 2 of The Mandalorian, she was a regular fixture in the show with her own spin-off series rumored to be in the works for Disney+.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR FUTURE STAR WARS STORYTELLING
The fact that Carano learned she was dropped from Lucasfilm at the same time as the rest of the world is somewhat surprising.
During Disney's Investor Day Event, Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy announced a new Disney+ series titled Rangers of the New Republic. Due to Carano's Cara Dune's Season 2 storyline, it seemed apparent this series would've included the actress.
Since Lucasfilm says Carano will no longer be connected to the Star Wars franchise, the fate of this new series appears to be in jeopardy. It also raises the question of how Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni will handle Cara Dune's absence for the series' third season.
What makes the removal of Cara Dune particularly complicated is the direction Star Wars has taken in creating an interconnected universe of storytelling similar to that of the MCU. A character is rarely limited to a single series or episode.
While Carano's role with the Star Wars franchise certainly seems to be a thing of the past, the future of the series and its storytelling seems somewhat uncertain.
