The X-Files 30304 226106262 2008-07-16T21:11:17Z 72.8.15.18 /* Cast of characters */ {{split-apart}} {{otheruse|this=the TV show}} {{infobox Television | bgcolour = #B1B9C2; | show_name = The X-Files | image = [[Image:Thexfiles.jpg|230px]] | caption = | format = [[Science fiction]], [[drama]], [[thriller (genre)|thriller]], [[horror films|horror]], [[Mystery (fiction)|mystery]] | runtime = 43 min (per episode) | location = [[Canada]]<br>[[United States]] | creator = [[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]] | starring = [[David Duchovny]] <br>[[Gillian Anderson]] <br>[[Mitch Pileggi]] <br>[[Robert Patrick]] <br>[[Annabeth Gish]] <br> | country = [[United States]], [[Canada]] | network = [[Fox Broadcasting Company|FOX]] | first_aired = [[10 September]] [[1993]] | last_aired = </br>[[19 May]] [[2002]] | num_seasons = 9 | num_episodes = 202 <ref name="BBC DOCWHO"/> | picture_format = 4:3 (original broadcast)<br />16:9 (DVD seasons 5 - 9) | list_episodes = List of The X-Files episodes | related =''[[The Lone Gunmen (TV series)|The Lone Gunmen]]'' <br>''[[Millennium (TV series)|Millennium]]'' | website = http://www.thexfiles.com | imdb_id = 0106179 | tv_com_id = 61 }} '''''The X-Files''''' is a [[Peabody Award|Peabody]], [[Golden Globe]] and [[Emmy Award]]-winning [[United States|American]] [[science fiction]] television series created by [[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]], which first aired on [[10 September]] [[1993]], and ended on [[19 May]] [[2002]]. The show was a hit for the [[Fox Broadcasting Company]] network, and its main characters and slogans (e.g., "The Truth Is Out There", "Trust No One", "I Want to Believe") became [[pop culture]] touchstones. ''The X-Files'' is seen as a defining series of the [[1990s]], coinciding with the era's widespread mistrust of [[governments]], interest in [[conspiracy theory|conspiracy theories]] and [[spirituality]], and the belief in the existence of [[extraterrestrial life]].<ref name="ST JAMES">{{cite web |work=St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture |title=The X-Files |url= http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g1epc/is_tov/ai_2419101347}}</ref><ref name="NYT">{{cite web |author=Millman, Joyce |title=The X-Files finds the truth: Its Time is Past |work=The New York Times |date=05-19-2002 |url=http://www.theage.com.au/cgi-bin/common/popupPrintArticle.pl?path=/articles/2002/10/10/1034061299444.html}}</ref> In the series, [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] [[special agent|agents]] [[Fox Mulder]] ([[David Duchovny]]) and [[Dana Scully]] ([[Gillian Anderson]]) are tasked with investigating the "X-Files": marginalized, unsolved cases involving [[paranormal phenomena]]. Mulder plays the role of the "[[belief|believer]]", having faith in the existence of [[space aliens|aliens]] and the paranormal, while Scully is a [[skeptic]], initially assigned by her departmental superiors to [[debunker|debunk]] Mulder's unconventional work. As the show progressed, both agents were caught up in a larger conflict, termed "the mythology" or "[[Story arc|mytharc]]" by the show's creators, and developed a close and ambiguous friendship which many saw as romantic rather than [[platonic love|platonic]].<ref name="study">{{cite web |author=Scodari, Christine |coauthors=Felder, Jenna L. |title=Creating a Pocket Universe: 'Shippers', Fan Fiction, and The X-Files Online |work=Communication Studies |year=2000 |url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3669/is_200010/ai_n8926461}}</ref> ''The X-Files'' also featured stand-alone episodes ranging in tone from [[Horror fiction|horror]] to [[comedy]], in which Mulder and Scully investigated uniquely bizarre cases without long-term implications on the storyline. These so-called "[[monster of the week]]" episodes made up the bulk of the series. The show's popularity peaked in the mid-to-late 1990s,<ref name="RATINGS"/> leading to a feature [[The X-Files: Fight the Future|film]] in 1998. 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 [[Science fiction television|sci-fi show]] ever on American television.