Despite the recent alleged cancellation of Disney+'s Star Wars spinoff series Rangers of the New Republic, elements of the show may be folded into future seasons of The Mandalorian. Rangers of the New Republic was first announced by Lucasfilm last year during Disney's Investor's Day presentation. It was one of several tie-in shows (including The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka) that would have spun off from The Mandalorian's primary storyline, all of which would have culminated in a climactic event later down the line. With Rangers of the New Republic now supposedly erased from Lucasfilm's slate of upcoming projects, the studio's initial plans will have to be modified.
Trouble first broke out for Rangers of the New Republic when Lucasfilm fired Gina Carano from The Mandalorian due to the actress's inflammatory social media posts leading up to the 2020 U.S. presidential elections. The Mandalorian season 2 had set up Carano's character, Cara Dune, to be an officer of the New Republic, leading many to speculate that Rangers would have been a solo spinoff project for Cara. Recent reports have confirmed that Carano's uncongenial departure from the studio played a role in Rangers'of the New Republic's cancellation. While Carano isn't likely to return to Star Wars any time soon, it's highly possible vestigial remnants of the show are likely to make their way into future Disney+ Star Wars projects.
In a recent interview with Empire (via ComicBook), Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy confirms that "Some of [Ranger's story ideas] will figure into future episodes [...] of Mandalorian." Kennedy does not elaborate on specifics, though it isn't difficult to imagine how that might work given the Mandalorian's (Pedro Pascal) frequent brushes with New Republic enforcers throughout the show. However, as of the time of writing, Lucasfilm has yet to address how (if at all) Carano's departure from the franchise will be dealt with in-universe.
Since Carano's exit, fans have championed for other characters to take her role as the lead character of Rangers of the New Republic. Paul Sun-Hyung Lee's New Republic officer, Carson Teva, quickly became a fan-favorite after his brief role in The Mandalorian season 2. Unfortunately, Lucasfilm appears to have no plans to pursue these ideas.
News of Rangers of the New Republic's cancellation comes off the heels of similar reports regarding Patty Jenkins' shelved Rogue Squadron film earlier this month. While troubled Star Wars productions aren't a new phenomenon, the increasing frequency of them may be a signal for the studio to adopt a different approach. In any case, it's good to see that any work that was completed on Rangers of the New Republic prior to its cancellation may find new life in the next season of The Mandalorian.