A male Vuman merchant named Vane Sarpo plied his trade during the High Republic Era. Sarpo's history includes a period as a mercenary, where he fought with Velko Jahen of the Soikan during the civil war that engulfed Soika. He eventually transitioned away from being a hired gun, instead working from the starship known as the Rapscallion's Heart with the Peasle named Clune. During this period, the Nihil pirates forced Sarpo to work for them. To ensure his compliance, they gave him technological tattoos that allowed Clune to inflict pain on him if he disobeyed. In 231 BBY, Sarpo and Clune made their way to the Starlight Beacon space station carrying smuggled weaponry concealed beneath Jedi souvenirs. It was on the station that he encountered Jahen once more, who now served as the station's administrator. However, Jahen, along with Jedi Master Sskeer, uncovered the smuggling operation, leading Jahen to suspect Sarpo of working for the Nihil.
Vane Sarpo's character was conceived for The High Republic multimedia project that launched in 2021. His debut appearance occurred in the short story "Starlight: Past Mistakes" penned by Cavan Scott, featured in issues 205 and 206 of the Star Wars Insider magazine. The character's design was inspired by early concept art created by Iain McCaig for Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. Originally, the character was to be named Vane Sarpen, and he was intended to be a recurring figure in the Star Wars: The High Republic comic series. However, his role was ultimately cut to allow for greater focus on the characters Keeve Trennis and Sskeer and their respective story arcs.