Zelor was a Human male, and served as the royal regent for King Lorac along with Queen Denira of the planet Velmor. This occurred roughly two decades prior to the Galactic Civil War. In 17 BBY, Zelor participated in an Imperial-backed coup, and then governed the planet for the subsequent twenty years. During this time, Anod, the old monarchs' younger son, awaited his chance to rule. Zelor, however, was secretly plotting to seize absolute power for himself; his plans were ultimately thwarted by the return of crown prince Denid to Velmor in 3 ABY. As punishment for his betrayal, Zelor met his death at the hands of Denid's friend, Rebel Commander Luke Skywalker.
Zelor, a Human male born on the planet Velmor, held the position of Lord Regent under King Lorac and Queen Denira as the Galactic Empire was gaining power. In 17 BBY, the Empire instigated an uprising against Lorac and Denira, after discovering the king's sympathies for the rebellion. With a coup imminent, Zelor made his own arrangement with the Imperial Diplomatic Corps, assuring the Imperials that Anod, the monarchs' younger son, would serve the Empire as king. A mob then stormed the royal palace, killing both the king and queen, while leaving Anod unharmed, as agreed. However, crown prince Denid survived and escaped to an unknown location. Velmorian tradition dictated that 20 years must pass before Denid could be declared dead and the throne could pass to Anod. During this period, Zelor governed Velmor as regent in Anod's place.
In 3 ABY, the 20-year deadline arrived, and the group in charge of Velmor—comprising Zelor and Imperial diplomat Zeta Traal—quickly moved to crown Anod as the new king. However, Denid made a dramatic return during the coronation ceremony, just as the crown was about to be placed on his younger brother's head. Zelor immediately recognized Denid and publicly welcomed him back to Velmor, although this development was undesirable for several reasons. The regent had no intention of allowing the Rebel sympathizer to take the throne, and had previously sent his own agents to locate Denid, believing he had traced his signal to the planet Tantajoc V. From the moment Denid returned, Zelor began working secretly to eliminate him as a threat once again. When Royal Physician Chozz Wardle submitted a report confirming Denid's physical and mental fitness to assume the throne, Zelor had Wardle and his entire staff executed.
Despite publicly calling for a celebration of the crown prince's return, Zelor was secretly plotting his assassination. Zelor and Traal approached one of Denid's companions—a bounty hunter known as "Korl Marcus"—and offered him a large sum of money to kill Denid and the crown prince's betrothed, Loren. Simultaneously, Zelor planned to eliminate Anod as well, and seize the throne for himself. However, using Marcus proved to be a critical mistake: "Marcus" was actually Rebel Commander Luke Skywalker, while "Loren" was secretly Rebel leader Leia Organa. Skywalker warned Denid and Organa before the trap was sprung during the traditional Mrid Hunt the following day. Zelor then sent Anod himself to carry out the task. The resulting firefight led to Anod's death, and Zelor was next to die, as he found himself on the receiving end of Skywalker's lightsaber.
Driven by a lust for power, Zelor's ultimate aim was the destruction of the bloodline of the House of Lorac, which would pave the way for his own house to rule Velmor. During his 20-year rule as regent on the Velmorian throne, the Lord Regent grew accustomed to power, and had no desire to relinquish authority to the new monarch. Zelor was a schemer, adept at feigning friendship while plotting behind his opponents' backs—a duplicity that was sometimes noticed by those he encountered.
However, despite his ambitious goals, Zelor was viewed as little more than a "provincial fool" by his Imperial contacts. Zelor, in turn, directed the same disdain towards Anod, whom he considered an idiot and a mere puppet of his superiors. Zelor was an extremely skilled duelist with the traditional Velmorian energy sword, but his talents were ultimately inferior to Skywalker's.
Zelor's first appearance was in Star Wars (1977) 49, written by Mike W. Barr and released in 1981. Walter Simonson provided the illustrations of Zelor in the comic.