'The Mandalorian': Here's all you need to know about ex-soldier Cara Dune before she makes an appearance on the Disney + series

This Friday’s episode of ‘The Mandalorian’ will introduce the long-awaited Cara Dune (Gina Carano) to the Disney+ ‘Star Wars’ series. Cara Dune was one of the earliest characters to be introduced in the lead-up to the series, appearing on one of several character posters. All other characters teased for the series in those posters have since been introduced aside from Cara Dune. So what can we expect from the character? 

According to the official ‘Star Wars’ site, Cara Dune is “a veteran of the Galactic Civil War who fought under the banner of the Rebellion.” Her days as a Rebellion fighter are over, however, and she’s since traded in her days of military discipline for a mercenary life. The synopsis for Episode 4 of ‘The Mandalorian, which reads “The Mandalorian teams up with an ex-soldier to protect a village from raiders” is doubtless referring to Cara Dune. 

For those less familiar with ‘Star Wars’ lore, the Galactic Civil War describes the events of the original trilogy of ‘Star Wars’ films, beginning with the events of ‘Rogue One’ with the theft of the Death Star plans and ending with the fall of the Empire on Jakku in ‘Return of the Jedi.’ We’ve seen little of the fallout from the Empire’s fall besides the devaluation of its currency, but Cara Dune might provide more insight into what life is like in a post-Empire galaxy. 

There has been a call for more female representation on ‘The Mandalorian’ by fans, despite heavy backlash from other corners of the internet to this call. The only other female character on the show so far has been the Armourer (Emily Swallow). Though we got to see more of her on Episode 3, the show definitely has a lot more room for female representation. Hopefully, Cara Dune sticks around for a few episodes, but given how quickly the show’s moved on from advertised characters like IG-11 (Taika Waititi) and Kuiil (Nick Nolte), this may not be the case. 

Actress Gina Carano has had a lot to say about the character, and how Jon Favreau wanted the character portrayed. "Jon was like, ‘OK, I want your arms to show,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t like to show my arms,’” she said, in an interview with USA Today. “And he was like, ‘No, I want your arms to show. I want people to see a strong woman. I want them to see you and everything you are.’” Carano describes Cara Dune as someone whose strength has helped her see her own strengths. “She’s helped me embrace myself. She’s helped me be confident.”

Carano is a former MMA fighting legend, and has since appeared in blockbuster action movies like ‘Fast & The Furious’ and ‘Deadpool.’ She will be bringing her fighting experience to the screen, working long hours with stunt director Ryan Watson and his team. Cara Dune, in addition to being a crack shot, has been described as an intimidating brawler - something Carano should have no problem bringing to life.