Koth Melan was a member of the Bothan Spynet during the Galactic Civil War. Since the Galactic Empire had executed his father in 17 BBY for supposed treason, Melan was sympathetic to the Alliance to Restore the Republic and sought to help them in order to regain his honor. In 3 ABY, his agents caught wind of a new Imperial military project that could pose a threat to the Alliance. He attempted to contact Leia Organa, but his message was instead intercepted by Luke Skywalker and Dash Rendar.
This proved to be a stroke of luck for Melan, since data pertinent to the project would be passing through the Both system on the Mobquet medium transport Suprosa. He enlisted Commander Skywalker to train the Bothan pilots of Blue Squadron, and then, aboard Dash Rendar's ship, the Outrider, participated in the First Battle of Bothawui. With the data retrieved, Melan directed Skywalker and Rendar to Kothlis, where a team of Bothan slicers could decipher the data. While Melan's team were working on the retrieval, the Kothlis safehouse was attacked by Barabel bounty hunters, and in the ensuing gunfight, Melan was shot and killed. Agent Borsk Fey'lya was able to escape with the data, however, and it was eventually discovered to be the plans for the Death Star II.