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ALEX Salmond found himself in a bizarre stand-off with airline staff after booking a flight ticket under the name James T Kirk - the captain of Star Trek's USS Enterprise.

The former Scottish first minister faced embarrassment when British Airways refused to let him board a flight at Heathrow under the sci-fi alias.

The Mail on Sunday reported that it took a series of phone calls for the senior politician to persuade the airline that he should be allowed on board.

Mr Salmond told the newspaper he often travelled under a false name for security reasons and as a Trekkie - as fans of the show are known - he liked to use Captain Kirk's name.

He told the Mail on Sunday: "It was all sorted out. I just wanted BA to 'beam me up, Scotty'."

The incident took place over the summer when Mr Salmond tried to fly back to Scotland after a week at the Commons.

A source close to Mr Salmond told the newspaper he had been using the name James T. Kirk to travel incognito for years but since resigning as first minister last year he no longer travelled with police protection officers who could explain the ruse.

Mr Salmond has previously described himself as an "obsessive Trekkie" and the show's fan club made him a "Starfleet Officer" and gave him a "Membership of Distinction".