Police responding to reports of a racist flag being flown from a Wānaka property found the home was instead flying the colours of the Klingon Empire from Star Trek.
The galactic mixup was announced by Wānaka police last week in their weekly update to local residents.
"The week was finished off with a report of a racist flag being flown on a property," they reported.
To be fair, this flag looks pretty fascist.
"It was not racist and was in fact the Klingon flag of the Star Trek Universe. A sure way to attract attention from the United Federation of Planets."
This striking statement, which appears to suggest a relationship between NZ Police and the Federation, prompted an extraordinary plea for information from the Herald.
Asked if NZ Police were aligned with the space superpower, a police spokesperson gave a brief response.
"NZ Police regularly liaise with a number of law enforcement agencies around the world, however I'm not immediately aware of any interplanetary relationships at this stage," they said.
We pressed on, boldly, and asked if police had any plans to emulate the Federation's form-fitting outfits.
"There are no plans to replace the current police uniform - I think that would simply create a lot of confusion if in fact we one day established a relationship with the Star Trek universe," the spokesperson said, leaving the door wide open for expansion beyond the terrestrial plane.
On a roll now, the Herald asked if any officers were fluent in Klingon.
"We haven't been advised that any officers are fluent in Klingon," police said.
"But our officers do tend to be a bit shy about highlighting their accomplishments, so you never know. I see it is a language you can learn on Duolingo, so we may have a few learners at least!"
Not yap wa' Hol!*
Surviving beyond the bounds of Earth means being well-armed, so the Herald asked NZ Police if they had any plans to replace Tasers with Star Trek's phasers.
They do not.
With tongue now firmly in cheek, the Herald asked a question about transport plans.
