Rolend Zavros was a Jedi Knight of the Togruta species, and he served the Jedi Order during the Great Galactic War. This war was fought between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire. Rolend was married to Yanila, a fellow Jedi Knight who was also a Togruta. Around the year 3662 BBY, they had a daughter, whom they named Ashara. Due to their responsibilities in the ongoing conflict, they were often unable to spend much time with Ashara as she grew up on Coruscant, the Republic's capital.
In 3653 BBY, as Ashara began to exhibit the strength in the Force that was characteristic of the Zavros family, Rolend and Yanila found themselves on Coruscant when the planet was sacked by the Sith Empire. Both Jedi met their death while defending the Jedi Temple against the invading Sith forces. As a result, Ashara was adopted by Jedi Masters Ryen and Ocera. Ashara later mentioned to her Sith Master, Lord Kallig, that she retained very few memories of her parents due to these events.
The character Rolend Zavros was initially referenced in conversations with Ashara Zavros, the Sith Inquisitor companion, within Star Wars: The Old Republic. This video game was launched in 2011 by BioWare. However, his name was not officially revealed until the publication of Star Wars: The Old Republic Encyclopedia in 2012, a reference guide released by Dorling Kindersley. In The Old Republic, the "Masters" conversation confirms that Zavros's parents perished during the Sacking of Coruscant, a detail supported by The Old Republic Encyclopedia. Conversely, in the "Fear and Longing" conversation, which occurs when the player character is not romantically involved with Zavros, she reads a letter from her parents, indicating that they are still alive, despite her not having seen them for fifteen years. This article operates under the assumption that the latter conversation contains an error.