This is the droid you’re looking for.
Sci-fi fans delving into new Star Wars series Ahsoka are bound to notice a very familiar voice – that of Doctor Who legend David Tennant.
The actor is reprising his role as the droid Huyang, a part he actually won a Daytime Emmy for following his performance in animated series The Clone Wars.
As is often the way with droids in Star Wars, Huyang provides some comic relief along the way, frequently giving his two cents on situations and providing gloriously biting remarks.
So, as Tennant returns to the world of Star Wars alongside a stacked cast including Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano, Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla, and the late Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll, here’s everything you need to know about Huyang.
Who is Huyang in Ahsoka?
Huyang is a Mark IV architect droid professor who taught Jedi younglings how to construct lightsabers, something that could come in very handy in Ahsoka.
The droid guided students including iconic Star Wars figures like Yoda and Mace Windu for thousands of years on the Crucible. No one knows Huyang’s exact origins but, very aptly, a rumour spread among the younglings that he arrived in a big blue box (Doctor Who fans, we see you).
Disaster struck when Huyang accompanied Ahsoka to Ilum with a group of younglings who were looking to become Padawans, with the droid being attacked when pirates boarded the ship.
While they knocked off his head and both arms, Ahsoka and the younglings who joined her on her journey were able to re-assemble him – a traumatic incident he might not have quite recovered from yet.
Is David Tennant voicing Huyang in Ahsoka?
Oh, yes! The actor first played Huyang for two episodes in The Clone Wars, but is expected to feature more heavily in Ahsoka.
Announcing the news at Star Wars Celebration, Ahsoka showrunner Dave Filoni was visibly thrilled to have the actor back on board, delightedly declaring: “Oh, that’s the Doctor, that’s David Tennant. He makes it all work, what a joy, what a privilege to have him.”
Meanwhile, star Rosario Dawson, who plays the titular character, commented that the relationship between Tennant and Filoni was “remarkable”.
Ahsoka premieres on Disney Plus on Wednesday 23rd August 2023. New episodes weekly. Sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 for a year.
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