Cylons are the key behind the entire story of Battlestar Galactica, but how do each of them rate in terms of their icon status?

The war between the Cylons and humans is the main thrust of the story of Battlestar Galactica, and of course the fact that many of the Cylon characters are unaware that they're Cylons is a huge twist element to the series as well, so it's hard to understate their importance to the story.

And, it comes as no surprise that every Cylon model, as well as the revelation that these characters are even Cylons, is one of the most exciting aspects of Battlestar Galactica. But when it comes to the most memorable and iconic Cylons throughout the series, how do each of the models rate in relation to one another?

12 Number Four

The Number Four model of Cylon wasn't seen very often in Battlestar Galactica, although he did have an interesting role to play.

His most memorable appearance came in the form of a doctor named Simon, who treated Kara Thrace when she was still stuck on Cylon-occupied Caprica.

11 Number One

As the first Cylon model created, it's understandable that the Number Ones are intense personalities. The best known One model is John Cavil, and throughout the Cylon-human war the Ones have a tendency to be quite aggressive in their opinions.

However, despite the fact that they're leaders among the Cylons, they haven't made as much of an impression as some other models.

10 Number Five

When it comes to the actual religious war of the Cylons against the human race, each model of Cylon has a differing perspective, and their commitment to the cause is varying in intensity. However, the Number Five models seem to be some of the most zealous of them all.

And, given the fact that the entire story revolves around this war, it makes the Fives hugely important to the series.

9 Number Three

To be honest, what makes the Threes iconic isn't necessarily the part they play in the story, but the person that plays them.

The fact that Lucy Lawless, Xena, the warrior princess herself, plays the Three models means that her character tends to stick out in the minds of fans more than many other models of Cylon.

8 Number Two

The Number Twos, who most often make their appearance on the series in the form of Leoben, are both unsettling and intriguing. Leoben's bizarre obsession with Starbuck was uncomfortable to watch, however it also kept him close to the main storyline.

And in addition to that, his intense belief in his god as well as his knack for speaking in riddles definitely made him a memorable edition of Cylon.

7 Tory Foster

The thrill of discovering the Final Five throughout the course of Battlestar Galactica was arguably the most intense mystery that fans were desperate to know the answers to.

And while none of the Final Five characters were disappointing by any means, it seems fair to say that Tory Foster wasn't a major suspect, nor did she play much of a role in the grander story. Yes, she killed Callie, but that was really her biggest moment on the series.

6 Sam Anders

Before the Final Five Cylons had been revealed on Battlestar Galactica, Starbuck was a heavy potential favorite for a Cylon who didn't know that she was a Cylon.

But the show pulled off a pretty decent bait and switch by making her husband Sam an unknowing Cylon instead, and given his entire story arc so far, it was definitely a good and unexpected surprise that Sam was actually a Cylon all along.

5 Ellen Tigh

Obviously, the excitement behind the revelation of the Final Five was a massive mystery that slowly unraveled, and by the mere fact that Ellen Tigh was the last Cylon to be revealed as a part of the Final Five, her Cylon status was extremely memorable and iconic.

However, in comparison to some of the other members of the Final Five, she still wasn't quite as shocking or exciting, nor was she as much of an essential part of the overall story.

4 Galen Tyrol

Clearly in the war between humans and Cylons, the humans are meant to be the more sympathetic side for the audience.

But making characters like the Chief into Cylons who were unaware that they were Cylons, and who had essentially gone through their very own extinction event as a result of their human enemies, made it much harder to write them off as one-dimensional villains.

3 Saul Tigh

Given the fact that there are very few human characters who were more instrumental or who seemed more sincere in the war against the Cylons than Saul Tigh, it's safe to say that the revelation that he was a member of the Final Five was a huge shock.

He was one of the most flawed human characters in the series, so the fact that he wasn't even human made for a great twist.

2 Number Eight

Both of the significant versions of Sharon were two of the most important and interesting characters within the series, and the clueless human Sharon's journey of Cylon self-discovery as well as the knowledgeable Sharon's realization that she wanted to be on the side of the humans were two of the best parallel storylines within the show.

It's hard to imagine Battlestar Galactica even existing without the Eights, so they're undoubtedly one of the most iconic models.

1 Number Six

The only Cylon model that could even possibly come close to the Eights in terms of narrative significance are clearly the Sixes.

Not only were they the architects of the human apocalypse in the first place, the Sixes were basically the Cylon face of the show for the majority of it's run.

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