Gray Paladin

A Gray Paladin was a Force-Sensitive that fought with weapons other than lightsabers, usually blasters and slugthrowers.

History
The paladins were an offshoot of the Teepo Paladins that emerged after they had been censured by the High Jedi Council for the advocation of offensive weapons like blasters, in addition to the traditional lightsaber. Teepo and his followers were ostracised as potential dark siders.

Though not a formal part of the Order, some still maintained residence at the Jedi Temple. With the execution of Order 66, the 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 held even more radical views. Whereas the Teepo Paladins still sought oneness with the Force, some of them going so far as to wear masks or eye-concealing headgear in battle to maximize their connection to it, a gray Paladin's contention was that the Jedi had come to depend on the Force too much in some ways.

They acknowledged that a Jedi could be no more independent of the Force than of nourishment or air; nevertheless, they had developed skills and techniques that did not utilize the Force's "flashier" aspects. They didn't eschewed the use of lightsabers completely, they simply believed that a Jedi should use which ever weapon he or she felt the most comfortable with, but many chose instead to rely on proficiency with blasters and other forms of combat, both armed, and unarmed. They became Masters in various forms of martial arts like like Teras Kasi, as well as esoteric weaponry such as Sallisian throwing whorls and spinsticks, rather than rely on Force-augmented gymnastics and speed.

The Gray Paladins were not against the concept of the Force; they simply argued that skills should be developed with a minimum dependancy on it. Most Jedi felt that this 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. The Grays were also much more militaristic than the Teepos, or even the mainstream Jedi.

Powers and abilities
Paladins in general seemed to be much more in tune with the Force around them, almost bordering on a hyper-sensitivity. As an example, the Gray Paladin Laranth Tarak sported a pair of dual blaster pistols, and had the ability to deflect and "bend" other blaster bolts with her own blaster bolts, another sign of the Paladin's advanced attunement with the Force. Gray Paladins where also very good at blocking incoming Telekinetic attacks. Able to see the attack forming, and stopping it before it could take effect. In addition to this, they had Incredible precognition, able to see far more into the force than other force users. This developed form of precognition, allowing them to see the future, the past, and even current events over incredible distances. In battle, this ability was incredibly deadly, allowing them to see attacks before they happened, they could adjust, and perhaps counter to their advantage. Both of these abilities however, took extreme dedication to develop, and during a Paladins training, from Padawan to master, they would develop sporadically.

Appearances

 * Coruscant Nights I: Jedi Twilight
 * Coruscant Nights II: Street of Shadows
 * Coruscant Nights III: Patterns of Force

Szarzy Paladyni