The X-Files
{{infobox television
bgcolour = #708090 | show_name = The X-Files | image = | X-Files opening titles from first 8 seasons |
| caption = The X-Files title screen | format = Science fiction, drama | runtime = 42 min (per episode) | creator = Chris Carter | starring = David Duchovny
Gillian Anderson
Robert Patrick
Annabeth Gish
Mitch Pileggi | country = USA | network = FOX | first_aired = September 10, 1993 | last_aired = May 19, 2002 | num_episodes = 201 (as originally aired) | website = http://www.foxhome.com/xfilesportal/ | imdb_id = 0106179 | tv_com_id = 61
The X-Files is a popular American television series created by Chris Carter. The show first aired on FOX in 1993, and ended after a nine-year run on May 19, 2002. The X-Files was one of the network's first major hits, and its main characters and slogans ("The Truth Is Out There," "Trust No One," "I Want to Believe") became pop culture touchstones, simultaneously tapping into and inspiring a plethora of conspiracy theories, paranoia about the U.S. government, and belief in the existence of extraterrestrial life.
In the series, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully are two FBI agents tasked with investigating the titular "X-Files." These cases, marginalized by the FBI, often involve paranormal phenomena. Mulder is the "believer," believing in aliens and the paranormal, while Scully was the skeptic, initially assigned by her departmental superiors to debunk his unconventional work and contain its profound implications.
As the show progressed both became embroiled in the same larger conflicts (termed "the mythology" or "mytharc" by the show's creators) and developed a close and ambiguous friendship — which some fans, known as "shippers," saw as more than platonic. The X-Files was declared by TV Guide to be the second greatest cult TV show of all time, behind Star Trek.Main castRecurring guest castFans commonly divide X-Files stories into two categories: "Mytharc" ("mythology") episodes, which concerned the ongoing tale of a governmental conspiracy regarding the extraterrestrial, and stand-alone episodes (sometimes called "Monster-of-the-Week" episodes), which dealt with unusual creatures and situations relating to the paranormal, generally being unrelated to the series mythology. Several installments also explored the relationship between Mulder and Scully, while some episodes focused on popular supporting characters such as Walter Skinner or the Lone Gunmen.
Below is a list of episodes that concern the mythology of The X-Files in broadcast order. Some fans have even gone so far as to write up the entire storyline of the show, including all important dates. [1]
* Season 1: Pilot, Deep Throat, Conduit, Fallen Angel, EBE, The Erlenmeyer Flask
* Season 2: Little Green Men, Sleepless, Duane Barry, Ascension, One Breath, Red Museum, Colony, End Game, Anasazi
* Season 3: The Blessing Way, Paper Clip, Nisei, 731, Piper Maru, Apocrypha, Wetwired, Talitha Cumi
* Season 4: Herrenvolk, Tunguska, Terma, Memento Mori, Tempus Fugit, Max, Zero-Sum, Demons, Gethsemane
* Season 5: Redux, Redux II, Christmas Carol, Emily, Patient X, The Red and the Black, The End (season 5 finale, continued by Fight the Future movie...)
* X Files: Fight the Future
* Season 6: The Beginning, Dreamland, Dreamland II, S.R. 819, Two Fathers, One Son, Biogenesis
* Season 7: The Sixth Extinction, The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati, Sein und Zeit, Closure, En Ami, Requiem
* Season 8: Within, Without, Per Manum, This Is Not Happening, Deadalive, Three Words, Vienen, Essence, Existence
* Season 9: Nothing Important Happened Today, Nothing Important Happened Today II, Trust No 1, Provenance, Providence, William, The Truth
Note: The episodes Renascence, Resonance, and Reckoning from the game The X-Files: Resist or Serve fit into the mythology, having an unknown placement somewhere in the seventh season.The X-Files directly inspired numerous other TV series, including Strange World, Burning Zone, Special Unit 2, Mysterious Ways, CarnivĂ le, Dark Skies, Freaky Links, The 4400, Lost,Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal, and Supernatural.