<ref name="BBC DOCWHO">{{cite web | last = BBC | title = Dr Who 'longest-running sci-fi' | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5390372.stm | accessdate = 2008-04-14 }}</ref> The show was declared by ''[[TV Guide]]'' to be the second greatest [[cult television]] show<ref> {{cite web |url=http://forums.tannerworld.com/showthread.php?t=4001 |title=TV Guide's 25 Top Cult Shows |accessdate=2006-08-29}}</ref> (''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]'' being number one) and the 37<sup>th</sup> best television show of all time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/04/26/entertainment/main507388.shtml |title=TV Guide Names Top 50 Shows |accessdate=2006-08-29}}</ref> In 2007, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine included it on a list of the "100 Best TV Shows of All Time."<ref> {{cite web |url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/completelist/0,,1651341,00.html |title=Complete List - The 100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME |publisher=''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' |accessdate=2007-10-13}}</ref> In 2008, ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' named it the fourth best TV show in the last 25 years.<ref>[http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20207076_20207387_20207339,00.html ''Entertainment Weekly'': The New Classics: TV]</ref> ==Idea and pilot== California native [[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]], who had previously met with limited success writing for [[television]],{{Fact|date=July 2008}} was given the opportunity to produce new shows for the [[Fox Broadcasting]] [[television network|network]] in the early 1990s. Tired of the comedies he had been working on,<ref name="details">Edwards, Gavin. "Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid." Interview with Carter. ''Details'', November 1996. [http://www.millenniumdesktop.co.uk/html/interviews/details_millennium.htm]</ref> inspired by a report that 3.7 million Americans may have been abducted by aliens,<ref name="ew">{{cite web |title=X Appeal: 'The X-Files' Builds a Cult Following by Following the Occult |work=Entertainment Weekly |date=1994-03-18 |url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,301487,00.html }}</ref> and recalling memories of [[Watergate scandal|Watergate]] and of the 1970s horror series ''[[Kolchak: The Night Stalker]]'',<ref name="FAQ2">{{cite web |work=Chris Carter FAQ |title=Inspirations for The X-Files |url=http://www.turning-pages.com/carterconnection/faqb.htm#y }}</ref> Carter came up with the idea for ''The X-Files'' and wrote the [[TV pilot|pilot episode]] himself in 1992. He initially struggled over the untested concept&mdash;executives wanted a love interest for Scully&mdash;and casting. The network wanted either a more established or a "taller, leggier, blonder and breastier"<ref>{{cite web |work=Times Online |title=Interview with Gillian Anderson |date=2007-03-01 |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article1580600.ece }}</ref> actress for Scully than the 24-year-old [[Gillian Anderson]], a theater veteran with minor film experience, who Carter felt was the only choice after auditions.<ref name="USA AND">{{cite web |author=Mansfield, Stephanie |title=Gillian Anderson: Not What You'd Expect |work=USA Weekend |date=1998=02-01 |url=http://www.usaweekend.com/98_issues/980215/980215_xfiles_anderson.html }}</ref><ref name="twentyohsix">{{cite web |author=Ryan, Maureen |work=Chicago Tribune |title=Interview with Gillian Anderson |date=2006-01-19 |url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2006/01/gillian_anderso.html }}</ref> Nevertheless, the pilot with both Anderson and [[David Duchovny]] was successfully shot in [[Vancouver, British Columbia]], [[Canada]] in early 1993, and the show was picked up for the Friday night 9:00 p.m. slot on the American fall TV schedule. Carter started a new company called [[Ten Thirteen Productions]], named after his [[October 13]] birthday, to oversee ''The X-Files''. <!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:msf74.