Melas frequented Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina in the Mos Eisley spaceport of Tatooine, a planet, in 0 BBY, and was a Sarkan patron. As Luke Skywalker, a local moisture farmer, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi Master, entered, seeking a pilot for transport to Alderaan, Melas sat in a booth to the entrance's left, conversing in Sarkese and smoking a pipe. Soon after the pair arrived, while Melas remained seated and smoking, Kenobi and Skywalker had a conflict at the bar with Ponda Baba and Doctor Cornelius Evazan, both criminals. The Sarkan had mottled gray skin, blue eyes, and wore a red turban and red and tan robes while in the cantina.
Melas made their debut appearance in the Special Edition re-release of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, the 1977 film, on January 31, 1997. The character's creation occurred when John Knoll observed that the back of the alien Ketwol's head resembled a distinct alien face, prompting him to suggest filming it. Howie Weed, the lead creature designer, crafted the Ketwol puppet at the Industrial Light & Magic creature shop located in San Rafael, using concept sketches created by Terryl Whitlatch as a guide.
Weed started sculpting the head and shoulders for Ketwol using water-based clay on the same day he received the sketch, and in a little over a week, he had created a rubber and foam puppet. Several takes of it were the shot on the San Rafael main stage over a couple of hours, and it was during this time that Knoll suggested they flip the puppet around and film the back side as well.
Anne Polland, the wardrobe supervisor, assembled a new Tatooine-appropriate outfit, utilizing a turban to conceal the puppet's trunk and tusks. Mark Siegel also fashioned a makeshift hookah pipe equipped with a tube for blowing smoke. Subsequently, they filmed additional footage of this newly conceived alien, which became known as Melas. The Melas footage replaced a shot of Arleil Schous, a character whose off-the-shelf mask had long bothered George Lucas, the director.
Within current Star Wars canon, Melas was initially identified on a card issued in 2015 via the Star Wars: Card Trader app, published by The Topps Company, Inc.. The name Melas originated within the Star Wars Legends continuity, initially appearing in Star Wars Trilogy Sourcebook, Special Edition, a supplement for West End Games' Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, released on October 1, 1997.