The influence can also be seen on other levels: television series such as Alias have developed a complex mythology that brings to mind the "mytharc" of The X-Files. In addition, many procedural dramas feature a Mulder-esque lead with a supervisor similar to Skinner or Kersh. Some of these procedurals, such as NCIS, also feature a quirky technogeek similar to the Lone Gunmen characters. Other shows have been influenced by the tone and mood of The X-Files, e.g., Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which drew from the mood and coloring of The X-Files, as well as from its occasional blend of horror and humor.TelevisionChris Carter listed television series Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, Tales from the Darkside and especially Kolchak: The Night Stalker as his major influences for the show. Actor Darren McGavin who played Carl Kolchak in Kolchak: The Night Stalker appeared in two episodes of The X-Files as Agent Arthur Dales, a character described as the "father of the X-Files." Carter also mentioned that the relationship between Mulder and Scully (platonic but with some sexual tension) was influenced by the chemistry between John Steed (Patrick Macnee) and Mrs. Emma Peel (Diana Rigg) in the 1960s British spy TV program The Avengers. The early '90s cult hit Twin Peaks is also seen as a major influence on the show's dark atmosphere and its often surreal blend of drama and irony. David Duchovny had appeared as a cross-dressing DEA agent in Twin Peaks.
In 1997, The X-Files was lampooned on an episode of The Simpsons entitled "The Springfield Files". The episode revolved around a strange occurrence in Springfield, with Mulder and Scully coming to investigate and working closely with Homer Simpson. Duchovny and Anderson voiced their respective characters in the episode.FilmSeveral feature films have also influenced The X-Files. The producers have cited All the President's Men, Three Days of the Condor, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Thing, The Boys from Brazil, The Silence of the Lambs, and JFK as influences on the series. Gangster movies such as the Godfather trilogy are also frequently referenced in the show's conspiracy plotlines, particularly concerning the Syndicate. A scene at the end of the episode Redux II (5.03), for instance, directly mirrors the famous baptism montage at the end of The Godfather.Over the course of its nine seasons, the show was nominated for 141 awards, winning a total of 61 individual awards from 24 different agencies, including the Emmys, the Golden Globes, the Environmental Media Awards, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
In 1998 the series produced a motion picture, The X-Files (also known as The X Files: Fight the Future). It was intended as a continuation of the season five finale "The End" (5x20), but was also meant to stand on its own. The season six opener "The Beginning" picked up where the movie left off.Seasons 7 – 9The final three seasons were a time of closure for The X-Files. Many characters within the show were written out, including the Cigarette Smoking Man and Mulder's mother, and several plot threads were resolved, including the fate of Mulder's sister, a long running plot device within the show. Following a contract dispute with Fox, David Duchovny quit the show after the seventh season.[2]. This contibuted to uncertainties over the likelihood of an eighth season. To accommodate for this, Mulder was abducted at the end of the seventh season. With both Duchovny and Anderson's involvement reduced, the show's eighth season introduced two new X-Files agents, John Doggett and Monica Reyes (played by Robert Patrick and Annabeth Gish). | The X-Files main cast as of Season 9. |
It was Chris Carter's belief that the series could continue for another ten years with new leads. This was not to be the case, however, as over the course of the final two seasons, Doggett and Reyes did not provide the ratings boost Chris Carter had hoped.The show completed its ninth and final season with the two-hour episode "The Truth", which first aired on May 19, 2002, finishing third in its timeslot in the Nielsen ratings. The show ceased production at the end of the ninth season — on a cliffhanger, though Carter knew that this would be the final episode.The future of The X-FilesPlans for another movie are announced periodically but have yet to come to fruition. While Carter, Duchovny and Anderson have all expressed their desire for involvement, there is still no script and no official shooting schedule. According to Bowman, director of the first film, and producer Frank Spotnitz, the plot for a second film would most likely be a stand-alone story, rather than focus on the alien conspiracy storylines. [{{cite web]| url = http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/709/709340p1.html | title = No Aliens for X-Files 2: The sequel is still on. | accessdate = 2006-06-10
In an article in Parade (magazine) published on August 6, 2006, David Duchovny confirmed that there would in fact be a sequel to the first X-Files movie, Fight the Future. "We're all signed on," he said of the movie. "I think it could work very well as a sequel, an authentic franchise that will hold upâ€"much more so than Mission: Impossible." [{{cite web]| url = http://parade.com/articles/editions/2006/edition_08-06-2006/In_Step_With | In Step With...David Duchovny | accessdate = 2006-08-06
In a posting on her website, Gillian Anderson has also stated herself that she is very much willing to take part in the project:
"And as far as the X-F movie? I have no f****** clue. I think there's still a law suit, as far as I know the script has not been written, and as much as we all want it to take place as soon as possible, AND YES THAT INCLUDES ME, AND ALWAYS HAS, SO STOP WITH THE NONSENSE! It is out of my hands. Completely. Write to Fox guys, tell them to make it happen!"[{{cite web]| url = http://www.gilliananderson.ws/news/index.shtml | title = Gillian Anderson Official Website, News Page | accessdate = 2006-08-10 | Trivia* They are called the "X" files because while the subject matter was originally kept under "U" (for "Unexplained"), a number of other subjects begins with U, and it was decided to switch the files to X (a much less-frequently used letter)
* At the time of its final episode, it was the longest running sci-fi show in American television history, a title since lost to Stargate SG-1.
