Apparently I need a TV Star Wars tag

[sholio]

Okay, first of all, we finished The Mandalorian tonight and I really enjoyed it, but I just gotta say -

I have literally never seen a female character like Cara Dune on TV before.

This is Cara Dune, and Gina Carano, the actress and MMA fighter who plays her:





You almost never see this body type on a female character who is portrayed as a physical badass. It's the wrestler/weightlifter kind of physical toughness, on a frame that carries some extra weight as well. It's not that you never see female characters who are not extremely thin, but it's just so incredibly rare to see live-action female characters who are built like tanks in a way that's portrayed as an asset. And I mean, I can even think of a few of those, including some of Gina Carano's past roles (she was in Deadpool, for example), or Topaz in Thor: Ragnarok. But, like most female characters with an atypical physical look, they're generally antagonists and background characters. They're around to menace the protagonists and to eventually be defeated or disappear or die.

And Cara is the main female lead - which, okay, only means she's in three episodes, but they're good episodes, and she's front and center. She's a fully developed character; she has an entire past, she's brave and resourceful and gentle and kind and loving, as well as fierce and angry and tough. And she lived!

... and I mean, she's utterly gorgeous! She's just gorgeous in a way that Hollywood never, ever allows a major female character to be. I just. I was LIVING for every time she was onscreen. I could stare at her arms forever. And I really, truly loved her as a character as well. I think she still would've been my favorite (well, okay, as well as Baby Yoda) if she'd looked like the way we usually expect a Female Space Marine to look, but then they did this and, yeah. She's a Space Marine who actually looks like a fucking Space Marine. Don't ruin this in season 2, show, please.

There were definitely times when this show frustrated me with the setup of its gender roles, but I will forgive it a lot for giving me Cara Dune.

.... And for giving Cara Dune to Gina Carano, for that matter. I just read a really touching interview in which she talks about how she thought the only way she'd ever get to be in Star Wars was as a Wookiee. This is the first time she's ever gotten to have a mult-faceted lead role, in a role that Jon Favreau wrote especially for her.

She also has action figures! (I mean, given that it's a fairly major Star Wars role, I would be very disappointed if she didn't, but YOU NEVER KNOW and I'm pleased that the Disney merchandising machine managed not to live down to my lowest expectations in this case, and also that the action figure actually looks like her.)

So anyway, in conclusion, Cara Dune is the best and I think her action figure might need to hang out with my Defenders action figures in an unlikely and yet not completely copyright-implausible Disneyverse crossover.

Comments

[rmc28]

Ahhhh Gina Carano! She was in "Haywire" which Tony and I watched on DVD once upon a time and I was really impressed by.

[sholio]

She's wonderful! I'm just crossing my fingers that the show treats her well.

[goss]

I love Cara Dune's everything! <3

I forgot the actress was in Deadpool! So *that's* why she seemed familiar to me, even though I knew nothing about her MMA career.

[sholio]

I love her everything, too! <3

I didn't remember that she was in Deadpool either, 'til I looked her up on imdb, but she looked vaguely familiar to me the whole time, and I think that's why.

[ivyfic]

Ever since I saw Gina Carano in Haywire, I've wanted her to have more and more roles. Just seeing a female action lead that looks like she can actually do the fighting, because she *can*--I loved it. And I mean, this idea that physically strong women need to still look like twigs is so toxic. My high school roommate rowed crew, which meant she put on a lot of muscle. And she basically starved herself cause she thought she looked like the Hulk, to the point where she passed out during practice because she was not consuming enough calories for the physical activity she was doing, and just--argh! Putting on muscle is what your body is supposed to do when you row crew! Strong is beautiful!

[sholio]

AARGH. I feel like, things like that are why we need to see badass women on TV who look like they actually eat a healthy amount of calories for the muscles they have. I hope she doesn't come under pressure to lose weight for the next installment, because she's lovely exactly as she is, and SO needed.

[princessofgeeks]

I wholeheartedly AWT

[sholio]

:DDDD

[oracne]

I didn't know Gina Carano was in it!!!

[sholio]

She is!! :D She's not in that many episodes (I can tell you which ones, if you want!).

[chelseagirl]

I hope she's at the very least a semi-regular next season. Great character!

[sholio]

Me tooo! Fingers crossed!

[sheron]

She reminds me of Xena :D

Okay, this makes me excited to watch this show in a way no baby Yoda can.

[kore]

LOL there was one moment when she's fighting the guy in the bar for money, and she gets knocked down and has a kind of angry grin and she looked A LOT like Xena. I was surprised to find out Lucy Lawless is 5'10" and Gina Carano is 5'8"!

[sholio]

She's only 5'8", wtf??! I guess that also speaks to how women are usually framed on TV, and how she isn't framed that way, because I would've thought she was taller than that!

