Summary
- Star Wars' Ahsoka series will introduce Huyang, an ancient droid who played a crucial role in teaching Jedi.
- Huyang's exact role in the show is unknown, but his Jedi-oriented programming suggests exciting possibilities.
- David Tennant will be reprising his role as Huyang, bringing the iconic Jedi professor droid to live-action. Exciting times ahead!
Star Wars' Ahsoka series is bringing Huyang to live-action, one of the galaxy's most ancient and intriguing droids. Having debuted during The Clone Wars animated series, Professor Huyang played an integral role in teaching new generations of Jedi. However, much of his story during the Skywalker saga is largely unknown.
Having been featured in the trailers for Ahsoka, it seems Huyang was found by the titular former Jedi at some point during her own mysterious travels during Star Wars' original trilogy or in its aftermath. While Huyang's exact role in the new Star Wars show has yet to be confirmed, his Jedi-oriented programming does tease some very exciting possibilities. Here's everything to know about Huyang, his past with the Jedi Order, and who will be voicing the iconic droid in Star Wars' new Ahsoka show.
Huyang Was Introduced In Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Huyang was introduced into the Star Wars canon in The Clone Wars season 5. Featured in an entire arc of episodes with Ahsoka Tano and a group of Jedi younglings, Huyang was instrumental in helping the young Jedi craft their very first lightsabers. At the same time, the old droid helped Ahsoka protect her young charges when their ship was overrun by pirates as well as an encounter with General Grievous himself. However, Huyang's appearances in the Star Wars canon following this three-episode Clone Wars arc have been quite limited. To that end, most of the time his name has been simply referenced by of the Jedi Order across the Star Wars timeline.
Incredibly ancient, Huyang holds vast stores of knowledge regarding the inner workings of lightsabers, tasked with helping every new Jedi youngling forge their own traditional weapon as a defender of peace and justice. He also has a long and storied history of the Jedi Order, having lived through most of it himself. With that in mind, it stands to reason that Huyang will likely be a significant asset for Ahsoka as well as other Jedi during the New Republic Era, perhaps even becoming a major resource for Luke Skywalker who's building a new Jedi Temple on the planet Ossus (as seen in The Book of Boba Fett).
Huyang Has Worked With The Jedi For 25,000 Years
In the recently published Star Wars: Timelines book from Kristin Baver, Jason Fry, Cole Horton, Amy Richau, and Clayton Sandell, key insights have been revealed as to when certain events take place on the established Star Wars timeline. As such, it also reveals new details regarding the ancient past of the Star Wars galaxy, including the origins of Professor Huyang and his work with the early Jedi Order. According to the reference guide, Huyang was created by the first Jedi specifically to "train Jedi younglings in the delicate art of lightsaber construction."
This means that by the time Ahsoka and Huyang reunite in the Star Wars show, the Jedi droid will be over 25,000 years old. This is when the Jedi Order first began in the Star Wars timeline, the implication being that Huyang was activated very close to the Order's inception. Having guided countless younglings as they worked to create the traditional weapons of the Jedi, The Clone Wars confirmed that Huyang was old enough to have trained both Mace Windu and even Jedi Master Yoda when they themselves were only younglings. Likewise, it's also been confirmed that Huyang was active during both the Old and High Republic Eras.
Who Plays Huyang In Ahsoka?
Reprising his role from The Clone Wars animated series, the trailers for Ahsoka have confirmed that actor David Tennant will be returning to voice Professor Huyang in the live-action, having also been confirmed by showrunner Dave Filoni at Star Wars Celebration 2023. Tennant is best known for playing the Tenth Doctor on Doctor Who, and his acting in the classic BBC sci-fi show inspired Filoni to give Tennant a Star Wars role, one that was praised by George Lucas himself. Likewise, Filoni did something similar in Star Wars Rebels, having cast the Fourth Doctor played by Tom Baker as the enigmatic Force entity known as the Bendu.
It's very exciting that David Tennant will be returning to voice the live-action version of the galaxy's oldest Jedi professor droid. Huyang is essentially Star Wars' version of the Harry Potter wandmaker Ollivander played by John Hurt (who was also Doctor Who's War Doctor). As such, it will be very exciting to see all that Huyang will undoubtedly offer in the way of both lightsaber and ancient knowledge of the Jedi Order when Ahsoka's two-episode premiere begins streaming August 23rd on Disney+.