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| “ | No. No, no! Stop! We're friends, we're friends! Cara is my friend! | „ |
| ~ Din Djarin affirms his friendship with Cara to Grogu. |
Carasynthia Dune, known simply as Cara Dune, is a major character in the Star Wars Disney+ series The Mandalorian. She is a former Rebel shock trooper turned mercenary who becomes an ally to The Mandalorian.
She was portrayed by Gina Carano.
Biography[]
Background[]
Carasynthia Dune was from Alderaan, but was apparently not on her home planet when the Death Star destroyed it in 0 BBY. Dune then joined the Rebel Alliance. Dune had a small Alliance Starbird tattoo under her left eye, and Dune saw most of the action just after the Battle of Endor cleaning up local Imperial warlords. After the Galactic Civil War ended, Dune struggled to find a new place in the changing universe. Her new missions mainly consisted of preserving peace as a means of maintaining order. After leaving the New Republic, she was involved in a number of events that left her hiding.
Sorgan[]
In 9 ABY, Dune was on the remote planet Sorgan where she met Din Djarin and Grogu. Although Dune first thought that the Mandalorian wanted to score a bounty by catching her and he was also watching her, the two realized after a hefty duel that they could become better allies. The Mandalorian invited Dune to protect a village of Krill farmers.
However, Dune and the Mandalorian discovered that the Klatooinian rovers had an AT-ST Walker, which was quite heavy resistance. The villagers were trained to cover Dune and the Mandalorian. The plan was to drop the AT-ST into a deep well so that it could be more easily defused. After being lured from their camp, the Klatooinians attacked the village at night. The well plan didn't seem to work at first, but Dune and the Mandalorian were able to force the walker's pilots to step into the puddle and well. When their walker and their leader were eliminated, the further robbers fled.
The Mandalorian thought of leaving the child with Omera and the villagers, but a Kubaz bounty hunter decided otherwise. He had the child in his sights, but Cara had stalked him and shot him from behind. The ways of Dune and the Mandalorian separated, but they both realized they had a new ally.
Nevarro[]
After receiving a proposal from Greef Karga to put things in order at Nevarro, the Mandalorian again went to Sorgan to recruit Cara Dune for his mission. Dune agreed when the Mando said they were ex-Imperials. Kuiil and IG-11 also joined the group. Along the way, Dune and the Mandalorian tested their strength with a game of arm wrestling. The Child saw this as a threat to the Mando, however, and he bit Dune with a Force Choke. The Mandalorian said he shouldn't do that because Dune was a friend and ally.
After the child Greef Karga healed from a deadly poison on Nevarro, known Magistrate color. He shot two of his own bounty hunters and confessed that it was originally planned to kill the Mandalorian and Dune. Kuiil hurried with the baby to the Razor Crest, while Karga, the Mando and Dune planned a plan.
However, that plan ended in disaster. The Client was shot by his client, Moff Gideon. Gideon's troops surrounded the building where the Mandalorian, Dune and Karga were located. Meanwhile, Kuiil had died, but IG-11 had managed to get the baby back. His arrival in the city caused many of Gideon's troops to be eliminated. Dune saved the Mandalorian when he was seriously injured in an explosion. She also day how the baby saved their lives as he fended off and bounced off the flames of an Incinerator Stormtrooper.
Dune went to the sewers where The Tribe once had a refuge. After The Armorer told the Mandalorian that the child could use the Force and from now on he was part of the Mandalorian culture, the group tried to escape via the lava river. IG-11 sacrificed itself to blow up the waiting troopers. Then it was the turn of the Mandalorian to fight Gideon in his Outland TIE Fighter with his jetpack.
Cara Dune decided to stay on Nevarro with Greef Karga. The Mandalorian left with the child hoping to find a new home for the foundling.
The Rescue[]
When Cara learned that Grogu had been captured by Moff Gideon and held aboard his light cruiser, she joined Djarin to help rescue the foundling. Taking the bridge of Gideon's light cruiser, they were soon joined by Grogu, Djarin, and a captured Moff Gideon. Gideon informed them that very soon everyone on the bridge except himself and Grogu would be dead thanks to Gideon's Dark Trooper droids. The Dark Troopers were about to take the bridge when a single X-Wing landed and its pilot began effortlessly slicing through the Dark Trooper Contingent as he made his way to the cruiser's bridge. Gideon attempted suicide but was knocked out before he could complete the act.
Entering the bridge, the pilot revealed himself to be the Jedi Luke Skywalker. Skywalker took Grogu with him to the new Jedi temple he was setting up and took Grogu on as his first student. Meanwhile Dune turned Gideon over to New Republic custody. Gideon was sent to a special tribunal for interrogation and trial. Dune was recruited into the New Republic Special Forces and had left Navarro to work for them.
Trivia[]
- In early February 2021, Gina Carano was fired from The Mandalorian by Lucasfilm Ltd. after a series of controversial tweets attacking cultural and religious identities. Despite this, Lucasfilm has stated that Cara Dune will not be recast but will not be involved either in future Star Wars projects, cancelling a planned spin-off starring her and stopping the selling of the character's action figures. Thus, it's likely, for the time being, that Cara will no longer appear in the franchise ever again.