[kore]

I KNOW RIGHT. She looks a lot more buff to me than Lucy Lawless, because of her muscle and fighting background, but she's shorter! I think Pedro Pascal is about six feet, too, but I don't think they typically frame him towering over her. A lot of the time she's kicking his ass. :D

[sholio]

Although to be fair, baby Yoda is pretty cute too. :D

[musesfool]

Isn't she great?

You might also like Bobbie Draper when you watch The Expanse, for similar reasons.

[isis]

I was just going to say this! Bobbie Draper is played by Frankie Adams, a New Zealand/Samoan who is 6' and has a similar body type to the actress above (who I don't know, I haven't watched this show). She's apparently into boxing.

[kore]

BOBBIE

No spoilers for the Expanse, but we're watching S4 now and That Fight Scene, omg.

[kore]

She also has action figures!

O RLY

I was less than thrilled with a lot of that series (WHY would they bring in Ming-Na Wen only to kill her off in the same ep), but that is a GREAT action figure!

[sholio]

I LOVE THE ACTION FIGURE

I was really baffled at Ming-Na Wen's sudden WTF death. There wasn't even any reason to kill her like that! He could've just let her go so she could come back later! It was definitely A Choice.

[lannamichaels]

I suddenly much more interested in watching this show :D

[yhlee]

+1

Wow, she looks fantastic. Go her!

[sholio]

I really enjoyed it, fwiw. It's probably more fun if you like Western tropes, as it draws heavily on those, but you can get a week-long subscription to Disney+ for free, which is enough time to watch an 8-hour show. You could see if Joe wants to. :D

[kore]

Yeah, I don't think it's eight hours even -- we binged it in like two days, at least one ep is maybe 35 or 40 minutes! No commercials makes a big difference too.

[sholio]

I really loved it, fwiw.

[sovay]

This is Cara Dune, and Gina Carano, the actress and MMA fighter who plays her

I did not know Carano is in this show and I approve extremely.

[sholio]

THEY HID HER VERY WELL. She doesn't show up 'til the 4th episode, but she is by far one of the best parts of the show once she does.

[sartorias]

Wow. If I could afford yet another service, I'd get Disney just to see *her*.

[sholio]

As long as you're careful not to run into the paid subscription time, you can get a week-long trial subscription to Disney+ for free. If you wanted to just watch her first episode, it's the fourth one, and was by far my favorite up 'til that point; I think it's the single strongest episode in the show. Or the entire show is only 8 episodes long, which you can do in a week if you need some distraction.

It's not without flaws, and the amount of enjoyment you get out of it might depend on how much you enjoy westerns, because it is drawing VERY heavily on spaghetti western tropes. But you can also just watch her episodes (4, 7, and 8) and get most of the plot that way.

[sartorias]

Thanks! I will keep this in mind. Right now I'm involved in a show so brilliantly written and acted that I can't do anything else but flow with it, but eventually I'll be on the lookout for something else.

[alessandriana]

She's so delightful. I can't decide if I'm just attracted to her or if I want to be her-- probably both, really. (Same thing with Gwendoline Christie...)

[sholio]

SAAAAAME. :D I also think the comparison to Gwendoline Christie is QUITE valid. May they both continue getting Hollywood work 5evah. or they could be in the same show and kill us all

[kore]

Clearly my girl Phasma ESCAPED and //handwave timeline something something, they could meet up

[yalumesse]

Awesome! Female! REPRESENTATION! <33

[sholio]

Yessssss. She's so great. :D

[sebenikela]

I really want the long Cara Dune backstory fic about being from Alderaan, fighting in the Rebellion, and ending up as a mercenary

(and i want someone ELSE to write it pls)

[sholio]

omigod, there's so much to dig into! I love how the show gives you these tantalizing little bits of backstory THAT TOTALLY NEED TO BE FOLLOWED UP ON. She is absolute fanfic catnip. I love it. and don't have time to write it, help

[kore]

I think someone said she's on Alderaan at the same time as Leia (I am terrible at SW worldbuliding) so there could be a princess-diplomat/bodyguard setup!

[sebenikela]

oh my god

idk enough about star wars to say it DOESN'T work so let's say it does because AMAZING

[kore]

I KNOW RIGHT, WHERE IS THE FIC (LOL I am SO unqualified to write anything about Alderaan ever. "Uh it was blown up?")

[kore]

YES, THIS

[lokifan]

Very cool!!! I've heard a lot about the absence of women in the show, which is definitely a problem, but it's so cool she's in it and a lead!

[sholio]

Yeah, I know a number of people noped out because of the first couple of episodes, which is valid! The show really does have problems with how it allocates roles of minor/supporting characters, and Cara doesn't show up 'til the 4th episode. But I will forgive SO MUCH for the show giving me a character like her. <3