Man forced to surrender his 'offensive' Star Trek license plate

Actress Kate Mulgrew stars as Captain Kathryn Janeway and Susanna Thompson stars as the Borg Queen in "Star Trek: Voyager." Actress Kate Mulgrew stars as Captain Kathryn Janeway and Susanna Thompson stars as the Borg Queen in "Star Trek: Voyager." Photo: Getty Images, Multiple Photo: Getty Images, Multiple Image 1 of / 47 Caption Close Man forced to surrender his 'offensive' Star Trek license plate 1 / 47 Back to Gallery

A Canadian man's license plate can forget about living long and prospering.

After receiving multiple complaints, Manitoba resident Nick Troller was forced to hand over his license plate that read "ASIMIL8," a reference to the Borg, a popular alien race from Star Trek.

The Borg are villainous cybernetic organisms who assimilate other societies into their own.

Manitoba Star Trek phrase license plate revoked for offensivenesshttps://t.co/7zQQPwvAkX

Complaints drive province to ban The Borg. — TheWholeTruthXX (@TheWholeTruthXX) April 28, 2017

The phrases "we are the Borg" and "resistance is futile" are printed on the license plate's frame.

Troller told CTV Winnipeg that he received a call from someone at the Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) office who told him that two people called the MPI and complained that his license plate was "offensive" to minorities. Troller also stated that he received a letter telling him to immediately "surrender" the license plate.

"We've become way too sensitive," Troller said. "You can't say anything anymore to anybody."

Ry Moran of the Canadian National Center for Truth and Reconciliation disagrees.

"For basically the entirety of this country's history, indigenous peoples have been forcibly assimilated through really extremely destructive means and ways," Moran said. "Words like that, meant or not, have an actual impact on many people."

However, many internet users believe the MPI's decision was highly illogical.

ASIMIL8 (e.g. Borg) license plate in Canada offends some.

Offensive, or cool?https://t.co/oSrfnXHOZi — Corey Young (@C_M_Young) April 28, 2017

"THESE ARE THE CRAZY YEARS: Star Trek Fan Forced to Surrender ‘ASIMIL8’ License Plate for Being Offensive https://t.co/YmiOM00S1q — #NahBabyNah (@NahBabyNah) April 30, 2017

Another forbidden-license-plate story: https://t.co/SfY2mp8jnA

Next, someone will be offended by a serial-number plate. — Matthew Skala (@mattskala) April 28, 2017

Unfortunately for Troller, the MPI's decision is not something that can be appealed, so resistance is indeed futile.