A Human male, Malakili was born on Corellia. He became involved with Gargonn the Hutt's Circus Horrificus, a traveling menagerie that displayed monstrous creatures throughout the galaxy, in which he became a professional beast handler and monster trainer. In 22 BBY, Malakili was sold by the Circus Horrificus to Jabba Desilijic Tiure, a Hutt crime lord and shipping magnate in the Outer Rim Territories. There, Malakili forged a close bond with the rancor, such that the creature would allow him to treat its wounds and eat meals with it.