43: Marc Okrand, creator of the Klingon & Vulcan Languages

Without today's guest, the universe of Star Trek would sound very different. Marc Okrand is the man behind Klingon, Vulcan, Kelpien, and languages for other shows & films. 

 

Before his time on Trek, Marc earned a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of California, Berkeley, specializing in indigenous languages of the west coast of America, and was a post-doctoral fellow in the Anthropology Department of the Smithsonian Institute.

 

We learn about how Marc became connected to the Star Trek universe thanks to his work on TV during the early days of closed captioning, and what he contributed to the Vulcan language in "Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan" and the creation of the Klingon language in "Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock". There, Marc worked directly with star & director Leonard Nimoy and Christopher Lloyd on-set to make sure the lines were correct.

 

Marc continued to expand on the Klingon language through the years, contributing to other Star Trek films & TV shows, and later created the Kelpien language for "Star Trek: Discovery." His work also includes the Atlantean language for the Disney animated film "Atlantis" and discusses the rumor that he was the inspiration for the main character Milo's look. He's also written a few books on speaking Klingon and is always figuring out new words and phrases for fans and shows alike!

 

We have an in-depth discussion on how a language is created and how to make a fictional one sound real. No stone is left unturned on this episode of "Trek Untold," so get ready for a lesson on linguistics and Star Trek like you've never heard before!

Check out some of Marc's books, our Amazon Affiliate links, which help us out at no extra cost to you!

 

• The Klingon Dictionary - https://amzn.to/33DLwh0

• Klingon for the Galactic Traveler - https://amzn.to/3oleQkn

 

Check out Lycia Naff's charity, Drive-By Do-Gooders, at this link here - https://www.drivebydogooders.org/

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Trek Untold is sponsored by Triple-Fiction Productions, a US-based company that 3-D prints Trek-inspired prop replicas for fan films and cosplayers, as well as accessories and playsets for all iterations of Trek figures through the years. Visit them at Triple-Fictionproductions.net.

 

The views expressed on air during Trek Untold do not represent the views of the RAGE Works staff, partners, or affiliates.

 

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