Roa was a male Human smuggler who made his base of operations on Nar Shaddaa for a significant number of years, and through his actions, became known as one of the most respectable smugglers to have existed.
Roa's Rules, an informal set of guidelines followed by smugglers who wanted to maintain good relationships with both their clients and the governing authorities, was created by Roa. He often shared his expertise with new smugglers, one of whom was Han Solo. Roa was the one who took Han on his inaugural Kessel Run, as well as his first trip to Smuggler's Run.
For a considerable time, Roa pursued a woman named Lwyll and repeatedly asked her to marriage, but she consistently declined unless he gave up his smuggling career. Their unusual relationship was well-known throughout the Corellian sector, and it was obvious to everyone that they were in love. Shortly before the Battle of Nar Shaddaa, Roa proposed once more, promising to retire from smuggling, and Lwyll accepted. However, Roa responded to the call to defend against the approaching Imperial invasion.
Roa served as a scout, flying his personalized starfighter that he had named the Lwyll, after his soon-to-be wife. When he first spotted the Imperial attack force, Roa nearly panicked and froze up, but he quickly recovered. While racing back to Nar Shaddaa, Roa's ship took serious damage, and he barely managed to avoid crashing. Nevertheless, he managed to escape his burning ship just before it exploded. After the battle concluded, Roa settled down and married Lwyll.
Han encountered Roa and Lwyll again while visiting the Corporate Sector, where they had relocated from Nar Shaddaa.
Many years later, Han would cross paths with Roa again – during the initial stages of the Yuuzhan Vong War. While aimlessly wandering through his familiar haunts after the death of Chewbacca, Han came across Roa, who was actively seeking vengeance against the invaders because they had killed Lwyll. Through the shared experiences of Han and Roa during this period, Han found the inner strength needed to return to his family and seek revenge for Chewbacca's death.
Roa, along with Fasgo, was captured by the Yuuzhan Vong at the Battle of Ord Mantell and forced to work as a slave tending a yammosk aboard the Crèche. Han Solo later rescued him.