In the Star Wars universe, the galaxy is split between the light and dark sides of the Force. However, just as in our reality, there is always a middle ground.
For Force-users, that middle ground is the Gray Jedi. So what exactly is a “Gray Jedi?”
Well, Gray Jedi are sort of like the freelancers of the galaxy. They are individuals who finished their Jedi training but did not become part of the Jedi Order.
Because they do not operate under the Jedi Council, Gray Jedi are viewed as outcasts by other Jedi. Still, this did not mean that they were now going to become Sith.
As the name implies, Gray Jedi often used a version of the Force that they deemed to be balanced. They were neither on the light side nor the dark side of the Force.
Therefore, they operated in the gray area between the light and dark sides.
The name Gray Jedi suggests that these organization-free Force-users are usually Jedi who have relinquished their affiliation with the Jedi High Council. An important question arises with this fact in mind.
That is, is there a Sith equivalent to the Gray Jedi? Keep reading as we dive into the answer to this question and many more.
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Is It True That a Sith Is Equivalent to a Gray Jedi?
Right off the bat, it can be stated that a Sith is not the same as a Gray Jedi.
As we mentioned above, it is believed that Gray Jedi are those that have chosen to give up their position on the Jedi High Council. Even so, it is unlikely that they would have fallen to the dark side.
For a variety of reasons, after completing their Jedi training, these Gray Jedi may choose not to continue their journey to the top of the Jedi Order. Regardless of why they chose to go this route, the Gray Jedi are still not equivalent to Sith.
The Sith are the opposites of the Jedi, in that they use all the negative energy that the Jedi avoid to drive them forward. Where the Jedi believe in peace over everything else, the Sith believe in using the passion they get from their emotions to propel them towards their goal of power.
The Gray Jedi don’t share the Jedi’s goal, nor do they share the same values as the Sith. They believed in bringing balance to the Force and sought to do exactly that. So much so that the Gray Jedi developed their own code (Gray Jedi Code), centered around balance.
All the Gray Jedi seemingly want is to simply live in peace without the restrictions of being associated with either organization, and without a division in the Force.
What Is the Sith Version of the Gray Jedi?
In George Lucas’ masterfully crafted Star Wars universe, there seems to be no Sith equivalent to Gray Jedi. Therefore, the Dark Jedi would have to be the closest group.
What exactly is a Dark Jedi?
The term “Dark Jedi” works twofold. On the one hand, it refers to the Jedi who have effectively fallen prey to the dark side of the Force, thus abandoning their light side alignment.
On the other hand, the term “Dark Jedi” also refers to most, if not all, dark-side Force users who chose to not become Sith or Inquisitors.
Given that these Dark Jedi are neither Sith nor Jedi, they are in theory the closest thing the Sith Order has to Gray Jedi. However, they cannot be considered Gray Jedi because they have made their claim to the dark side evident.
Therefore, they no longer reside in the gray area between the light and dark sides of the Force.
Can Gray Jedi use Sith powers?
One perk of not being tied to the light side of the Force is that the Gray Jedi can use Sith powers. This is something that a Jedi should not and usually does not do.
Following the Jedi Code, it was believed that any emotions and any attachments formed from said emotions, were a one-way ticket to the dark side. Naturally, the Sith did the inverse of this.
They used the same emotions that the Jedi rejected to fuel them. Those emotions filled them with passion, which, as the Sith Code made clear, is more important than peace.
Passion was particularly important to the Sith because it was a sure-fire way to gain ultimate power over the galaxy, which has always been their goal.
The Jedi mainly used force powers that involved the maintenance of peace and a clear mind, whereas the Sith used their hatred, seething rage, jealousy, and anything else to power their force techniques.
Being smack dab in the middle of both sides, the Gray Jedi are not bound by any moral afflictions or either organization’s code. The beauty of this is that they can do whatever they want to.
If a Gray Jedi chooses to use Force Heal, which is a predominantly light-side technique, they are free to do so. Additionally, if a Gray Jedi wants to use Force Choke, which is notoriously used by dark side Force-users, they are well within their rights to do so.
Conclusion
The Gray Jedi are arguably the most balanced individuals in the galaxy. In fact, the Gray Jedi have their code that is centered around being balanced. For the Gray Jedi, residing in a sort of limbo between both sides of the Force works well.
Just because the Gray Jedi gave up their connections to the Jedi High Council does not mean that they have fallen to the dark side. They have not become a part of the Sith, nor do they follow the practices of the Sith.
Even so, the Gray Jedi can still use the Sith’s Force techniques if they want to without fear of the moral turmoil that would have occurred had they still been Jedi.
You see, because of the emotions behind Sith Force techniques Jedi run the risk of breaking the Jedi Code, as well as filling their otherwise peaceful minds with dark-side-fuelling emotions.
What’s more, there is no Sith version of the Gray Jedi. This is because, if there was a Sith equivalent to the Gray Jedi, then they would potentially be working against the very definition of a Gray Jedi. Which is, to bring balance to the Force by not favoring either the light or dark side.
The closest thing the Sith have to the Gray Jedi would be the individuals who have fallen to the dark side but have not joined the Sith Order, the Dark Jedi.