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Mulder in his basement office, now on display at the Hollywood Entertainment Museum.]] --> Carter's idea was to present [[FBI]] agents investigating [[extraterrestrials]] and [[paranormal]] events, but Carter also wanted to deal directly with the characters' beliefs. Carter said, "I think of myself as a non-religious person looking for [[religious experience]], so I think that's what the characters are sort of doing too."<ref name="CBC">{{cite web |title=Interview with Chris Carter |date=1995-05-1995 |url=http://www.mjq.net/xfiles/ccarter.htm }}</ref> [[Dana Scully]], in addition to being the scientific "[[skeptic]]" and a trained medical doctor, was open to the [[Roman Catholic|Catholic]] faith in which she was raised; while [[Fox Mulder]], in addition to being an [[Oxford University|Oxford]]-educated [[psychologist]] and renowned [[criminal profiler]], was the "believer" in space aliens, derisively nicknamed "Spooky Mulder" by his colleagues. Carter said, "Scully's point of view is the point of view of the show. And so the show has to be built on a solid foundation of science, in order to have Mulder take a flight from it... If the science is really good, Scully's got a valid point of view... And Mulder has to then convince her that she's got to throw her arguments out, she's got to accept the unacceptable. And there is the conflict."<ref name="FAQC">{{cite web |author=Carter, Chris |title=Chris Carter FAQ |url=http://www.turning-pages.com/carterconnection/faqb.htm#ff }}</ref> Carter also felt Scully's role as the more rational partner and Mulder's reliance on guesses and [[intuition]] subverted the [[gender roles]] usually seen on television.<ref name="INT CARTER">{{cite web |title=Interview with Chris Carter |url=http://www.foxhome.com/trustno1/low/behind/b9main.html }}</ref> In the [[Pilot (The X-Files)|pilot episode]], Scully is assigned to the X-Files as Mulder's partner, in order to serve as a scientific check on Mulder's belief in the paranormal. In later episodes, it becomes apparent that she was actually set up in that role so that the government conspirators could contain the implications of Mulder's work, which they viewed as a danger to their devious plans. Notably, the powerful [[shadow government]] official known only as the [[Cigarette Smoking Man]], or "Cancer Man", appears without any spoken lines in the first and last scenes of the pilot episode&mdash;although at that point his ongoing importance to the series had not yet been established.<ref name="Vanc1">{{cite web |title=Vancouver Province interview with Carter |date=1998-02-08 |url=http://www.mjq.net/xfiles/prov-carter.htm }}</ref> The "unresolved [[sexual tension]]" between Mulder and Scully was also a central underlying theme from the beginning, although they were each given other brief romantic interests in future episodes. Carter thought the show should be "[[plot (narrative)|plot]]-driven", and was quoted as saying, "I didn't want the relationship to come before the cases."<ref name="Anderson">{{cite web |title=Interview with Gillian Anderson |work=Wrapped in Plastic |month=August |year=1994 |url=http://www.gilliananderson.ws/transcripts/94_95/94wrapped.shtml }}</ref> For example, throughout the series, Mulder and Scully, with rare exception, refer to each other in a professional manner by using each others' last names, rather than calling each other by their first names, which might seem more personal. Carter's superior at FOX, Peter Roth, brought on more experienced staff members from the start, many of whom had previously worked with him at [[Stephen J. Cannell]]'s production company.<ref>{{cite book |author=Lowry, Brian |title=The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to The X-Files |publisher=HarperPrism |date=1995 |pages=9&ndash;23 }}</ref> Two of the most highly-regarded writers were [[Glen Morgan]] and [[James Wong (producer)|James Wong]]. Their contributions to the first two seasons, such as the episode "[[Beyond the Sea (The X-Files)|Beyond the Sea]]", were particularly popular among fans,<ref name="xwr">{{cite web |title=X-Writers |url=http://www.morganandwongonline.com/paula4.htm }}</ref> television critics,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Wolcott |first=James |title=Review: The X-Files |journal=The New Yorker |date=1994-04-18 }}</ref> the show's actors, and even Carter himself.