If you happen to share a name with a popular celebrity or character, you can almost rest assured the internet will discover if you happen to live up your namesake (or, in the unfortunate case of the recently jailed Singapore man Batman bin Suparman, if you don't). So when a one James Kirk was promoted to Naval Captain, it wasn't going to be long before a civilian made the connection with William Shatner's iconic Starship Enterprise commander.

Kirk's Navy crewmates, however, have long since been joking about the coincidence. Although this James Kirk's middle initial is actually 'A.', he was designated with the call-sign Tiberius (later shortened to just T.) - the distinctive middle name of the fictional captain.

The real-life Kirk, perhaps surprisingly, is very welcoming of the attention, suggesting the Star Trek connection could actually help raise awareness of the work of the U.S. Navy. Talking to Australia's Herald Sun, Kirk explains, "I don't take any offense. If it's a helpful moniker that brings attention to help us to do what we need to do to get the ship into the fleet and into combat operations, then that's fine."

Kirk will become the skipper of a new high-tech vessel called the Zumwalt, currently being built in Maine. The cutting edge ship - one of three, and costing almost €2.6 billion to design and build - is equipped with its own power plant and is powered by electric propulsion. It has a number of 'stealth' technologies, with even the ship's unusual design intended to minimise its radar presence.

Captain James A. Kirk will enjoy his own high-tech bridge, though, with almost a full 360 degree arrangement of video monitors allowing him to keep an eye on his ship and surrounding environment in detail. The impressive technology means that Zumwalt can operate with a severely reduced crew, or around half of other Navy vessels. However, Kirk himself is keen to emphasise "it still requires the sailors who are going to bring her to life".