Alien languages
Overview
For a bit of fun, the creators of Futurama placed messages throughout the series encoded in some imaginary alien languages. There are at least two languages known to exist in the show, though some believe a 3rd language was introduced in the final season.
AL1
The first alien language (AL1) was a simple substitution-cypher. This means that each latin letter was replaced with a new symbol. The language can be translated into english simply by learning each symbol, or by looking it up in a table.
In the episode Leela's Homeworld, the language is referred to as "Alienese".
Symbols
I'll make a table for display here later
Appearances
Season 1:
Space Pilot 3000
- When Fry and Bender first meet, after the suicide booth incident, they go to a bar. Behind them is a Slurm poster, which translates to "Drink".
- When Fry and Bender are escaping down the grate, there is graffiti on the wall of the alley. It says: "Venusians Go Home"
The Series has Landed
- There is a sign near the souvineer stand with a sign that reads "Tasty Human Burgers"
AL2
The second alien language was more complicated, and is not for the faint of heart. Each symbol had a numerical value. To decode a message, the first symbol's value is translated directly into a character (0='A', 1='B', and so on). For the remaining letters, you subtract the previous symbol's numerical value. If the result is less than zero, you add 26. Then that number is converted into a character as before.
Symbols
here too
Appearances
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