Spoiler Alert: This story contains SPOILERS for the season 3 premiere of The Mandalorian.

Season 3 of The Mandalorian has arrived, and one burning question has been answered in the premiere episode. After appearing as Cara Dune in the first two seasons of the show, Gina Carano was essentially fired from the show by Disney due to her controversial behavior on social media. It was announced that Carano would not be back as Cara in subsequent seasons of the series, and this was a bit of an issue, as the character had been a key part of both previous seasons of The Mandalorian.

With Carano gone, Cara Dune's absence was going to have to be explained so viewers wouldn't continue to wonder about what became of the character. In the season 3 premiere episode, called "Chapter 17: The Apostate," Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) travels to Nevarro where he meets with Greef Karga (Carl Weathers), who now serves as the High Magistrate. Greef informs Din that Cara has been recruited by Special Forces of the New Republic after helping with the capture of Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) in season 2. With Cara out of the picture, Greef offers Din the chance to serve as marshal in her absence.

Ahead of the episode, the show's executive producers commented on how the show would address Carano's exit. EP Rick Famuyiwa told Deadline ahead of the season 3 premiere that Cara Dune was a "big part" of The Mandalorian, and that they knew that they needed to come up with the best way to handle the character's sudden departure from the show.

“Cara was a big part and continues as a character to be part of the world," he said. "It had to be addressed in the creative and [Jon Favreau] took the time to think about that. It was something that was discussed as we knew it was going to have impact on the show, but at the same time, what has been at the heart of the show are the two characters — Din Djarin and Grogu — so ultimately it felt like a servicing of that, and around the Mandalorians.”

Dave Filoni added, “It’s a big galaxy and we have many characters in it — many characters are fighting for their screen time. We’ll just have to see as the season unfolds what the adventures are, but it’s a great character, someone who was vital to Din Djarin’s beginnings; we’ll see if he has evolved beyond that.”

Related: Bill Burr Recalls The Mandalorian Co-Star Gina Carano's Firing, Says It 'Proved Her Point'

Cara Dune Is Gone from the TV Show, But the Character Lives On

Gina Carano
Disney+

Gina Carano isn't coming back to the show as some fans of hers had hoped, but for what it's worth, the character's send-off was respectful. It certainly beats having a title card revealing that Cara Dune had died on the way back to her home planet. Though for big fans of the character, Cara's absence will still be felt in the upcoming episodes, even with the knowledge that she's still doing what she does best, but in other parts of the universe.

You can now stream the season 3 premiere of The Mandalorian on Disney+.