The philosophical heresy known as Potentium, formerly called Relativism, represented a particular perspective on the Force. Its adherents diverged from the conventional understanding that divided the Force into opposing aspects of light and dark. Moreover, they employed the term "Potentium" to describe the Force itself, rather than using the more commonplace designation, "the Force," that was prevalent throughout the galaxy.
In stark opposition to the established teachings of the Jedi Order spanning millennia, those who followed Potentium asserted that embracing the Force held no inherent evil. They made the heretical claim that what was commonly referred to as the light side of the Force was, in reality, simply the Force in its pure form, inherently good. Consequently, what others labeled as the dark side was viewed as a corruption of the Force, a distortion caused by those who wielded it. This belief system was initially recognized as relativism.
The proponents of Potentium argued that the capacity for both light and dark resided within the individual user, not within the Force itself. They believed that the Jedi were simply unwilling to explore the Force's full potential. They further posited that Jedi Masters rejected the Potentium view because its acceptance would render the Jedi obsolete, as evil would cease to exist. According to their understanding, the absence of a dark side implied the absence of dark-side actions or Force techniques; essentially, any action, regardless of its nature (good or evil), could be performed without consequence, provided the intention behind it was not malevolent. Some Jedi speculated that the Potentium might have originated as a Sith plot to undermine Jedi doctrines. The perilous conclusion drawn from this philosophy was that any action could be justified under the guise of noble intentions, leading radical adherents to believe they were incapable of harboring ill will.
Approximately a century before the Battle of Naboo, followers of Potentium were expelled from the Jedi Order, mirroring the Order's stance on Gray Jedi, whom they deemed "misguided." While Yoda and the Jedi High Council did not classify them as Dark Jedi, they maintained that the Jedi's duty was to utilize the Force for the protection of others, not to explore its absolute boundaries. The Council cautioned that pushing the Force to its limits would inevitably lead to the dark side.
Certain followers of this doctrine believed that Jedi could freely engage in acts such as unleashing dark-side lightning or crushing the throats of their adversaries using the Force to instill terror, provided these actions were carried out with good intentions. It is important to note that some adherents of Potentium still made efforts to avoid the dark side. However, they perceived the dark side as an internal struggle to be overcome, rather than an inherent aspect of the Force itself. Their rationale was that if the Force was the energy that permeated all life, the dark side stemmed solely from the corruption of humanity. They believed that achieving perfect morality would grant them immunity to the dark side, allowing them to utilize any technique without consequence. This viewpoint bore some resemblance to the Unifying Force theory of the Force.
By 43 ABY, both Jedi and followers of this philosophy recognized it as heretical. The Sith also viewed it as misguided, with Sidious himself being disabused of this notion early in his Sith training.
The Potentium was first theorized in 132 BBY, although the original radical relativistic theory had posed a threat to the Jedi since at least the era of Darth Bane. The New Jedi Order suspected this line of thought to potentially be a Sith scheme aimed at disrupting the followers of the light side, though they believed Hal was unaware of this possibility. Leor Hal served as the leader of the Potentium at the time of their expulsion from the Jedi Order. Prior to their expulsion, Hal had successfully recruited numerous students from aspiring Jedi within the prominent aristocratic families of Coruscant and Alderaan.
Sekot, the sentient essence of the planet Zonama Sekot, embraced Potentium after its awakening, following the colonization of the planet by exiled followers under their initial Magister, Hal. The colonists viewed Zonama Sekot as proof of the Potentium philosophy, and Sekot eventually came to regard itself as the protector of the Force (although some critics pointed out that this protectorship was self-proclaimed). Sekot later admitted to a young Anakin Skywalker that it was, in fact, not the Potentium.
Sometime before 44 BBY, Jedi Masters Qui-Gon Jinn and Mace Windu encountered a group of Potentium apprentices.