How Does Ahsoka's Droid Know Space Karate?

Contains spoilers for "Ahsoka" Episode 4, "Fallen Jedi"

We all know that the Jedi are good at fighting. They're peacekeepers, of course, not soldiers — at least, most of the time. But they will also downright mess you up if you come at them wrong. As it turns out, their droids have a similar penchant for kicking butt in space, as demonstrated by Huyang (David Tennant) in "Ahsoka" Episode 4, "Fallen Jedi."

First introduced in "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," Huyang is one of the oldest characters in the entire "Star Wars" mythos. For thousands of years, he helped Jedi younglings craft their lightsabers, even assisting masters like Yoda and Mace Windu with the task when they were young. By the events of "Ahsoka," he may well be the oldest living piece of the Jedi's legacy, and his memory banks are filled with centuries of secrets and techniques.

That's all well and good, and Huyang has been a big help to Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) with his timely jokes, technical know-how, and piloting skills. In Episode 4, though, we see another one of his assets — an apparent mastery of space karate, which he uses dexterously to dispatch an attacking HK assassin droid. The assailant, sent by the villainous Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), sneaks up on Huyang while he's repairing his and Ahsoka's ship. The element of surprise doesn't do much, though, as Huyang immediately launches into a flurry of counterattacks without skipping a single beat. So why is this mechanical chronicler so skilled in hand-to-hand combat?

It's a bit surprising to see Huyang launch into battle mode so quickly, but his combat abilities do make a lot of sense. He was a key piece of the Jedi life cycle for most of the order's history, so he'd naturally need to handle himself from time to time. Additionally, he acted as a teacher for countless Jedi in the ways of the lightsaber. If Huyang had a lightsaber of his own, he might be even more dangerous.

It's unclear exactly what kind of martial discipline Huyang is using in "Ahsoka," but it could be a variation of Teräs Käsi, an ancient fighting form designed to combat Force-sensitive opponents. While the martial art was more common in the old Expanded Universe timeline, it can still be seen through canon characters like the First Order's Praetorian Guards. Given Huyang's advanced age, he would have been around back when the Sith were a much more potent force in the galaxy. It would make sense for him to be trained in a style that could fight them, and over the years, he likely made his own modifications.

Regardless of the exact style or history, it's just cool to see Huyang going toe-to-toe with droids designed for combat. Though he's never the one in the spotlight, he's a fascinating character who keeps getting more and more fun to watch.