The Force is a mysterious energy field that has two sides: light and dark.
The light side represents compassion, harmony, selflessness and peace. The Jedi believe that balance can only be achieved by suppressing the dark side and serving the will of the Force. The dark side is all about desire, anger, manipulation and fear. The Sith weaponizes the Force by bending it to their will instead of listening to it.
It’s not so much that the Force is morally split in a literal sense. It responds to the emotions of the user. A dark side user is converting their negative emotions into fuel, so it’s only a matter of time until that kind of destructive power corrupts the user.
Most Star Wars characters choose one side, which gives you a pretty clear picture of the path they’re walking on. But every now and then, a character decides to walk down a different path. They become what fans call a Gray Jedi. And there’s a good chance that Devon Izara, the young Twi’lek padawan at the heart of Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, will become the next one.
What Is a Gray Jedi?
Before we talk about Devon, it helps to understand what a “Gray Jedi” is. It’s not an official rank in Star Wars canon. In fact, the Jedi Council used the phrase as an insult to those who disobeyed the rules but still called themselves Jedi.
Among fans, the term refers to a Force user who draws on both sides of the Force without giving in to the dark side’s corruptive nature. They reject the strict rules of the Jedi Order and the Sith’s obsession with power and control. Instead, they follow their own moral code.
Some well-known examples of Gray Jedi are:
Jolee Bindo, from the video game Knights of the Old Republic. He even called himself a Gray Jedi. He was witty, stubborn, and independent. He believed the Force was bigger than the Jedi’s rules on how to wield it.
Qui-Gon Jinn is a mild example. He never broke with the Jedi, but he would ignore the Council when he felt they were in the wrong. He trusted his own instincts over the Council’s authority. That spirit of independence is on brand for a Gray Jedi.
Ahsoka Tano is probably the most famous example of a Gray Jedi in Star Wars. She left the Jedi Order after she was falsely accused of bombing a Jedi Tower hanger. Instead of standing by her, the Jedi Council assumed she was guilty without doing an investigation and were willing to turn her over to authorities to appease the Senate. Even after Ahsoka cleared her name, she refused to return to the Order and forged a new path for herself.
Cal Kestis, from the Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Survivor games, leans Gray in his attitude more than his abilities. He operates on his own moral code, and has done some questionable things to survive. But his powers stay mostly on the light side territory.
Grogu is an interesting case. He chose the Mandalorian way over completing his Jedi training, a decision fueled by his attachment to Din Djarin. He’s shown he can tap into the dark side, but it drains him. Like Cal, he’s more of an independent Force user than a textbook gray Jedi.
Being a Gray Jedi goes beyond using both light and dark side abilities. You’re someone who refuses to let anyone else define what the Force means to you.
Devon Izara is Already Losing Faith
When we first meet Devon in Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, she’s hiding on the planet Janix with her master, Eeko-Dio Daki. The Empire is in its early days with the surviving Jedi in hiding after Order 66 killed most of them. Devon is surviving but barely.
Her master wants to stay hidden. Trust that the kindness of strangers will be enough. Devon disagrees with this philosophy. She tries to steal food for them and gets caught. It’s a small moment, but it shows she’s becoming disillusioned with the Jedi’s teachings as they navigate a new world under Palpatine’s rule.
Maul has Force visions of Devon, leading him to think she could be a potential apprentice. He breaks her out of jail and starts manipulating her into seeing the world the way he does. He tells Devon what she wants to hear: that the ways of the Jedi are outdated. That the Order’s passiveness led to their demise, or how the Jedi should be viewed as heroes instead of traitors.
There’s some truth in what Maul is saying. The Jedi Order did fail due to its refusal to adapt. But Maul is a predator who’s good at reading people. He wants to use her as a weapon against the Empire, and maybe recreate the relationship he had with his brother Savage Oppress.
Devon’s voice actress Gideon Adlon has described her as someone who “lets her curiosity guide her down the path that maybe she’s meant to be on… or maybe she isn’t. But she wants to figure it out.”
Could Devon Become Darth Talon One Day?
Many fans believe Devon will become Darth Talon, a Twi’lek Sith apprentice from the Star Wars: Legacy comics. Taking place over 127 years after the events of A New Hope, Darth Talon is a Sith Lady and one of the galaxy’s deadliest warriors.
She served as an enemy to Luke Skywalker’s descendant Cade Skywalker, and sometimes his lover on occasion. She quickly became a fan favorite, which made the decanonization of the Legends continuity even more devastating.
George Lucas reportedly planned for Maul to take a Twi’lek apprentice in a sequel trilogy that was scrapped once Disney bought the rights to the franchise. Dave Filoni, who worked with Lucas on Star Wars: The Clone Wars and is considered to be his protégé, used elements of Lucas’s original plans for Maul – Shadow Lord.
But the way Devon is being written suggests that may not be the case.
Maul’s corruption works best on characters who want power or feel overlooked. Devon only wants to survive. She wants to stop hiding and take action. Those are deeply human needs that align more with the light side of the Force. Maul’s teachings will eventually disgust Devon over time.
Devon’s Journey Could Mirror Ahsoka
The comparison to Ahsoka Tano is not accidental. Both are padawans who survived a catastrophe that destroyed everything they knew. They were forced to reckon with the flaws baked into the Jedi Order while figuring out what their beliefs should be.
However, Ahsoka has some advantages Devon doesn’t have. She had years of training under Anakin Skywalker. She had the time to figure things out. Devon is younger, and never had that kind of luxury thanks to Order 66.
The path to being a Gray Jedi isn’t a clean or easy path. You’re walking the line between light and dark. You’re constantly rejecting the lure of the dark side and the strict dogma of the Jedi Council. Being a Gray requires an enormous amount of internal strength.
Devon isn’t there yet, but she could get to that point one day. That kind of potential is what makes her story so interesting.
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is now streaming on Disney+. Two new episodes premiere every Monday at 3:00 a.m. ET/ 12:00 a.m. PT until May 4th, 2026.
