About Gina Carano...

     Well, it's certainly no secret that almost everyone loves The Mandalorian. The series is not only adored by fans of the Star Wars franchise, but critics as well. For us here at the Charles Squared Podcast, the series will always hold a special place in our hearts since talking about The Mandalorian is how we got started. However, the show has come into contact with controversy lately in the form of Gina Carano's (Cara Dune) tweets. In this entry to the Charles Squared Blog, we'll be breaking down what exactly the issue is and what should be taken away from it.

    First, let's start by explaining what the issue is. Carano was recently fired from Lucasfilm and the talent agency that represented her due to tweets that some considered to be offensive. However, some have been urging Disney and Lucasfilm to fire Gina Carano months prior to this instance using the hashtag, #fireginacarano. Why all of this fuss though? What did Gina do? Before continuing, we think it is important to note that we are going to be looking at this issue from as objective a viewpoint as possible. This blog is not meant to carry any sort of political agenda and we do not want anyone reading this to feel ostricized as we know this is a touchy issue. This is simply meant to inform readers about the situation. Now, let's get into the meat of what is happening.

    Carano has been very outspoken about her beliefs on her twitter account, but the problem is that many of the things she has tweeted within the past few months have been extremely controversial. One such example is from September of 2020 when she updated the bio on her twitter account to include the words, "beep/boop/bop." Many interpreted this as an attack on members of society who add pronouns such as, "He/Him/His," to their bios to indicate which gender they identify with. Carano, later confessed that she was actually not aware of why people were putting pronouns in their bios. She said in a tweet, "Pedro [Pascal] & I spoke & he helped me understand why people were putting them in their bios." Later in that tweet she added, "I stand against bullying, especially the most vulnerable & freedom to choose." She didn't exactly apologize in this instance, but she seemed to have realized that she made a mistake.

    However, the controversy surrounding Carano doesn't end there. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Carano has repeatedly bashed government regulations that are designed to mitigate the spread of the virus. While some would rather call her a hero for pointing out that the regulations infringe on the rights of American citizens, others would say that she is helping to perpetuate the spread of the virus.

    Despite the large controversy behind both of those instances, there is much more including Carano's retweeting of some twitter users who supported the Capitol raid and her comparison of modern day republicans to Jews in the holocaust. Although, it is important to mention that in regard to the former, Carano also retweeted messages of  thanks and encouragement towards the capitol police, so it is entirely possible that she meant well. In regards to the latter, Carano likely did not intend any offense, but many agree that her comparison was misguided.

    So, after all of this, did Gina Carano deserve to get fired? That answer certainly will vary depending on who you ask, but all opinions are valid and we'd love to hear thoughts in the comments. However, at the end of the day, Disney is a family company and if someone who works for them is stirring up too much drama, regardless of what they are supporting, Disney is probably going to let them go to save their image.

    Who knows? Maybe after a few months goes by and Carano issues a formal apology she'll be welcomed back to the Lucasfilm family. A similar situation did happen with James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) a few years back. Regardless of what happens next, here at Charles Squared, we're saddened that Cara Dune's story will not be continued for now (at least not by Gina Carano), but we are confident that whatever Lucasfilm has in store for the next season of The Mandalorian will be fantastic as always.