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As The Mandalorian Season 3 speeds towards its climax, Star Wars has just confirmed the return of a controversial actress.

The Mandalorian is, arguably, Star Wars‘ most popular television show. Led by internet darling Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones, The Last of Us), where he is joined by the little green marvel Grogu, AKA “Baby Yoda”, The Mandalorian is a pop culture phenomenon claimed to be the savior of Lucasfilm’s galaxy far, far away in the wake of The Walt Disney Company’s troubled sequel trilogy.

Now in its third season, Pascal’s Din Djarin has come a long way since his career as a lone bounty hunter back in 2019. Created once again by Jon Favreau, with Dave Filoni also on deck, The Mandalorian Season 3 finds Din Djarin navigating his existence after both relinquishing his helmet and becoming the owner of the coveted Mandalorian relic, the Darksaber.

Related: New Leak Reveals More About ‘The Mandalorian’ as Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin Replaced

The Mandalorian Season 2 finale not only brought Jedi Master Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) back into the Star Wars franchise but also set events in motion that the series is still dealing with today. During the sophomore season of The Mandalorian, Din Djarin encounters Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) and her Nite Owls, including Koska Reeves (Mercedes Varnado/Sasha Banks) and Axe Woves (Simon Kassianides), who point him in the direction of Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson). Then in the season finale, Bo-Katan and Koska return, joining forces with Cara Dune (Gina Carano) and the mercenary Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) to fight the dark troopers and Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito).

Amid the second season of The Mandalorian and in the months that followed, controversy and divisive comments seemed to lurk around every turn. The huge debacle involving Cara Dune actress Gina Carano blew up forums and social media as Disney and Lucasfilm navigated the wrestler turned actress’ controversial comments. Carano was eventually fired from Star Wars, later joining forces with Ben Shapiro and The Daily Wire.

But it wasn’t just Carano that came under fire from Star Wars fans. Back in 2021, Mercedes Varnado, known also by her WWE superstar name, Sasha Banks, received backlash for liking social media posts that displayed anti-vaccination sentiments. Eagle-eyed fans of both the galaxy far, far away, and professional wrestling were quick to call out the Koska Reeves actress.

Following this, there was no word on whether Varnado would return to the Star Wars franchise — a tease on her Instagram when she shared The Book of Boba Fett announcement suggested so, but alas, the actress did not appear in the series. Later, in October 2021, the wrestler and actress confirmed she was not in The Mandalorian Season 3, saying, in part, that the show gave her “the best feeling of all time.”

**Spoilers ahead for The Mandalorian, “Chapter 22: Guns for Hire”**

What a difference a year makes; in a surprising turn of events, Varnardo has returned to Star Wars despite her controversial social media activities back in 2021. The Mandalorian Season 3, “Chapter 22: Guns for Hire”, directed by Bryce Dallas Howard (who also directed Varnado’s first appearance in “Chapter 11: The Heiress”), revealed that the Mandalorian faction Bo-Katan once controlled is now based on Plazir-15. Axe Woves now leads the Nite Owls, and Koska Reeves is not far behind.

Related: We Now Know When ‘The Mandalorian’ Will Be Canceled

While Varnardo’s performance here was short, the ending of the episode suggests that more appearances of Axe and Koska are upcoming. Also joining the Star Wars galaxy in this latest chapter of the new season’s story are, rather surprisingly, Lizzo (Hustlers) and Jack Black (School of Rock). Additionally, Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future) finally made his appearance in the franchise in the new episode.

As for Carano’s Cara Dune, the Marshal of the New Republic was confirmed to have joined a special forces unit by Greef Karga (Carl Weathers), leaving Nevarro behind. At one time, Carano was tapped to lead her own Star Wars series, Rangers of the New Republic, but that soon became defunct after her firing. In The Mandalorian, the role of Carano’s former Rebel shock trooper and her place in the Star Wars canon may end up with Paul Sun-Hyung Lee’s Carson Teva after his discovery of the vessel carrying Moff Gideon, but only time will tell.

Did you notice the return of Koska Reeves in The Mandalorian? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!

When he’s not thinking about the Magic Kingdom, Thomas is usually reading a book, becoming desperately obsessed with fictional characters, or baking something delicious (his favorite is chocolate cake -- to bake and to eat). He's a dreamer and grew up on Mulan saving the world, Jim Hawkins soaring through the stars, and Padmé Amidala fighting a Nexu. At the Parks, he loves to ride Everest, stroll down Main Street with an overstuffed pin lanyard around his neck, and eat as many Mickey-shaped ice creams as possible. His favorite character is Han Solo (yes, he did shoot first), and his favorite TV show is Buffy the Vampire Slayer except when it's One Tree Hill. He loves sandy beach walks, forest hikes, and foodie days out in the Big City. Thomas lives in England, UK, with his fiancée, baby, and their dog, a Border Collie called Luna.