Giraffe joins us to talk about her early introduction to languages with Stargate and The Mummy. She explains the difference between scripts and languages. She also answers important questions like: Does Yoda talk that way just to be different? and Why does anyone hang out with C-3PO? We also get into the inevitable discussion of AI's role in translating and understanding ancient languages and scripts, as well as how the Empire removing people from their individual cultures comes straight from the colonizer's playbook.

Check out Giraffe on the Star Trek podcast Strange New pod, which is live every Thursday at 6:30pm Pacific time! And find her on Instagram and BlueSky!

We mentioned some relevant past episodes during this discussion: check out our languages episode with David Peterson, who created languages for Game of Thrones, Marvel movies, and more, and our anti-fascism episode with historian and author Chris Kempshall.

You can order James's crossword puzzle book now! For a free puzzle, download the activity kit from Star Wars Reads!

Subscribe to Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here!

Follow us on BlueSky and Instagram or join our Facebook fan group!

Star Warsologies is a podcast about science and other fields in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.

As a holiday bonus, please enjoy this recording of a panel from San Diego Comic-Con 2025 - Celebrating the Puppetry Arts!

Panel Description: Puppets have entertained and educated the masses for centuries but the artistry also changes and advances with new technology. Professional puppet builders and performers share insights from their careers working on franchises like Star Wars and the Muppet movies, as well as their experiences with non-traditional puppetry like animatronics, motion capture, and claymation. Panelists include Cheralyn Lambeth (puppet builder, Dinosaurs!, Avenue Q), Kirk Thatcher (writer and director, The Muppets Haunted Mansion), and Fon Davis (model maker, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline). Moderated by Melissa T. Miller (Star Warsologies podcast).

Links from the panel discussion:

Check out Adam Kreutinger's @PuppetNerd YouTube Channel and the Stan Winston School for puppetry building tips.

Watch the Tested video Fon mentioned where he shows Adam Savage around Fonco Studio's effects lab.

Here's the TikTok video Kirk mentioned where the baby in Dinosaurs talks back to the director.

If you want to hear more about Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas, check out the LA Comic Con panel about those movies that Melissa and Fon did together in 2024.

How do you map a galaxy? Storytellers get to add their own details in movies, books, comics, TV shows, and even board games, so it's a huge job and nearly impossible to keep it all straight. Jason shares what went into creating the lore for Star Wars: The Essential Atlas and how the book is literally a childhood dream come true. It turns out a lot of the mapping framework came from a video game mechanic!

Follow Jason on BlueSky @jasoncfry and send any cartographic errors you find to essential.atlas@gmail.com

Check out the official Galaxy Map on starwars.com!

Buy your copy of Jason's Star Wars: The Essential Atlas, or peruse some of the maps on Wookieepedia.

Check out all of Jason Fry's other Star Wars books, including The Last Jedi (adult novelization) and Rebels: Servants of the Empire series.

Other books mentioned in this episode include Atlas of Middle Earth, Atlas of Medieval History, The Mask of Fear from the Reign of the Empire series.

You can order James's crossword puzzle book now! For a free puzzle, download the activity kit from Star Wars Reads!

Subscribe to Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here!

Follow us on BlueSky and Instagram or join our Facebook fan group!

Star Warsologies is a podcast about science and other fields in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.