The X-Files
2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Television
| The X-Files | |
|---|---|
 The X-Files opening title screen |
|
| Genre | Science fiction, drama |
| Running time | 45 min (per episode) |
| Creator(s) | Chris Carter |
| Starring | David Duchovny Gillian Anderson Robert Patrick Annabeth Gish Mitch Pileggi |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Original channel | FOX |
| Original run | September 10, 1993– May 19, 2002 |
| No. of episodes | 201 (as originally aired) |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
The X-Files is an American television series created by Chris Carter. The show first aired on FOX on September 10, 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," "Deny Everything," "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, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson play two FBI agents, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, who are tasked with investigating the titular "X-Files." These cases, marginalized by the FBI, often involve paranormal phenomena. Mulder plays the role of the "believer," having faith in the existence of aliens and the paranormal, while Scully plays the skeptic, initially assigned by her departmental superiors to debunk Mulder's unconventional work and contain its profound implications. As the show progressed both Mulder and Scully 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 also featured many "monster of the week" episodes ranging in tone from horror to comedy, in which Mulder and Scully investigated unique, stand-alone cases that did not usually have long-term implications.
The show's popularity peaked in the mid-to-late '90s, even inspiring a hit movie in 1998. But in the last two seasons Anderson became the star as Duchovny appeared rarely, and new central characters were introduced: FBI Agents John Doggett ( Robert Patrick) and Monica Reyes ( Annabeth Gish). At the time of its final episode, The X-Files was the longest running sci-fi show in American television history, a title since lost to Stargate SG-1. The show was declared by TV Guide to be the 37th Best TV show of all-time, and the second greatest cult TV show of all time, trailing only Star Trek.
Cast of characters
Main cast
| Actor/Actress | Character | Years On Show |
|---|---|---|
| David Duchovny | Special Agent Fox William Mulder | 1993 – 2000 - Duchovny was a recurring character in Season 8 2000- 2001 and only appeared in 'William' and 'The Truth' in Season 9 2001- 2002. |
| Gillian Anderson | Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully M.D. | 1993 – 2002 |
| Mitch Pileggi | Assistant Director Walter S. Skinner | 1994 – 2002 — Pileggi was credited as 'Also Starring' before being added to the main credits in the final season |
| Robert Patrick | Special Agent John Doggett | 2000 – 2002 |
| Annabeth Gish | Special Agent Monica Reyes | 2001 – 2002 — Gish was credited as 'Also Starring' in season 8, before being added to the main credits in the final season |
Recurring guest cast
| Actor/Actress | Character | Years On Show |
|---|---|---|
| William B. Davis | The Cigarette Smoking Man | 1993 – 2000, 2002 — Davis was credited as 'Also Starring' from season 3 through to season 7, as well as the series finale. |
| Nicholas Lea | Alex Krycek | 1994 – 2001, 2002 — Lea was credited as 'Also Starring' from season 5 |
| Chris Owens | Jeffrey Spender | 1998 – 1999, 2002 — Owens was credited as 'Also Starring' He also guest starred as the Young Cigarette Smoking Man in 1996 and 1997, and played The Great Mutato in the 1997 episode 'The Post-Modern Prometheus' |
| Mimi Rogers | Diana Fowley | 1998 – 1999 — Rogers was credited as 'Special Guest Star' |
| James Pickens, Jr. | Assistant/Deputy Director Alvin Kersh | 1998 – 2002 — Pickens was credited as 'Also Starring' during the final season. |
| Cary Elwes | Assistant Director Brad Follmer | 2001 – 2002 — Elwes was credited as 'Also Starring' |
| Jerry Hardin | Deep Throat | 1993 – 1996, 1999, 2000 |
| Steven Williams | X | 1994 – 1997, 2002 |
| Laurie Holden | Marita Covarrubias | 1996 – 2000, 2002 |
| Tom Braidwood | Melvin Frohike | 1994 – 2002 |
| Dean Haglund | Richard Langly | 1994 – 2002 |
| Bruce Harwood | John Fitzgerald Byers | 1994 – 2002 |
| Don S. Williams | The First Elder | 1995 – 1999 |
| John Neville | The Well-Manicured Man | 1995 – 1998 |
| Kirk B.R. Woller | Agent Gene Crane | 2000 – 2001 |
| Adam Baldwin | Knowle Rohrer | 2001 – 2002 |
Plot and mythology
Fans 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" or "Freak-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.
