A male merchant was a member of a species from the planet Escalan. Between around 8 BBY and 2 BBY, the merchant offered to help the smuggler Han Solo leave Escalan aboard his ship. As the ship left the planet, Solo reluctantly pulled his blaster out and aimed it at the merchant in order to take control of the ship and use it to the travel to the Prison Planet Gulhadar to rescue his friend Chewbacca, who had been sentenced to death there by the Benelex Marshal Service.