In 3 ABY, the Galactic Empire occupied Bespin with intent to capture the Rebel Alliance's light freighter Millennium Falcon. When the Millennium Falcon landed on Cloud City's Platform 327, Mer'darro and other Wing Guard troopers accompanied the city's Baron Administrator, Lando Calrissian and his chief administrative aide, Lobot, in greeting the freighter's occupants. Upon Lobot's command, the Wing Guard troopers left Calrissian and his aide alone with the Falcons occupants, who were unaware Calrissian was in truth leading them into an Imperial trap.
Fantes Mer'darro was created for the 1980 original trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, released on May 21 of that year. Prior to the film's release, he first appeared simultaneously in Shep Steneman's The Empire Strikes Back Storybook and the film's novelization, written by Donald F. Glut. Both of the publications were released on April 12 of the same year. Mer'darro's scene was filmed between April 5 and April 12, 1979 on stage 2 of Elstree Studios.
On March 11, 2014, Mer'darro was first named by the article "Rogues Gallery: The Cloud City Wing Guards," published in the Star Wars Insider magazine's 148th issue. Kevin Beentjes, Sander de Lange, and Tim Veekhoven, who wrote the article, stated that nearly all of the Wing Guard members described were "good guys" who opposed the corruption that was prevalent under the leadership of Cloud City's previous Baron Administrator, Dominic Raynor—with the exception of the ones who had been previously established to have been corrupt. They further talked about naming Mer'darro after fellow Star Wars fan Stefan Pfister, and also making him a Balosar "to break to mold of having only human characters."
Fantes Mer'darro was created for the 1980 original trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, released on May 21 of that year. Prior to the film's release, he first appeared simultaneously in Shep Steneman's The Empire Strikes Back Storybook and the film's novelization, written by Donald F. Glut. Both of the publications were released on April 12 of the same year. Mer'darro's scene was filmed between April 5 and April 12, 1979 on stage 2 of Elstree Studios.
On March 11, 2014, Mer'darro was first named by the article "Rogues Gallery: The Cloud City Wing Guards," published in the Star Wars Insider magazine's 148th issue. Kevin Beentjes, Sander de Lange, and Tim Veekhoven, who wrote the article, stated that nearly all of the Wing Guard members described were "good guys" who opposed the corruption that was prevalent under the leadership of Cloud City's previous Baron Administrator, Dominic Raynor—with the exception of the ones who had been previously established to have been corrupt. They further talked about naming Mer'darro after fellow Star Wars fan Stefan Pfister, and also making him a Balosar "to break to mold of having only human characters."