Cara Dune

Lore & Background

Cara Dune's full given name is Carasynthia, and her homeworld is Alderaan, the planet destroyed by the Death Star in the first Star Wars film. She is a former shock trooper from the Rebel Alliance who fought against the Galactic Empire in the Galactic Civil War and helped establish the New Republic. Cara reveals that most of her past work as a Rebel soldier involved eliminating Imperial warlords and other remnants of the Empire following the destruction of the second Death Star. As a shock trooper, she was dropped behind enemy lines with no support to cause as much damage as possible. She left the Alliance after her role shifted to a more political peacekeeping role, such as protecting delegates and suppressing riots, which she said was "not what I signed up for." After taking what she calls "early retirement" from her military position, she became a mercenary and began drifting from planet to planet. She eventually became wanted for unknown reasons, leading her to hide out on the forest planet of Sorgan.

In Their Own Story

On the planet Sorgan, Cara meets the Mandalorian and each wrongly believes the other is attempting to collect a bounty, resulting in a brief hand-to-hand combat that ends in a stalemate. They reconcile and join forces to defend a village against Klatooinian raiders. Cara helps prepare defensive obstacles and trains villagers for combat. When the AT-ST fails to advance far enough into pond traps, Cara lures it forward by leaping into the pond herself and attacking it at close range, allowing the Mandalorian to destroy it with a thermal detonator. She later saves Grogu's life by killing a bounty hunter about to execute him. In "Chapter 7: The Reckoning," the Mandalorian recruits her for a mission to Nevarro to eliminate an Imperial presence; when he explains the targets are Imperials, she immediately agrees. During the mission, Grogu uses the Force to choke Cara during an arm wrestling match, and later heals Greef Karga. After a plan goes wrong, the group escapes through sewers on a lava river barge. Cara decides to stay on Nevarro to help eliminate remaining Imperial presence. In season 2, she appears as the marshal of Nevarro, working with Greef to destroy the last Imperial base. She helps the Mandalorian intercept Dr. Pershing's transport and teams up with Fennec, Bo-Katan Kryze, and Koska Reeves to take over Moff Gideon's cruiser. When Luke Skywalker arrives, Cara prevents Gideon from completing a suicide attempt and knocks him unconscious.

Reader's Guide

Cara Dune is a battle-hardened warrior with a muscular build, far greater strength and durability compared to other heroines of the saga, and a tough and aggressive personality with a kindness beneath her gruff exterior. Gina Carano said Cara and the Mandalorian are similar in personality and background, and that the two understand each other and formed a bond as a result. A highly trained fighter, she is muscular, an extremely accurate shot, and has excellent hand-to-hand combat skills, as shown in her fight with the Mandalorian. In February 2021, following a series of controversial posts by Carano on social media, Lucasfilm announced that she would not return as Cara and that the character would not be recast. Cara does not appear in season 3, but is briefly mentioned in "Chapter 17: The Apostate" by Greef Karga that she is no longer serving as marshal of Nevarro as she was recruited by New Republic Special Forces after handing in Moff Gideon. Cara Dune also appears as an unlockable character in the mobile role-playing game Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes.

Did You Know?

• Cara Dune's full given name is Carasynthia, revealed in the first-season finale.
• Her homeworld is Alderaan, the planet destroyed by the Death Star in the first Star Wars film.
• She was a former Rebel shock trooper who was dropped behind enemy lines with no support to cause as much damage as possible.
• Gina Carano, who portrayed Cara, is a former mixed martial artist.
• In February 2021, Lucasfilm announced that Cara Dune would not return and would not be recast.