In 2019, Disney and Lucasfilm launched a brand-new series on Disney+, Disney’s new streaming service. The series was The Mandalorian, and it starred Pedro Pascal as The Mandalorian, whose job it was to protect Grogu, AKA The Child, from those who wanted to exploit his powers. The series also starred Gina Carano as Cara Dune, a mercenary who helps Mando (born Din Djarin) protect Grogu.
In 2021, The Mandalorian was still as successful as ever, but one of its stars was making waves. Actress Gina Carano made an incredibly controversial post, comparing being a Republican to being Jewish during the Holocaust. Disney immediately parted ways with the actress, calling her comments “abhorrent and unacceptable.”
It’s been almost three years since Disney and Lucasfilm fired Carano, and now the actress has decided to sue them.
On February 6, Carano officially sued Disney and Lucasfilm, claiming that she was wrongfully terminated. She is also suing for sexual discrimination, all revolving around her firing from The Mandalorian.
In her lawsuit, Carano’s lawyer states that the actress was fired because, “she dared voice her own opinions.”
“A short time ago in a galaxy not so far away, Defendants made it clear that only one orthodoxy in thought, speech, or action was acceptable in their empire, and that those who dared to question or failed to fully comply would not be tolerated. And so it was with Carano.”
“After two highly acclaimed seasons on The Mandalorian as Rebel ranger Cara Dune, Carano was terminated from her role as swiftly as her character’s peaceful home planet of Alderaan had been destroyed by the Death Star in an earlier Star Wars film. And all this because she dared voice her own opinions, on social media platforms and elsewhere, and stood up to the online bully mob who demanded her compliance with their extreme progressive ideology.”
In an interesting twist, Carano’s legal fees are being paid by none other than X (formerly Twitter) CEO, Elon Musk.
Musk has had his own issues with the Mouse House. After making some comments that were considered by many to be antisemitic, Disney — and many other companies — pulled their advertising from X. The companies noted that Musk had also allowed white nationalists to post hate speech on the platform, without repercussions.
Musk says that he is covering the costs of lawsuits for people who have “faced discrimination” for things that they have said on his platform. He says that punishing those people is a violation of their right to free speech.
Carano’s lawsuit also claimed that there were male actors who worked with Disney that said things similar to what Carano said, but they were not fired by Disney or Lucasfilm. They did not cite who these actors were or what it was they allegedly said.
Carano is seeking damages of at least $75,000 for the nine months of pay that she lost because of her termination. She is also looking for additional compensation due to losing her role in Rangers of the New Republic — another Star Wars show.
Disney has not responded to the lawsuit.
