Wayseeker was a title of the Jedi Order that signified a Jedi who wished to operate independently of the Jedi High Council and its dictates. Wayseekers had been known to undergo solitary meditation on mountaintops and assist revolutionaries against planetary tyrants. While the position was active during the High Republic Era, it did not exist into the late Republic Era.
During the High Republic Era, Gella Nattai hoped to become a Wayseeker and explained the title to Path of the Closed Fist member Binnot Ullo, whom she deduced was someone who wanted to be his own boss. In one memorable case, a Jedi Wayseeker became a minor singing sensation on Alderaan. Orla Jareni was a Jedi who declared herself to be a Wayseeker during the High Republic Era.
At some point the practice apparently fell out of favor. When Obi-Wan Kenobi, as a Padawan, discovered a record of Jareni in 41 BBY, he was intrigued by her designation as a Wayseeker. He did not think it was something that was allowed anymore, noting that the concept seemed rooted in defiance of the Council and that if it were allowed, Qui-Gon Jinn would be one.
The title of Wayseeker first appeared in the 2021 novel The High Republic: Into the Dark, written by Claudia Gray.
In the Star Wars Legends continuity, the term Gray Jedi sometimes described fully trained Jedi who operated independently of the Jedi Council, and specified that they may not necessarily have been users of the dark side, which was first introduced in the 2004 video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords.
- Star Wars: The High Republic: Chronicles of the Jedi
- Star Wars: Timelines
- Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia