As far as franchises go, they don't come much bigger than Star Wars. The all-encompassing series is now in its sixth decade, and thanks to Disney's determination to push out regular content, it is more prolific now than ever before. Over the years, Star Wars has expanded throughout several forms of media, from movies, to TV, comics, and video games. Although many of the themes from the series, such as Jedi, the force, and Sith, are repeatedly visited and explored throughout these forms of media, some of Star Wars' lesser-known lore doesn't get as much exposure. The Gray Jedi, a group of Jedi showing no allegiance to either the dark or light side, are a great example of this, and it's about time more video games shed some light on these mysterious entities.
Not too much is known about Gray Jedi. The term itself is used in a couple of different ways. The most prominent of these is to describe someone who walks the line between the light and dark side, never fully giving themselves over to either. This makes for an incredibly dangerous and powerful individual, who is able to use both light and dark side force elements while remaining neutral to both. The most famous of these is Jolee Bindo, a self-proclaimed Gray Jedi who is well-known among fans of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the game in which Bindo made his first appearance.
Gray Jedi Are a Somewhat Unknown Entity
The other possible meaning for a Gray Jedi is simply a Jedi who operates outside the Jedi Code and has distanced themselves from the Jedi Council. The legendary Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn, who discovered Anakin Skywalker and trained Obi-Wan Kenobi, was considered by some to be a Gray Jedi due to his poor relationship with the Jedi Council. Despite this though, Qui-Gon was very clearly a light-side force user, and his moral code was never brought into question despite his misgivings with the council and could not be considered a true Gray Jedi.
In terms of the Star Wars canon timeline, the term Gray Jedi dates back all the way to the Old Sith Wars. These Jedi are able to call upon the dark side of the force without ever being corrupted by it, and in fact, they may still choose to oppose the dark side of the force even when borrowing its strength. Techniques such as force lightening, an extremely dangerous power that is usually only associated with the strongest dark side users, can be mastered and used by Gray Jedi seemingly at will.
It's hard not to see these Jedi as an exciting prospect for a video game. While most Star Wars games, such as the Star Wars Battlefront series, or the acclaimed Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order ask players to choose a side: light or dark, Gray Jedi have the luxury of embracing both, gaining the powerful benefits with few, if any of the drawbacks. A video game focusing on a Gray Jedi could go in a variety of directions and may prove to be an untapped resource that has a lot of potential.
Games such as Star Wars: Obi-Wan and Jedi Power Battles, have put the player in the shoes of the Jedi or the Rebellion while attempting to topple the Galactic Empire. Other titles, such as Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, have shown players what it would be like to align with the evil Sith and wreak havoc on the Jedi and the Rebel Army. But a game that shows players what it's like to be indifferent to this conflict of light v dark, to have their own agenda and set of objectives that may or may not assist one or both sides, is something that would be a great experience for Star Wars fans.
With Star Wars games setting the bar much higher in recent years thanks to the likes of Jedi Fallen Order and Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, now is the perfect time for a game centered on the Gray Jedi, exploring a part of Star Wars lore that deserves more exposure.