Ahsoka Tano’s droid companion Huyang plays a key supporting role in the one-time Padawan’s self-titled Disney+ series. So, who is Huyang and how does he fit within wider Star Wars lore?
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Who Is Huyang in Star Wars Canon?
Huyang is a Mark IV architect droid professor owned by the Jedi Order. He is thousands of years old and his exact origins are now lost to time. Before the Jedi Order’s downfall, Huyang taught younglings how to build their lightsabers. He also gave them lessons in swordplay, making full use of his four-armed design. Huyang also instructed his pupils in the history of a galaxy far, far away, tossing in the odd story along the way. Given his advanced age, Huyang’s past students include several of the Star Wars saga’s most legendary Force users, such as Mace Windu and Yoda. He also assisted Ahsoka in training Sabine Wren before and during Ahsoka Season 1, after the Jedi Purge. Exactly how Huyang escaped the Purge remains unexplained for now.
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Regardless, Huyang’s survival ensured he was one of an increasing number of animated Star Wars characters to make the jump to live-action. Ahsoka Season 1 marked Huyang’s live-action debut; prior to that, his screen appearances were limited to the Clone Wars cartoon. Whether Huyang will return in Ahsoka Season 2 or other live-action productions remains unclear for now, but it would track with his growing profile. He’s already shown up or been referenced in multiple Star Wars novels and comic books.
Who Voices Huyang In Star Wars Movies and TV Shows?
David Tennant voices Huyang in both Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Ahsoka. The Scottish star landed the role after Clone Wars‘ supervising director (and future Ahsoka showrunner) Dave Filoni saw his lead performance in BBC’s Doctor Who. Filoni unpacked what it was about Tennant’s turn as the Doctor that made him a good fit for Huyang in a 2023 interview.
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“There was such a quizzical nature to the character, a sense of whimsy, but [Tennant] could still get very powerful emotion out of the character, a lot of intensity, a lot of anger,” he explained. “It’s just a great display of range. I thought, ‘Man, I’d love to get this guy on Clone Wars somehow.'” Filoni also stated in a previous interview that he found the prospect of “merging” the Star Wars and Doctor Who fanbases via Tennant’s Clone Wars casting appealing.
All of Huyang’s live-action and animated adventures are currently streaming on Disney+, as part of the platform’s Star Wars collection.
Published: Apr 1, 2024 10:26 am