<ref name="FAQ">{{cite web |author=Carter, Chris |title=Chris Carter FAQ |url=http://www.turning-pages.com/carterconnection/faqb.htm }}</ref> Morgan and Wong also returned for the first half of the fourth season. Prior to their work on ''The X-Files'', Wong and Morgan had worked extensively with [[David Nutter]], [[Rob Bowman]], and [[Kim Manners]] on [[cop drama]]s such as ''[[The Commish]]'' and ''[[21 Jump Street]]''. Nutter, Bowman and Manners all became frequent ''X-Files'' directors, with Nutter working on many of the darker episodes in the first three seasons. The duo of Wong and Morgan also had an important role in hiring several supporting actors on the show, as well as John Bartley, the [[cinematographer]] who gave ''The X-Files'' its early dark atmospheric look, for which he won an [[Emmy Award]] in 1996.<ref name="bartley"> {{cite web | url = http://www.foxhome.com/trustno1/low/behind/b7main.html#john | title = The X-Files Undercover: Special Effects & Sound | language = English | accessdate = 2006-06-10 }}</ref> Bartley left after the third season and was replaced by [[director of photography|directors of photography]] Ron Stannett, Jon Joffin, and ultimately Joel Ransom until the end of the fifth season. The show moved production to Los Angeles beginning with season six. Carter said, "We originally intended to film the pilot in [[Los Angeles]]. When we couldn't find a good forest, we made a quick decision to come to Vancouver. As it turned out, it was three weeks that turned into five years. The benefits of being in Vancouver were tremendous."<ref name="Vanc">Strachan, Alex. "X-Files creator bids B.C. sad adieu." [[The Vancouver Sun|Vancouver Sun]], [[March 30]], [[1998]]. [http://www.mjq.net/xfiles/cc-farewell.htm]</ref> The [[temperate rainforest]] [[climate of Vancouver]] itself was also seen as crucial to ''The X-Files'', allowing directors to create a mysterious, foggy aura,<ref name="transcr">{{cite web |title=Transcripts of 'People Online' Chats with Chris Carter |year=1995 |url=http://www.turning-pages.com/carterconnection/ppl1.htm }}</ref> seen as{{Fact|date=July 2008}} somewhat similar to that of then-recent TV hit ''[[Twin Peaks]]''. Responsibility for [[casting director|casting]] the show fell to Randy Stone,<ref>{{cite web |title=Randy Stone Obituary |url=http://www.legacy.com/LATimes/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=86459212 }}</ref> who had first recommended both leads to Carter, and to Rick Millikan, who predominately used local Canadian actors.<ref name="deep">{{cite web |title=Transcription of Chris Carter Audio Commentary from episode "Deep Throat" |url=http://xfilesnew.webzdarma.cz/1x01_audio_commentary.htm}}</ref> The move to Los Angeles was controversial among fans, as many wondered how the show could maintain the dark tone and atmosphere that characterized many of the episodes in the first five seasons.{{Fact|date=July 2008}} One reason the show moved was because David Duchovny wanted to be closer to his wife, actress Tea Leoni, whom he married in 1997.<ref>http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800026305/bio</ref> ==History== ===Season 1 (1993&ndash;1994)=== In the first two seasons, [[executive producer]] [[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Carter]] and co-executive producers [[Glen Morgan|Morgan]] and [[James Wong (producer)|Wong]], along with other writers, helped to define the show's fledgling [[story arc]].