* The season 8 episode "Alone" has artifacts from previous episodes: in Scully's desk drawer are Queequeg's dog tag (from the episode "Quagmire"), the keychain Mulder gave her (from "Tempus Fugit") and the fused coins (from "Dreamland"). Also appearing in this episode is the character of Agent Leyla Harrison, named for an actual person. Leyla Harrison was an X-Files fan and a writer of fanfiction who died in February 2001. Well-known and well-loved among The X-Files Internet community, writers on the show created the character (a self-professed admirer of Mulder and Scully) to honor her memory.
* It was David Duchovny who suggested that Skinner play a larger role, hoping that it would result in some time off for him due to his increasing dissatisfaction with the role.
* The theme song was written by Mark Snow. It was released with other songs from and inspired by the show on the 1996 soundtrack Songs in the Key of X.
* The show, perhaps to add to the mystique, never displayed episode titles on screen. This was one of the first TV series whose fans disseminated information such as this strictly via the Internet.
* The controversial and violent episode "Home", which featured a story about a family that has been inbred to almost proto-human levels of development, was kept out of syndication for three years after its initial airing.
* The town known as Gibsonton, Florida in the circus freak-centric episode, "Humbug", is a real town that really is populated with former circus performers.
* Creator Chris Carter's birthday is October 13, thus the frequent references to the number 1013 on the show and the reason Fox Mulder's birthday is also October 13. It is also the name of Carter's production company, Ten Thirteen Productions. The number 1121, and especially the time 11:21 PM, also appears regularly on The X-Files, particularly in the early seasons. This is a reference by Chris Carter to his wife Dori's birthday, November 21.
* While Mulder believes in extraterrestrial life, and Scully does not (until season 6), the opposite is true of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson (i.e. Duchovny does not believe EBEs exist, while Anderson does).TaglinesThe phrase "The Truth is Out There" is usually shown on screen at the end of the opening credits sequence. However, over the course of the series, this phrase would occasionally be replaced with something else, especially for "mytharc" episodes.
* Trust No One — "The Erlenmeyer Flask"
* Deny Everything — "Ascension"
* Ă©Ă 'aanĂĂgĂ"Ă" 'áhoot'Ă© — "Anasazi" ("The truth is far from here" in Navajo)
* Apology is Policy — "731"
* Everything Dies — "Herrenvolk"
* Deceive Inveigle Obfuscate — "Teliko"
* E pur si muove — "Terma" ("And still it moves" in Italian - attributed to Galileo)
* Believe the Lie — "Gethsemane"
* All Lies Lead to the Truth — "Redux"
* Resist or Serve — "The Red and the Black"
* The End — "The End"
* Die Wahrheit ist irgendwo da drauĂźen — "Triangle" ("The truth is out there somewhere" in German)
* In the Big Inning — "The Unnatural" (a baseball-themed episode)
* Amor Fati — "Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati" ("Love of fate" in Latin)
* Believe to Understand — "Closure"
* Nothing Important Happened Today — "Nothing Important Happened Today II"
* erehT tuO si hturT ehT — "4D" ("The Truth is Out There" backwards)
* They're Watching — "Trust No 1"
* Dio ti ama — "Improbable" ("God loves you" in Italian)Video gamesThe X-Files has inspired two video games. In 1998, The X-Files: The Game was released for the PC and Macintosh and a year later for the PlayStation. This game is set somewhere within the timeline of the second or third season and follows an Agent Craig Willmore in his search for the missing Mulder and Scully. Then, in 2004, The X-Files: Resist or Serve was released for the PlayStation 2. This game is an original story set somewhere in season seven and allows the player control of both Mulder and Scully. Both games feature acting and voice work from several members of the series' cast.Millennium* In the season 1 "Millennium" episode "Lamentation", Frank Black visits the FBI Academy in Quantico. In the background of one shot, two agents resembling Mulder and Scully are seen walking down a staircase. In reality, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson's photo doubles were intentionally included in the episode as an inside-joke.
