The Gray Paladins were a sect of Force-sensitives stemming from the Teepo Paladins. However, unlike Teepo and his followers who believed in immersing oneself in the Force the same way as the Jedi Order, the Gray Paladins held to the radical philosophy of minimal dependency on the Force. Gray Paladins were known to be active even after the rise of the Galactic Empire despite being targeted along with Jedi in Order 66 in 19 BBY. Laranth Tarak was one such Gray Paladin, and was a childhood friend and ally to Jedi Knight Jax Pavan.

History

The Gray Paladins were an offshoot of the Teepo Paladins that emerged after they had been censured by the High Jedi Council for the avocation of offensive weapons like blasters, in addition to the traditional lightsaber. Teepo and his followers were ostracized as potential dark siders, though some still maintained residence at the Jedi Temple. With the execution of Order 66, the Gray Paladins scattered and were hunted down by the Sith. When Luke Skywalker rebuilt the Order, it is unknown if any lived to rejoin the Order.

Philosophy

The Gray Paladins acknowledged that the Force suffused all things, and in turn gave life to all things. In this way, they acknowledged that a sentient could be no more independent of the Force than of nourishment, air, or sleep. However, the Gray Paladins did not see the Force as a means to an end, but rather as an influencing component in their daily lives. Nevertheless, the Gray Paladins were not against the concept of the Force; they simply argued that skills should be developed with a minimum dependency on it, as to allow the will of the Force to work unhindered in their actions. Because of this, Gray Paladins tended to develop skills and techniques that did not directly tap into the Force, but rather allow the Force to augment already existing skills. This led Gray Paladins to be much more militaristic than the Teepos, or even the mainstream Jedi, as Gray Paladins would often resort to military tactics and conventional weapons to achieve their goals.

Gray Paladins also didn't eschew the use of lightsabers completely, though they did not believe it to be a dependent weapon. Rather, they believed that a Jedi should use which ever weapon he or she felt the most comfortable with, with many choosing instead to rely on proficiency with blasters and other forms of combat, both armed, and unarmed. Many became Masters in various forms of martial arts like like Teras Kasi and Stava (skill), as well as esoteric weaponry such as Sallisian throwing whorls and spinsticks, rather than rely on Force-augmented gymnastics and speed. Most Jedi felt that the Gray Paladins' philosophy was heterodoxy as well as pointless. Since the Force encompassed all living things, they argued it was impossible for any scenario to exist where it would be necessary to act independently of it. In addition, they insisted that it was through the use of the Force that they communed with the will of the Force, thus bringing them closer to their goals. In this aspect, they viewed the Gray Paladins as being counterproductive.

Powers and abilities

Gray Paladins generally regarded the Force as a secondary aspect of their life, and not the primary. As a result of this, Gray Paladins' generally eschewed the use of the Force in any physical manifestation, relying rather on militant skills, both armed and unarmed, to achieve their goals. Despite this though, Gray Paladin's frequently allowed the force to act in an auxiliary fashion, allowing the Force to augment already existing skills as well as their physical bodies, in a fashion very similar to Force valor.

This ability is demonstrated by the Gray Paladin Laranth Tarak, who while sporting a pair of dual blaster pistols, had the ability to deflect and "bend" other blaster bolts with her own bolts, as well as during unarmed combat where her strikes are much more powerful and precise than an unaided attack. This ability, if practiced enough, could many times become a constant effect; active even during non combat situations, primarily as a side effect of being the only technique (generally) that a Gray Paladin uses.

Regardless of the use of Force though, Gray Paladins consistently remain far more militant than their Jedi predecessors, many times being well trained in martial arts such as Teras Kasi and Stava (skill), as well as military tactics like guerrilla warfare, urban tactics, espionage and infiltration, and even expansive weapons and vehicle training. This is primarily the result of the Gray Paladin's deciding to rely on the force as little as possible, as well as the knowledge that they must be ready for nearly any situation without reliance on the Force.

Appearances

• Coruscant Nights I: Jedi Twilight (First appearance)
• Coruscant Nights II: Street of Shadows
• Coruscant Nights III: Patterns of Force