<ref name="xwr"/> The "[[mythology]]", as the producers called it, was initially established as a [[cover-up|government plot]] to cover up anything pertaining to the existence of [[extraterrestrial life]], and Mulder's attempts to discover the fate of his sister, [[Samantha Mulder|Samantha]]. He believed that she had been abducted by aliens years prior, when Mulder was a child, which profoundly affected him and ignited his obsession with the paranormal. Carter himself wrote the show's second episode, "[[Deep Throat (The X-Files episode)|Deep Throat]]", which was directed by Daniel Sackheim. It introduced a character named [[Deep Throat (The X-Files)|Deep Throat]] (played by [[Jerry Hardin]]), the first of several secret government [[List of X-Files informants|informants]] who would at times help or hinder Mulder and Scully's investigations. "[[Conduit (The X-Files)|Conduit]]", the first of many episodes to deal with Mulder's [[repressed memory|repressed memories]] of his sister's abduction, was written by [[Howard Gordon]] and Alex Gansa. Gordon became another key writer/producer in the show's first four years, also writing "[[Fallen Angel (The X-Files)|Fallen Angel]]" and other episodes in the first season with Gansa. That early mythology episode centered on Mulder's futile efforts to discover a crashed [[UFO]] which was being covered up by the government. It also introduced [[ufology|UFO enthusiast]] and abduction victim Max Fenig, one of many idiosyncratic outsiders portrayed on the show, which helped attract an "intensely loyal" [[cult following]]<ref name="cult">{{cite web |url=http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1994/vp941215/12150051.htm |title=X-FILES: FOX'S SPOOKY SERIES GAINS A FOLLOWING FOX'S SPOOKY SERIES IS GAINING A LOYAL FOLLOWING THAT'S MAKING IT A CULT FAVORITE |work=The Virginian-Pilot |date=10-15-1994 |author=Bonko, Larry }}</ref> (see [[#"X-Philes"|below]]). Fenig, played by Scott Bellis, returned for two episodes in the fourth season. Ironically, "Fallen Angel" also received the lowest [[Nielsen ratings]] of the first season. Another early and influential mythology effort, the Wong and Morgan-written episode "[[E.B.E.]]" (for "extraterrestrial biological entity"), which saw Mulder and Scully tracking another crashed UFO, did almost as poorly; it was the fourth least-watched episode of the series overall until its final season.<ref name="RATINGS">{{cite web |title=X-Files Nielsen ratings 1993&ndash;2002 |url=http://x-files.host.sk/nielsens.php}}</ref> Carter and his writers were mostly left to their own devices because FOX was concentrating on ''[[The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.]]'' and other shows that they considered more commercially promising at the time. The producers still ran into early opposition on some key episodes, among them "Beyond the Sea",<ref name="xwr"/> "E.B.E.", and the popular "[[Ice (The X-Files)|Ice]]".<ref name="MWNG">{{cite web |authot=Stevens, Kevin |title=Space Cadets Glen Morgan and James Wong reflect on their X tenure |work=Sci-Fi Universe Magazine |date=1995-10-01 |url=http://www.morganandwongonline.com/xmen.htm}}</ref> According to Carter, "the issue of closure has been an ongoing dialogue with the network, because we've always resisted wrapping up each episode with a neat little bow at the end. You can't do that... because pretending to explain the unexplainable is ridiculous and our audience is too smart for that." Eventually FOX backed down and it was decided "X-File stories would not have forced plot resolutions, but would conclude with some emotional resolution."<ref name="INT CARTER"/> Morgan and Wong's early influence on ''X-Files'' mythology led to their introduction of popular [[List of recurring characters from The X-Files|secondary characters]] who would continue for years in episodes written by others, such as the Scully family&mdash;Dana's father William ([[Don S. Davis]]), mother Margaret ([[Sheila Larken]]) and sister Melissa ([[Melinda McGraw]])&mdash;as well as [[conspiracy theory|conspiracy]]-buff trio [[The Lone Gunmen]],<ref name="SALON">{{cite web |author=Stark, Jeff |title=Interview with Chris Carter |year=2001 |url=http://archive.salon.com/ent/tv/int/2001/03/13/carter/print.html}}</ref> named after the [[Warren Commission]]'s disputed [[lone gunman theory|theory]] on the [[John F. Kennedy assassination]]. However, the duo's first episode, "[[Squeeze (The X-Files)|Squeeze]]", was not a part of the mythology. The episode featured [[Eugene Victor Tooms]], an elastic, liver-eating mutant serial-killer who emerged from hibernation every 30 years. After the first two episodes, the writing staff wanted to broaden the concept of ''The X-Files''; executives had initially rejected Carter's idea for a series centered only around alien conspiracies, having already had one at the time, ''[[Sightings]]''.