I Skyped Maltz. He said he has been asked before about "Merry Christmas" and "Happy New Year." He thought they were silly things to say (and, of course, there are no traditional Klingon ways to say these things), but he said that if you have to say "Happy New Year," you could say {DIS chu' yItIv} or {DIS chu' DatIvjaj} or {DIS chu' botIvjaj} or the like.

When talking about Maltz, Okrand said: For "Merry Christmas," he wasn't so sure. He said that perhaps you could use the name of the holiday (which would be {QISmaS}) and say {QISmaS yItIv} or {QISmaS DatIvjaj} and so on. He thought that people who know about Christmas would understand that. He also liked my sister-in-law's suggestion: {wornagh yItlhutlh!}.

I Skyped Maltz. He said he has been asked before about "Merry Christmas" and "Happy New Year." He thought they were silly things to say (and, of course, there are no traditional Klingon ways to say these things), but he said that if you have to say "Happy New Year," you could say {DIS chu' yItIv} or {DIS chu' DatIvjaj} or {DIS chu' botIvjaj} or the like.

I Skyped Maltz. He said he has been asked before about "Merry Christmas" and "Happy New Year." He thought they were silly things to say (and, of course, there are no traditional Klingon ways to say these things), but he said that if you have to say "Happy New Year," you could say {DIS chu' yItIv} or {DIS chu' DatIvjaj} or {DIS chu' botIvjaj} or the like.

Since, as noted earlier, Klingons find pleasure nonessential, it is not surprising to find virtue described as some- thing that is not enjoyable. On the other hand, this aphorism does not say that virtue is never enjoyable, only that it is not necessarily so. The Klingon construction {tInISbe'} means "does not need to enjoy"; {tIbe'nIS} would mean "needs to not enjoy," an utterly different concept. Leading a virtuous life may well be enjoyable, but if it is not, or if it is not always, it should still be done.