Potentium Heretics

Who They Are and Their Philosophy
As Jedi learn more about the Force, they frequently form their own theories about how and why it works. They question how, if the Force creates and sustains all life, it can have a Dark Side. Some arrive at the erroneous conclusion that the Force is not divided into Dark and Light—that there is only the Force and its energy is inherently positive, despite the use to which it is sometimes put. Those who believe in this theory feels that no "Dark Side" waits to corrupt them for daring to explore the limits of the Force any more than monsters wait beyond the galactic rim to devour starships. To them, the Jedi theory of the Force is just one way to perceive this potent life-energy, and the training and discipline the Jedi employ to reinforce their perspective only serves to justify the existence of the Jedi Order.

Seeking another answer, these self-styled philosophers relabel the Force something that fits their perception of it — the "Potentium" is but one example — and attempt to explore their philosophy as far as possible. Some come perilously close to the Dark Side before other Jedi patiently bring them back from the brink. These "heresies" are fortunately rare, for, if unchecked, they can produce dangerously powerful Dark Jedi. Sadly, those who follow this line of reasoning straight to the Dark Side rarely perceive the danger, believing that they are making new discoveries that the Jedi were afraid to explore. Some come back from the Dark Side willingly when they see the error of their ways. Some refuse to renounce their mistaken beliefs and must be exiled to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Some must be, regrettably, destroyed.

The core of this theory asserts that their is no distinction between the Light and Dark Side. It claims that both aspects of the Force are the same energy viewed from different perspectives. Its adherents theorize that using Dark Side powers in the service of good still serves the cause of good, and doing so cannot actually lead a person to want to use the Force for evil. They question why using a lightsaber to strike down an opponent is any different from using the Force to choke the breath out of someone. What they fail to see — and what the Jedi so dilligently try to establish — is that being a Jedi is not about exploring the limits of the Force, but about using what is already known to protect peace and justice. Jedi students should concentrate on learning how to use the Force, and leave careful exploration to the Jedi Masters.

A being's position within the Potentium — which was at once the beginning and the end of all things — could not be obscured by training and discipline. Those who followed the Potentium belief claimed that the Jedi Masters of the Old Republic rejected its existence because accepting it would mean accepting that they weren't needed to combat evil. About a hundred years before the Battle of Naboo, the followers of the Potentium were forced out of the Jedi Order. The discovery of the living planet Zonama Sekot led many followers of the Potentium theory to believe that Sekot itself was the embodiment of the Living Force, created to safeguard its purity.

Believers in the Potentium
Jolee Bindo could be considered one of the first, since he saw "more gray than dark or light." Emperor Palpatine was also a follower of the Potentium, as Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter mentions by the fact that Sidious didn't teach Maul in terms of Light or Dark Side. Many of the New Jedi Order characters such as Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade, Jacen Solo, etc. adopted the Potentium as the truth of the Force.