<ref name="mill"/> "Squeeze" became a template for the [[paranormal]] "[[List of MOTW characters|Monster-of-the-Week]]" episodes that would be a mainstay of the series. Wong and Morgan followed it up later in the season with a direct sequel called "[[Tooms]]." "Tooms" was also the episode where the writers gave the Cigarette Smoking Man his first lines, and introduced FBI Assistant Director [[Walter Skinner]] ([[Mitch Pileggi]]), Mulder and Scully's boss. Whilst a relatively in-the-background type character in the 1st season, the character's role and importance in the storyline would evolve over the next seasons, until Skinner became an integral part of the X-Files plot. ====Early production issues==== Initially, ''The X-Files'' was fighting for its life in the ratings, and as a result, there was no long-term plan in the beginning to guide its writers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scifi.com/xfiles/chris2.html |title=The Dominion &mdash; An Interview with Chris Carter}}</ref> The only guideline provided by Carter was that the show should take place "within the realm of extreme possibility".<ref name="cyber">{{cite web |author=Winston,John |year=1993 |work=Cyberspace Vanguard Magazine |title=Interview with Chris Carter |url=http://www.skepticfiles.org/skeptic/x-filesj.htm}}</ref> The show's first season thus featured numerous standalone stories involving monsters, and also diverse alien/government cover-ups, with no apparent connection to each other &mdash; such as the [[Arctic]] space worms in "Ice", and the conspiracy of [[genetic engineering|genetically engineered]] twins in "[[Eve (The X-Files)|Eve]]." Carter himself wrote "[[Space (The X-Files)|Space]]", a low-budget affair about the manifestation of an alien "ghost" in the [[NASA]] [[Space Shuttle program|space shuttle program]], which was subject to cost overruns and became the most expensive of the first season;<ref>{{cite web |author=Johns, Anna |title=Review of "Space" |url=http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/07/30/the-x-files-space/}}</ref> he later called it one of the worst hours ever produced for the show.<ref name="transcr"/> According to Glen Morgan, the writers were inspired by a glowing ''[[The New Yorker|New Yorker]]'' review noting the show's exploration of "suburban paranoia", and planned for more thematic unity in the second season: "the whole year was to be about the [[little green men]] that you and I create for ourselves... because there’re not nuclear missiles pointed at our heads, you can’t consolidate your fears there anymore."<ref name="MWNG"/> However, the plan fell through quickly due to the pressure of the network TV schedule. But by the end of the first season, Carter and his staff had come up with many of the general concepts of the mythology that would last throughout all nine seasons, whose outlines first appeared in Carter's [[Edgar Award]]-nominated [[season finale]] "[[The Erlenmeyer Flask]]", written in early 1994 before he knew whether the show was going to be canceled.{{Fact|date=March 2007}} In the episode, The X-Files are closed down and Mulder and Scully are to be reassigned. The finale was the first episode directed by R. W. Goodwin, a senior producer (and husband of Sheila Larken, who played Scully's mother on the show) who went on to direct every season opening and closing episode for the next four years. ''The X-Files'' was picked up for a second season despite finishing 102<sup>nd</sup> out of the 118 shows in the U.S. Nielsen ratings.