Who is Huyang in ‘Star Wars’ lore? Ahsoka Tano’s droid, explained

Disney Plus’ prior Star Wars shows have been understandably angled at fans of the movies, with The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Obi-Wan Kenobi all channeling nostalgia for the original and prequel trilogies. Now, Ahsoka is here, however, to treat those who adore the animated corner of the Star Wars galaxy. The Rosario Dawson vehicle is the perfect live-action sequel to the epic narrative that began in The Clone Wars, expanded in Rebels, and is now being furthered by the co-creator of those two series, Dave Filoni.

On top of Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano, then, Ahsoka sees numerous familiar faces make their live-action debuts, from Sabine Wren to Hera Syndulla. One previously minor character who makes a surprisingly big impression in the two-part premiere, though, is Huyang, Ahsoka’s faithful droid. Still, Huyang is far more than just the Togrutan heroine’s answer to Threepio, as his history in Star Wars lore makes him one of the oldest and most intriguing of all the beings in the galaxy far, far away.

Professor Huyang debuted in The Clone Wars, but his origins are lost in time

Huyang, as voiced by Doctor Who icon David Tennant, was first introduced in a three-episode arc in Star Wars: The Clone Wars‘ fifth season. As Huyang alludes to in the first episode of Ahsoka, Huyang provided a valuable part of any Jedi’s training as he taught them how to construct their lightsabers. A Mark IV architect droid, Professor Huyang is far older than you might think. Having tutored Jedi younglings for a thousand generations, those he mentored include such esteemed Jedi Masters as Yoda and Mace Windu.

Huyang’s unusual position of power for a droid speaks to his extreme longevity. The professor was so old that Jedi younglings tended to spread various rumors about how he came to be the Jedi’s lightsaber construction expert. As revealed in the 2022 novel Brotherhood, it’s believed by some that Huyang arrived at the Jedi Temple in a big, blue box thousands of years ago, long before he ultimately ascended to his venerable position in the Jedi Padwan training program.

Huyang’s mysterious backstory tantalizingly hints at a potential crossover between the Star Wars and Doctor Who universes, as “the big blue box” is a clear nod to the TARDIS owned by the Doctor. Perhaps David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor dropped off his soundalike at the Jedi Temple in ancient times? There are more connections between these two sci-fi continuities than you might expect…

Regardless of his origins, Ahsoka confirms that Huyang thankfully managed to survive the Jedi Purge, joining Ahsoka Tano on her quest to find the missing Jedi, Ezra Bridger, and stop Grand Admiral Thrawn from returning to power. And with his memory of his long life firmly intact (he’s able to review at least 500 years of lightsabers to recognize Baylan Skoll’s weapon) and a surprisingly durable form (his comment to Sabine about still possessing 75% of his original parts alludes to the time he was taken apart by Weequay pirates in TCW, but saved by Ahsoka and other younglings), Huyang might still have many more adventures ahead of him.