Dobias Cole-Truten was a human scraping by on Jedha. His livelihood came from trapping and selling silichordate worms, which other merchants then transformed into food. Due to a persistent respiratory ailment acquired from excavations close to Jedha's kyber mines, he needed a rebreather. Baze Malbus, among others, knew Cole-Truten for selling exceptionally awful worms. In 0 BBY, Cole-Truten found himself in Jedha City when the Galactic Empire's Death Star attacked, leading to his death in the ensuing devastation.
The initial glimpse of Dobias Cole-Truten was in promotional footage for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, unveiled at Celebration Europe on July 15, 2016. Subsequently, he appeared in the movie itself, which premiered in North America on December 15 of that same year. Although unnamed within the film, Cole's identity was revealed in Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide, a reference book published the day following the movie's release.