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The linguists behind Hollywood's alien worlds

George Takei predicted Star Trek would be too sophisticated to last — but he says he's happy to have been proved wrong.
The Kobal Collection
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Paramount Television
George Takei predicted Star Trek would be too sophisticated to last — but he says he's happy to have been proved wrong.

They may sound out of this world, but languages like Klingon and Na’vi were created right here on earth by linguists.

And this Thursday the brilliant minds behind those alien languages will be visiting Boise State University to share how they contributed to the famous worlds of Star Trek and Avatar.

Dr. Marc Okrand, the creator of Klingon, and Dr. Michal Temkin Martinez, professor and chair of the linguistics department at Boise State University, join Idaho Matters to talk more.

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Hi, my name is Hannah and I’m the assistant producer for the Idaho Matters show here at BSPR. If you have a suggestion for an Idaho Matters segment, please email idahomatters@boisestate.edu.

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