- Season 1: Pilot, Deep Throat, Conduit, Fallen Angel, E.B.E., 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, Avatar, Wetwired, Talitha Cumi
- Season 4: Herrenvolk, Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man, 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, 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 X-Files: The Game fits into the mythology, taking place somewhere near the end of the third season. 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.
Legacy
The X-Files directly inspired numerous other TV series, including Strange World, Burning Zone, Special Unit 2, Mysterious Ways, Carnivàle, Dark Skies, The Visitor, Freaky Links, The 4400, Lost, Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal, Futurama 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.
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.
Influences
Television
Chris 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.
Film
Several 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, 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 (5.02), for instance, directly mirrors the famous baptism montage at the end of The Godfather.
Awards
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. The X-Files also won a Peabody Award in 1996, during its third season.
The show earned a total of 16 Emmys; two for acting, one for writing, and 13 for various technical categories. In September 1994, The X-Files won its first award, the Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Graphic Design and Title Sequences.
Peter Boyle later won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of the title character in the third-season episode " Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose". In the same year, Darin Morgan won the Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Drama Series for the same episode. "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" was one of four highly-acclaimed episodes Morgan wrote during his short time on the show's writing staff. In 1997, Gillian Anderson won the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series award for her portrayal of Agent Dana Scully.
Throughout its run, The X-Files also won Emmy awards in a number of technical categories: Graphic Design and Title Sequences, Cinematography, Sound Editing and Mixing, Art Direction, Single Camera Picture Editing, Makeup, and Special Visual Effects.
History
Seasons 1 – 3
Two of the most highly-regarded writer/producers were Glen Morgan and James Wong, whose contributions to the first two seasons, such as the first season episode "Beyond The Sea," were exceptionally popular and influential. They also returned for the first half of the fourth season. Prior to coming to The X-Files, they had worked extensively with David Nutter, Rob Bowman, and Kim Manners on a number of shows produced in Canada for Stephen J. Cannell. The duo also had an important role in hiring John Bartley, the cinematographer who gave the show its early dark atmospheric look, and who won an Emmy Award for his work on the show.
In the first two seasons, Morgan and Wong introduced some popular secondary characters, such as The Lone Gunmen, the Scully family, and FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner. Their first episode for the show was "Squeeze", featuring the elastic Eugene Victor Tooms. This episode became the template for the popular "Monster-of-the-Week" episodes that became a mainstay of the series over the next nine years.
They also helped to establish the show's fledgling story arc, which was initially established as a government plot to cover up anything pertaining to the existence of extraterrestrial life, and Mulder's attempts to discover the fate of his sister, who was abducted some years previously. As the show went into its second and third seasons, it confirmed the existence of extraterrestrial life within the show and suggested that a shadowy sub-governmental group known as The Syndicate — one of the members being the Cigarette Smoking Man — were in co-operation with these aliens, in order to allow them to colonize Earth, which would be achieved via use of the so-called Black Oil.
Seasons 4 – 6
Over the course of the series, the show built upon the storyline that grew in complexity and prominence as the show progressed. The Syndicate's co-operation with the colonisers was proven to be a ploy, as they were secretly attempting to develop a vaccine to the Black Oil, which was shown to be an agent which would allow for the transportation of alien beings, and which would be spread through bees come the time for colonization. However, another alien faction was proven to exist, and these rebels opposed the colonists, and hence the Syndicate for their co-operation with them. Consequently, the rebels destroyed the Syndicate. In addition to this, there were a few turns of events involving the ever-deepening bond between Mulder and Scully, including her contracting cancer, and the interaction between the two characters. Whether they "should" or "should not" consummate their relationship was a matter of immense debate among the fan community for several years, and is still subject to scrutiny, since even after abundant hints, Carter refuses to substantiate whether the two characters ever had sexual intercourse. Initially filmed in Vancouver, Canada, the show was later relocated to L.A. in 1998, at the start of the sixth season.
The X-Files: Fight the Future
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 – 9
The 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. . This contributed to uncertainties over the likelihood of an eighth season. To accommodate for this, Mulder was abducted at the end of the seventh season. With Duchovny's involvement reduced (and in anticipation of Anderson's possible absence in the future), the show's eighth season introduced two new X-Files agents, John Doggett and Monica Reyes (played by Robert Patrick and Annabeth Gish).
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.
Future of the show
Plans 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.
