Who Is Huyang? Ahsoka's Ancient Lightsaber Droid Explained
Though Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) and Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) are the main characters of "Ahsoka," there's a pretty big cast of supporting players. Some, like the dark Force users Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) and Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno), are brand new, but others are familiar faces for "Star Wars" fans. Beyond other "Rebels" characters like Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi), there's one unique face that many viewers might think came out of nowhere. That mechanical head belongs to Huyang (David Tennant), the ancient lightsaber droid who assists Ahsoka in her pursuit of Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen).
Huyang doesn't get a ton of exposition in the show, as if the writers expect you to already know about him and his crucial role in Jedi history. However, if you haven't watched "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," you may not have any idea who he is. Huyang features prominently in the "Younglings" arc of "The Clone Wars," where he's introduced as an age-old droid who helps all new padawans construct their own lightsabers. What exactly happened to him after Order 66 remains unclear. However, his survival is a huge win for the continued legacy and traditions of the Jedi.
Per canon source books, Huyang was created 25,000 years before the Battle of Yavin. He helped Yoda make his lightsaber when he was only just a child. And as Ahsoka seeks Thrawn, Huyang's treasure trove of knowledge will surely be invaluable.
Why Huyang's survival is so important
In just the first couple of "Ahsoka" episodes, Huyang quickly proves his worth. Because he helped craft every Jedi lightsaber for thousands of years, he's able to access his deep databanks and conjure up some helpful info on Shin Hati and Baylan Skoll. He also offers some kind advice to Sabine in a moment of doubt — something that the old droid has done countless times with padawans over his long life.
However, Huyang's survival is more important than all that. As Ahsoka's quest for Ezra and Thrawn leads her out of the regular "Star Wars" galaxy and into even deeper reaches of space, she could continue to encounter more and more ancient secrets. Over the course of the order's reign, the Jedi forgot way more about themselves and the Force than they ever knew at once. But because of how old Huyang is, he's the perfect guide through these neglected mysteries.
The big question is why Huyang is with Ahsoka instead of Luke Skywalker. The latter is an actual Jedi still, and he's primarily concerned with rebuilding the order. You'd think that someone like Huyang would be an invaluable asset in helping Luke reconstruct things as they were, but perhaps he believes that the search for Thrawn is more important. Or maybe, like Ahsoka, Huyang understands that there are reasons why the Jedi Order fell in the first place.