Being a Canadian fan of Battlestar Galactica has always been a little weird because Cylons are almost always played by Canadian actors. In fact, I could have told you the identity of the fifth Cylon just from  a little research at imdb.com, but I didn't want to spoil it for  American BSG fans.

The time has come, however, to face this fact so that we may better overanalyze it and fit it into some half baked theory of  BSG as political metaphor.

So, for your convenience, a glossary of Canadian actors currently playing our favourite machine based life forms (in order of when Cylon cover was blown.) :

Tricia Helfer  a.k.a. Number Six Born on a grain farm in rural Alberta, Helfer started her career as a Ford supermodel. Best known in Canada as the host of Canada's Next Top Model (yes we have Canadian versions of all those shows.) Her role as the hyper sexed cyberfox with a heart of gold should lay to rest the idea that Canadian women are anything less than the latest model of female perfection. In fact there are  Canadian cities populated entirely by eerily gorgeous, brilliant women just like her (See Sixkatoon, Saskatchewan, and Mitsou)

Callum Keith Rennie, a.k.a Leoben Conoy. Rennie, also raised in Alberta, drew on a bit of personal history for his role as  batshit psycho/spiritual advisor Leoben Conoy.  A recovered alcoholic, word is Rennie hit bottom the night he gave the finger to  a construction worker in a Vancouver bar and ended up with a shard of glass through his left retina. Best known in Canada for his role in the ultimate punk rawk road movie Hard Core Logo.  With his role as Conoy, Rennie lays to rest the stereotype of the kind, nerdy Canadian.  His work in BSG symbolizes the many ways Canada has become a refuge for American actors who find the U.S. just a little too sane and predictable (see Michael Moriarty.)

Matthew Bennet a.k.a. number five, Aaron Doral. Born in Toronto, Bennett is best known for his role as Det. Len Harper  in the Canadian prime time cop series Cold Squad. This gritty, intelligent series about the professional and personal life of a  Vancouver policewoman ran from 1998-2005. Until the idea was ripped off, butchered, and put through the Hollywood idea grinder, later to emerge as the trite MOR pastiche known as Cold Case.  For a short time both shows ran on the Canadian network CTV, until the low grade cyborgs making and starring in the  American version eventually won the ratings war.

Grace Parks a.k.a. Number Eight, a.k.a Boomer, a.k.a  Sharon Valerii, a.k.a et. al. Though born in L.A., Parks' family moved to Vancouver when she was two.  Best known to Canadians for her recurring role in the teen soap Edgemont. Also has a co-starring role in the  Canadian prime television drama The Border,  about dramatic crime events along the U.S./Canadian border.  (Yes, they happen all the time. ) Married to a Korean real estate developer, Parks role as #8, should put to rest the idea of Canada as anything less than multi-cultural.  We have plenty of people from L.A.  

Michael Hogan a.k.a Colonel Saul Tigh Born and raised in Northern Ontario as the son of a prospector, Hogan has had an illustrious career in Canadian theatre, which seems to have peaked with his one man show Red Mango Blues (with guitar virtuoso Harris Van Berkel.) Winner of the covetted Blizzard award, Hogan was a close personal friend of the original famous Canadian actor, Lorne Greene.  Hogan's role as Col. Tigh the curmudgeonly first officer, always up for a fight, is the the strongest evidence yet that Canadians are in fact being played by Cylons. We seem to have many models of the Michael Hogan, which we love to see dressed up in a variety of entertaining outfits (see Don Cherry.)  

 Aaron Douglas a.k.a. Chief Galen Tyrol.  Born in Vancouver, according to imdb bio, best known for hanging around production crew and pestering directors to give him parts. May be a British model of Cylon (see Ricky Gervais, Extras.)

Rekha Sharma a.k.a. Tory Foster. Also born in Vancouver. Does a mean William Shatner impression  (she calls him Shat). Got her start when 21 Jump Street came to her North Vancouver High School.  Developed renewed respect for Johnny Depp after he threw at a tampon at her.

Which brings us to 

Kate Vernon a.k.a Ellen Tigh. Daughter of late great Canadian actor John Vernon (Dean Vernon Wormer, Animal House.) Kate  Vernon's biography says she moved to L.A. "as a girl." Given that  her date of birth is routinely listed as circa  1961, and the Canadian city in which she was born is never listed, there is some speculation as to how old this "girl" really is. (See The Canadian Cougar.)

So what to make of this? Sure there are a few Cylons who aren't Canadian (as far as we know.)   But Americans have always sensed something a little "different" about us. One American even went so far as to wonder about this.  Sarah Vowell wrote  in The Partly Cloudy Patriot: "Keeping track of Canadians is like watching a horror movie.  It's Invasion of the Body Snatchers in slow-mo. They look like us but there's something slighty, eerily off. Why is that?"

Vowell came up with a theory, which she and I once argued about, years before BSG was re-imagined. (I won't even get into it, it's so arguable. Plus I found even her knowledge of American history a little sketchy. Ya, I know. Civics nerd catfight. So hot.)

Anyways, I'm sure this can all be easily explained by the fact that BSG is shot in Vancouver. I mean Canada hasn't invaded the U.S. and burned down the White House since 1814.  Why would we want to do that now? Plus it's presposterous the idea that Canada might have the technology to craft  flocks of funky stealth bombers. Isn't it? 

No, no. You guys just relax and enjoy your inauguration. And above all enjoy this Friday's new episode of Battlestar Gallactica. I'm sure they'll be plenty of surprises.