In January of 2005, Duchovny confirmed that a sequel was in the works and that it would be a "stand-alone horror film." In an article in Parade (magazine) published on August 6, 2006, David Duchovny said he still believed that there would 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 up—much more so than Mission: Impossible." Back in early 2004, Duchovny stated his belief that the sequel would start shooting in 'the next year or so'.
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!"
Taglines
The 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"
- éí 'aaníígÓÓ 'áhoot'é — "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 draußen — "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)
Merchandise
Music
Mark Snow released music from the first three seasons of The X-Files on the album The Truth and the Light - Music from the X-Files. He also released the soundtrack of The X-Files movie. Snow composed the theme song and he released it with other songs from and inspired by the show on the 1996 soundtrack Songs in the Key of X.
DVD releases
Complete season sets
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Mythology sets
These DVD sets contain the episodes related to the conspiracy mythology, and avoids the stand-alone episodes sometimes known as "monster-of-the-week." Note that this is a slightly shorter list of episodes than can be found in the Plot and Mythology section.
The X-Files Mythology Vol. 1 - Abduction
- UPC: 024543169307
- Release Date: 2005- 06-07
- Episodes: Pilot, Deep Throat, Fallen Angel, EBE, The Erlenmeyer Flask, Little Green Men, Duane Barry, Ascension, One Breath, Red Museum, Colony, End Game, Anasazi, The Blessing Way, Paper Clip
The X-Files Mythology Vol. 2 - Black Oil
- UPC: 024543190714
- Release Date: 2005- 08-02
- Episodes: Nisei, 731, Piper Maru, Apocrypha, Talitha Cumi, Herrenvolk, Tunguska, Terma, Memento Mori, Tempus Fugit, Max, Zero-Sum, Gethsemane, Redux, Redux II
The X-Files Mythology Vol. 3 - Colonization
- UPC: 024543191230
- Release Date: 2005- 09-27
- Episodes: Patient X, The Red and the Black, The End, The Beginning, S.R. 819, Two Fathers, One Son, Biogenesis, The Sixth Extinction, The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati, Sein und Zeit, Closure, En Ami, Requiem, Within, Without
The X-Files Mythology, Vol. 4 - Super Soldiers
- UPC: 024543208303
- Release Date: 2005- 11-22
- Episodes: Per Manum, This Is Not Happening, Deadalive, Three Words, Vienen, Essence, Existence, Nothing Important Happened Today, Nothing Important Happened Today II, Trust No 1, Provenance, Providence, William, The Truth (two hour finale)
VHS releases
Before the DVD full season releases, The X-Files had its episodes released in VHS season sets in some parts of the world, as well as selected single episodes put together. There was also some other material released on VHS, such as The X Files - Forensic Evidence Box and the X Files Trivia Game.
"Wave" sets
The original VHS release of The X-Files in North America consisted of selected episodes from each of the first four seasons, which were released on a staggered basis beginning in 1996.
Each "wave" was three VHS tapes, each containing two episodes, for a total of six episodes per wave and two waves per season (for example, the home video release of Wave 1 drew from the first half of the first season: Pilot/Deep Throat, Conduit/Ice and Fallen Angel/Eve). Each wave was also available in a boxed set. Ultimately 12 episodes (approximately half the total number aired) were selected by Chris Carter to represent each season, including nearly all "mythology arc" episodes and also standout "monsters of the week". Carter would briefly introduce each episode on the tape with an explanation of why it was chosen and anecdotes from the set. These same clips were later included on The X-Files full season DVDs. Wave 8 covering the last part of the fourth season was the last to be released. VHS "wave" tapes were not released for the fifth and later seasons, so there are no Carter "interviews" for selected episodes included on those DVDs.
Video games
The 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.
In 2000, Fox Interactive released The X-Files: Unrestricted Access for the PC and Mac which allowed users access to all the case files.
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.
Relationship to other Ten Thirteen Productions shows
Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files, founded Ten Thirteen Productions, which produced his other science fiction shows.
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 "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 Gunmen
The 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 "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 "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.
Broadcast history
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.. Season 4's "Leonard Betts" which aired on FOX after the Super Bowl in 1997, holds the record for the highest rated episode.
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 until the finale in 2002.
Miscellanea
- 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.
- 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.
- Quentin Tarantino was offered the chance to direct an episode of The X-Files but was ultimately not allowed to because he was not a member of the DGA.