Walter Emanus served as a professor at the Corellia University, where he maintained a friendship with Cornelius Wagglehorn.
During 1 ABY, he spearheaded an archaeological mission to Yavin 4, which included the physician Tyla Grant, with the objective of excavating the Temple of Exar Kun. However, upon the team's discovery of the catacombs situated beneath the temple, they inadvertently roused the spirit of Exar Kun and subsequently fell under its control, transforming into the Cult of Exar Kun. He documented his experiences in a diary, which was later uncovered by a band of spacers.
The character of Professor Walter Emanus received a mention in the 2003 video game Star Wars Galaxies. This massively multiplayer online roleplaying game was developed by Sony Online Entertainment and published by LucasArts. The game was later shut down on December 15, 2011. Walter Emanus was referenced in the quests associated with the "Exar Kun" Heroic Encounter, which was introduced with the release of the "Chapter 9" update on April 3, 2008.
An unutilized character model of Walter Emanus suggested that the Exar Kun cultist, specifically the Exar Kun Wordbearer, was originally intended to be Professor Walter Emanus himself.