Michaëlle Jean's impending departure from Rideau Hall is creating a cottage industry for articles and speculation about her replacement as Governor-General.
Last week, we noted a growing push for Canadian poet and musician Leonard Cohen as viceroy. The Facebook group now has 5,580 members.
This week, The Mark, an on-line political publication, got into the act. And its web readers have spoken - they want William Shatner beamed into Rideau Hall
As unscientific as it is, The Mark asked readers to vote on who should replace Ms. Jean after it asked 10 Canadians from all sorts of different disciplines and areas to nominate their pick for the vice-regal post.
Mr. Shatner, Star Trek's Captain James T. Kirk is winning handily in their poll. He has 39 per cent of the votes compared to 14 per cent for Rick Hansen, who is in second place.
Leonard Cohen has 9 per cent compared to 8 per cent for Preston Manning; Kim Campbell is polling at 3 per cent and Wayne Gretzky has the support of 6 per cent compared to 2 per cent for Bobby Orr.
Mr. Shatner, meanwhile, was nominated by Pat Tanzola, a former editor-in-chief of the Queen's Journal and now a web manager at the University of Toronto.
Mr. Tanzola believes that the 79-year-old Shakespearean-trained actor and former intrepid space explorer "has all the necessary poise, diction and gravitas required for public speaking."
"He's well versed in interplanetary diplomacy, so international relations should be a cinch. He may not speak French, but he's fluent in Esperanto," Mr. Tanzola writes.
It is noted, too, that Mr. Shatner has written more books than Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff and would lobby the RCMP to "replace Tasers with phasers."
Mr. Tanzola also suggests some political characters for the next Star Trek movie: Ms. Jean for Uhura,; Mr. Ignatieff as Spock; Gilles Duceppe as Chekov; Jean Chretien as Scotty; John Baird as Khan and Helena Guergis as the Borg Queen."
And of course, there is a Facebook page promoting Mr. Shatner's bid for Rideau Hall.