* In the season 2 "Millennium" episode "Jose Chung's Doomsday Defense" the fictional novelist Jose Chung appears, who was first seen in the season 3 "The X-Files" episode called "Jose Chung's From Outer Space".
* Millennium's second season episode "Somehow, Satan Got Behind Me" has a scene of two FBI-agents filming a fake alien autopsy. These agents strongly resemble Mulder and Scully.
* In Millennium's second season's final episode "The Time is Now" Peter Watts finds a Morley cigarette stub. Morley is a fictional cigarette brand also smoked by "The X-Files" character Cigarette Smoking Man.
* When "Millennium" character Emma Hollis walks through a Vancouver apartment building in the third season's episode "Human Essence", one can hear coming from a resident's television some dialogue and Scully's voice accompanied by the soundtrack from the episode "Kill Switch" from The X-Files's fifth season.
* Actor David Fredericks plays J. Edgar Hoover in the Season 3 "Millennium" episode "Matryoshka", reprising his role from "The X-Files" episodes "Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man" and "Travelers".
* Lance Henriksen and Brittany Tiplady make their final appearances as "Millennium" characters Frank & Jordan Black in the Season 7 "X-Files" episode entitled "Millennium".Harsh Realm* In the season 7 X-Files episode "Sein Und Zeit", one of the characters is watching Harsh Realm on his TV. He remarks, "I don't know what this is but it's fantastic."The Lone GunmenThe key relationship of this show to The X-Files is its starring role of John Fitzgerald Byers, Richard "Ringo" Langley and Melvin Frohike; the "Lone Gunmen" of the eponymous show. Due to it being set within the same "universe" as The X-Files, the show also occasionally featured characters from The X-Files, such as Walter Skinner in TLG's "The Lying Game" episode; Fox Mulder and Morris Fletcher in The Lone Gunmen episode entitled "All About Yves," the show's finale.
With the cancellation of The Lone Gunmen series before a resolution to this cliffhanger could be produced, The X-Files episode entitled "Jump the Shark" — a reference to the television term — served as an epitaph to the show. It featured the Lone Gunmen, Jimmy Bond, Yves Adele Harlow, Kimmy the Geek, plus Walter Skinner and Morris Fletcher, two "X-Files" characters also featured on The Lone Gunmen.The first season of The X-Files premiered on September 10, 1993 on FOX. For the first few years of its run, its ratings steadily increased, reaching its zenith in terms of ratings by its fifth season.
Approximately a year later, it started showing in the United Kingdom upon the terrestrial channel BBC2, airing at 21:00. Since then, it has expanded into other countries across the world, either being dubbed or subtitled to accommodate for foreign language viewers. A short time after the United Kingdom started airing The X-Files, Channel 10 acquired to the rights to broadcast it on Australian television, which it did so until the finale in 2002.
* Paul C. Peterson, Religion in The X-Files, Journal of Media and Religion 1(3), 181 – 196 (2002).
* N.E. Genge, The Unofficial X-Files (New York: Crown Trade Paperbacks, 1995), 228pp.
* Brian Lowry, Trust No One: The Official Third Season Guide to The X Files (New York: Harper Prism, 1996), 266pp.
* James Hatfield and George "Doc" Burt, The Unauthorized X-Files (New York: MJF Books, 1996), 309pp.
* Jeanne Cavelos, The Science of the X-Files (New York : Berkley Boulevard Books, 1998), 288 pp.* Black oil
* Colonists (The X-Files)
* Syndicate (The X-Files)
* List of X-Files episodes
* List of X-Files informants
* The X-Files Wiki - a wiki about "the X-Files television series, movie, and related spin-offs"
* BBC X-Files Site (Unofficial). The BBC's X-Files section, with information, pictures, interviews, and more.
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