Muppet Fact #345
The Skeksis were originally going to speak a language based either in Ancient Egyptian or Indo-European roots in the film. The basis of the language differed depending on who you asked about it; Gary Kurts has said the language was created by linguist Alan Garner and had inspiration from Ancient Egyptian, however David Odell said it was his creation with Indo-European roots. This idea was scrapped after test audiences responded poorly to it.
Sources:
"Reflections on Making The Dark Crystal and Working with Jim Henson." David Odell. In: The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths, Vol. II. Brian Froud, Joshua Dysart, Alex Sheikman, Lizzy John. 2012.
"Producing the World of The Dark Crystal: A new direction for the man behind "Star Wars" and "Empire" Gary Kurtz." David Hutchison. Starlog: The Magazine of the Future. Issue 66. January 1983. Pages 16-20.
