This week saw the return of The Mandalorian, as the anticipated third season made its debut on Disney+. As expected, the episode did not feature Gina Carano as Cara Dune, as Lucasfilm and Disney had cut ties with the actress ahead of production due to controversial social media posts. For fans of the character, Carano's absence was felt, and many have been letting her know it in the days since The Mandalorian returned. Taking to Twitter, the former Mandalorian star showed her gratitude for this support, thanking those there for her now along with the longtime fans who've been rooting for her since the beginning.

Sharing artwork of Cara Dune, Carano wrote, "Thank you all for the support you’ve shown me not only over the past few days but over the past few years and some of you even longer from my early MMA days. You’ll never know how much that support matters and makes a difference. It was an honor to play Cara Dune, she will always have a special place in my heart. 'Until our paths cross.'”

In the first two season of The Mandalorian, Carano's Cara Dune had been a standout favorite, and there had even been talks at one point of giving the character her own spinoff series on Disney+. Things changed dramatically in early 2021 when Carano's behavior on social media led to the removal of Carano from season 3 of The Mandalorian along with any other potential Star Wars projects.

"Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future," a statement from Lucasfilm read at the time. "Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable."

Related: Showrunner Dave Filoni Is 'Cautiously Optimistic' About the Upcoming Ahsoka Series

Could Cara Dune One Day Return?

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Lucasfilm

Cara Dune did not die on the way back to her home planet. Instead, it was revealed in season 3 of The Mandalorian that the character had been recruited by Special Forces of the New Republic, explaining her absence in the show moving forward. The character living on and still doing what she does best elsewhere in the galaxy does theoretically leave the door open for a potential return at some point in the future, but that's probably not something to bet the family farm on.

Meanwhile, Carano continues to act in other projects. She has appeared in the Western action movie Terror on the Prairie, which was developed in collaboration with Ben Shapiro and The Daily Wire, as well as the unauthorized Hunter Biden biopic My Son Hunter, which is distributed by the right-wing website Breitbart News.