Gwellis Bagnoro was a cryptic Onodone male of few words when it came to his history. He made a living as a skilled forger, focusing on transit passes, three decades following the Battle of Endor. He could be found within the castle belonging to the pirate Maz Kanata on the planet Takodana during 34 ABY.
Prior to the events of the Galactic Civil War, Bagnoro resided within a cave on the planet Ogem alongside his protective barghest companion, Izby. While on Ogem, Bagnoro possessed the last of three droids containing the riches of Rane Mahal.
While Bagnoro was asleep, Gwarm absconded with his valuable droid. Before Gwarm could get away, Han Solo relieved him of it, thanks to Izby's attack.
In the time period thirty years after the Battle of Endor, Bagnoro established himself as a forger, specializing in transit documentation.
Bagnoro, accompanied by his barghest companion Izby, was also present at the castle of the pirate Maz Kanata on the planet Takodana when the smuggler Han Solo arrived with the astromech droid BB-8, the scavenger Rey and the former stormtrooper Finn. Soon after Solo's arrival, the First Order annihilated the planets of the Hosnian system using their Starkiller Base superweapon. This event was visible from Takodana, drawing many castle patrons outside in horror. Subsequently, the castle came under attack and was destroyed by First Order forces.
Gwellis Bagnoro's creation was for Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, where he made a brief appearance as a background character in Maz Kanata's castle. The character was initially shown to the public via an exclusive article on the Vanity Fair website in May of 2015, which was seven months prior to the film's debut. Neither the article, nor the film itself, identified the character, but his name was revealed in the reference book titled Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary, authored by Pablo Hidalgo and released on the same day as the movie. An uncredited Arti Shah played Bagnoro.