Many Star Wars fans hope to see a new iteration of Gray Jedi appear in canon, but in either continuity, the concept is incompatible with the Force and what “balance” means for it. Gray Jedi is a term that first appeared in the original Star Wars continuity, the Expanded Universe (now called Legends). It refers to a Jedi who supposedly uses both the light side of the Force and the dark side. The problem with this concept is that the original and prequel trilogies (which belong to both canon and Legends) establish that balance in the Force is not a mixture of light and dark because the dark side lacks redeeming qualities and the light side doesn’t exist.
As shown in the original and prequel trilogies, the dark side is a highly addictive corruption of the Force. Mastering the Force requires discipline and harmony with oneself and all living things, while the dark side is a quick path to power that comes at a horrible price. Using the dark side is akin to a Faustian bargain, giving its users deadly powers but twisting them into murderous perversions of themselves in the process. While a dark side user can be redeemed, it’s only done by rejecting the dark side’s use and influence. The light side is simply the Force, which, when balanced, is in harmony with life, nature, and the universe writ large. While the existence of Force-sensitive sentient beings means that the dark side will always exist, organizations like the Sith (or even the Jedi Order in some cases) can take the Force out of balance.
The idea of a Gray Jedi, who uses both the Force and the dark side, doesn’t work in either continuity because it assumes that the dark side can be used without eventually succumbing to its corruption. Using both dark and light powers is acceptable as a gameplay mechanic in video games like the Knights of the Old Republic or Jedi Knight series, but the original six films (and other canon and Legends material) establish that this can’t be done without consequences for Force users. The Force isn’t a scale with light on one end, dark on the other, and gray in the middle. The Force is the fundamental energy created and nourished by life, and the dark side is a corruption of it.
Viewers (understandably) assume that the many faults of the prequel-era Jedi indicate a lack of balance in the light side, but it comes from the order itself. The Jedi Order in the prequels is corrupt and out of touch with both the common people of the galaxy and the Force itself, making them unbalanced. Canon’s High Republic-era Jedi and the Legends-era New Jedi Order are far less dogmatic and restrictive, allowing their Jedi to feel all emotions, live normal lives alongside their duties, and form unique connections to the Force, making their use of the Force balanced. When the Jedi Order is balanced, the idea of Gray Jedi becomes obsolete.
From a real-world perspective, there’s plenty of room for nuanced and morally gray characters in the Star Wars franchise without Gray Jedi or changing what balance means. Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader’s character arcs in Return of the Jedi were beautifully and tragically shown without disregarding the established definitions of the Force and its dark side. Having Force-sensitive characters who use both the natural, altruistic Force and the addictive corrupting dark side of it without consequence is detrimental to the franchise. For this, Gray Jedi and their subsequent misunderstanding of balance shouldn’t be introduced to canon.
