diff --git a/src/backend/access/transam/parallel.c b/src/backend/access/transam/parallel.c
index 867ccf855d9..637f0dd9a46 100644
--- a/src/backend/access/transam/parallel.c
+++ b/src/backend/access/transam/parallel.c
@@ -70,9 +70,11 @@ typedef struct FixedParallelState
 	Oid			database_id;
 	Oid			authenticated_user_id;
 	Oid			current_user_id;
+	Oid			outer_user_id;
 	Oid			temp_namespace_id;
 	Oid			temp_toast_namespace_id;
 	int			sec_context;
+	bool		is_superuser;
 	PGPROC	   *parallel_master_pgproc;
 	pid_t		parallel_master_pid;
 	BackendId	parallel_master_backend_id;
@@ -310,6 +312,8 @@ InitializeParallelDSM(ParallelContext *pcxt)
 		shm_toc_allocate(pcxt->toc, sizeof(FixedParallelState));
 	fps->database_id = MyDatabaseId;
 	fps->authenticated_user_id = GetAuthenticatedUserId();
+	fps->outer_user_id = GetCurrentRoleId();
+	fps->is_superuser = session_auth_is_superuser;
 	GetUserIdAndSecContext(&fps->current_user_id, &fps->sec_context);
 	GetTempNamespaceState(&fps->temp_namespace_id,
 						  &fps->temp_toast_namespace_id);
@@ -1126,6 +1130,13 @@ ParallelWorkerMain(Datum main_arg)
 	 */
 	InvalidateSystemCaches();
 
+	/*
+	 * Restore current role id.  Skip verifying whether session user is
+	 * allowed to become this role and blindly restore the leader's state for
+	 * current role.
+	 */
+	SetCurrentRoleId(fps->outer_user_id, fps->is_superuser);
+
 	/* Restore user ID and security context. */
 	SetUserIdAndSecContext(fps->current_user_id, fps->sec_context);
 
diff --git a/src/backend/utils/misc/guc.c b/src/backend/utils/misc/guc.c
index 4f1891f8440..7b8e108982b 100644
--- a/src/backend/utils/misc/guc.c
+++ b/src/backend/utils/misc/guc.c
@@ -424,6 +424,7 @@ bool		default_with_oids = false;
 bool		SQL_inheritance = true;
 
 bool		Password_encryption = true;
+bool		session_auth_is_superuser;
 
 int			log_min_error_statement = ERROR;
 int			log_min_messages = WARNING;
@@ -470,7 +471,6 @@ int			huge_pages;
  * and is kept in sync by assign_hooks.
  */
 static char *syslog_ident_str;
-static bool session_auth_is_superuser;
 static double phony_random_seed;
 static char *client_encoding_string;
 static char *datestyle_string;
@@ -8873,12 +8873,18 @@ read_nondefault_variables(void)
  * constants; a few, like server_encoding and lc_ctype, are handled specially
  * outside the serialize/restore procedure.  Therefore, SerializeGUCState()
  * never sends these, and RestoreGUCState() never changes them.
+ *
+ * Role is a special variable in the sense that its current value can be an
+ * invalid value and there are multiple ways by which that can happen (like
+ * after setting the role, someone drops it).  So we handle it outside of
+ * serialize/restore machinery.
  */
 static bool
 can_skip_gucvar(struct config_generic * gconf)
 {
 	return gconf->context == PGC_POSTMASTER ||
-		gconf->context == PGC_INTERNAL || gconf->source == PGC_S_DEFAULT;
+		gconf->context == PGC_INTERNAL || gconf->source == PGC_S_DEFAULT ||
+		strcmp(gconf->name, "role") == 0;
 }
 
 /*
@@ -9139,7 +9145,6 @@ SerializeGUCState(Size maxsize, char *start_address)
 	Size		actual_size;
 	Size		bytes_left;
 	int			i;
-	int			i_role = -1;
 
 	/* Reserve space for saving the actual size of the guc state */
 	Assert(maxsize > sizeof(actual_size));
@@ -9147,19 +9152,7 @@ SerializeGUCState(Size maxsize, char *start_address)
 	bytes_left = maxsize - sizeof(actual_size);
 
 	for (i = 0; i < num_guc_variables; i++)
-	{
-		/*
-		 * It's pretty ugly, but we've got to force "role" to be initialized
-		 * after "session_authorization"; otherwise, the latter will override
-		 * the former.
-		 */
-		if (strcmp(guc_variables[i]->name, "role") == 0)
-			i_role = i;
-		else
-			serialize_variable(&curptr, &bytes_left, guc_variables[i]);
-	}
-	if (i_role >= 0)
-		serialize_variable(&curptr, &bytes_left, guc_variables[i_role]);
+		serialize_variable(&curptr, &bytes_left, guc_variables[i]);
 
 	/* Store actual size without assuming alignment of start_address. */
 	actual_size = maxsize - bytes_left - sizeof(actual_size);
diff --git a/src/include/utils/guc.h b/src/include/utils/guc.h
index 0bf9f210678..4e3e15906ac 100644
--- a/src/include/utils/guc.h
+++ b/src/include/utils/guc.h
@@ -245,6 +245,7 @@ extern bool log_btree_build_stats;
 extern PGDLLIMPORT bool check_function_bodies;
 extern bool default_with_oids;
 extern bool SQL_inheritance;
+extern bool	session_auth_is_superuser;
 
 extern int	log_min_error_statement;
 extern int	log_min_messages;
diff --git a/src/test/regress/expected/select_parallel.out b/src/test/regress/expected/select_parallel.out
index 2286fafab39..164c4bd61c9 100644
--- a/src/test/regress/expected/select_parallel.out
+++ b/src/test/regress/expected/select_parallel.out
@@ -99,7 +99,21 @@ explain (costs off)
    ->  Index Only Scan using tenk1_unique1 on tenk1
 (3 rows)
 
+-- test the sanity of parallel query after the active role is dropped.
 set force_parallel_mode=1;
+drop role if exists regress_parallel_worker;
+NOTICE:  role "regress_parallel_worker" does not exist, skipping
+create role regress_parallel_worker;
+set role regress_parallel_worker;
+reset session authorization;
+drop role regress_parallel_worker;
+select count(*) from tenk1;
+ count 
+-------
+ 10000
+(1 row)
+
+reset role;
 explain (costs off)
   select stringu1::int2 from tenk1 where unique1 = 1;
                   QUERY PLAN                   
diff --git a/src/test/regress/sql/select_parallel.sql b/src/test/regress/sql/select_parallel.sql
index 38d3166742c..e310c096811 100644
--- a/src/test/regress/sql/select_parallel.sql
+++ b/src/test/regress/sql/select_parallel.sql
@@ -39,7 +39,15 @@ explain (costs off)
 	select  sum(parallel_restricted(unique1)) from tenk1
 	group by(parallel_restricted(unique1));
 
+-- test the sanity of parallel query after the active role is dropped.
 set force_parallel_mode=1;
+drop role if exists regress_parallel_worker;
+create role regress_parallel_worker;
+set role regress_parallel_worker;
+reset session authorization;
+drop role regress_parallel_worker;
+select count(*) from tenk1;
+reset role;
 
 explain (costs off)
   select stringu1::int2 from tenk1 where unique1 = 1;