Microsoft teaches Cortana to speak Klingon

Microsoft’s Cortana virtual assistant might be sprouting a ridged forehead soon, with the ability to speak Klingon on command for Windows Phone users. Microsoft is launching the Lumia 830 Windows Phone in the United Kingdom this week, and is also a sponsor for the Destination Star Trek convention in London, so Cortana’s new capabilities make for an obvious tie-in.

Microsoft is in London this week sponsoring the third-annual Star Trek conference. Instead of just splashing its corporate logo all over the conference, Microsoft has gone a step further by changing its Cortana digital assistant to speak Klingon, the language spoken by Klingons in Star Trek. It’s activated simply by asking cortana to “speak Klingon,” and the software maker has added a number of other Star Trek themed responses. Beam me up, set phasers to stun, and do you know commander data all work, along with simply saying “engage” to trigger Star Trek responses.