<ref name="xffaq">{{cite web |url=http://paul.rutgers.edu/~cwm/bedlam/x-files/xfilesFAQ.html#real |title=The X-Files FAQ}}</ref> It also received its first [[Emmy Awards|Emmy]] nod, for best [[title sequence]]. The [[electronic music|electronic]] [[theme song]] in the sequence, featuring eerie whistling sounds, was by [[Mark Snow]] and became very well known ([[Electronic dance music|club]] versions of the theme song have reached the pop charts in [[France]], the [[UK]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.soundtrack.net/features/article/?id=19 |work=Soundtrack.net |title=Interview with Composer Mark Snow}}</ref> and [[Australia]], where a [[remix]] by Triple X became a number 2 hit in 1996<ref>{{cite web |work=ARIA charts |year=1996 |archiveurl=http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:yuAgIDeACjcJ:www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-top-50-singles-1996.htm |url=http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-top-50-singles-1996.htm |title=Top 50 Singles in 1996 |archivedate=2007-05-21}}</ref>). Snow's music scores for each episode, often dark, [[synthesizer|synthesized]]<ref>{{cite web |author=Chun, Kimberly |work=Mix Magazine |title=Audio Post Script |url=http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_post_script}}</ref> and [[ambient music|ambient]], were another distinctive aspect of ''The X-Files'' from its earliest years, as the show used more [[background music]] than typical of an hour long [[television drama|drama]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Snow, Mark |url=http://www.foxhome.com/trustno1/low/behind/b7main.html#mark |title=Behind-the-Scenes}}</ref> A soundtrack CD, ''[[The Truth and the Light]]'', came out in 1996. The show's mix of [[genre]]s, the stressful schedule (22 or more episodes per season) and the shooting in different settings each week, required a large and experienced [[technical crew]]. At least 300 in Vancouver were under the supervision of producer Goodwin, who called ''The X-Files'' "the most difficult show on television" and "the equivalent of making a feature film every eight days".<ref name="RWG">{{cite web |author=Strachan, Alex |title=R.W. Goodwin |work=Vancouver Sun |date=1998-03-20 |url=http://www.mjq.net/xfiles/goodwin.htm }}</ref> The first year, budgets were at times as low as $1 million.<ref name="deep"/> By 1998, its final year in Vancouver, the show cost $2.5 million per episode,<ref name="adv">{{cite web |author=Sterngold, James |title=X-Files: Adventure for Directors |work=The New York Times |date=1998-03-10 |url=http://www.mjq.net/xfiles/mar10nyt.txt }}</ref> most of which was not the stars' salaries.<ref name="tvg"/> The longtime crew included producers Joseph Patrick Finn and Paul Rabwin, in charge of [[post-production]]; [[production designer]] and [[art director]] Graeme Murray, who won two Emmys for his work on the show; [[film editor]] Heather MacDougall, who worked on 51 episodes and won an Emmy for "Kill Switch"; Emmy-nominated editor Stephen Mark, who also edited the 1998 film; [[sound editing|sound designer]] Thierry Couturier, who won two Emmys, and whose son says "I made this" over the [[Ten Thirteen Productions|Ten Thirteen]] company logo;<ref>{{cite web |title=Trivia: Thierry J. Couturier |url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0184320/ |work=IMDB}}</ref> Mat Beck, [[visual effects]] supervisor (many were created on [[computer generated imagery|computer]], unusual in early 1990s TV) for 91 episodes<ref>{{cite web |author=Beck, Mat |url=http://www.foxhome.com/trustno1/low/behind/b7main.html#mat |title=Behind-the-Scenes }}</ref> and also wrote the episode "Wetwired"; Emmy-nominated [[makeup artist]] Toby Lindala;<ref>{{cite web |title=Toby Lindala |url=http://www.foxhome.com/trustno1/low/behind/b7main.html#toby }}</ref> and [[theatrical property|props master]] Kenneth Hawryliw, who later co-wrote the episode "Trevor". ===Season 2 (1994&ndash;1995)=== As the series ended its first season, a problem had arisen for the producers: the [[pregnancy]] of Gillian Anderson, who played Dana Scully. Some network executives wanted the role recast, which Carter refused to do.<ref name="BIO">Gillian Anderson biography. [http://www.gilliananderson.ws/about/bio1.shtml]</ref> Another problem arose for Carter, who was unable to finish his planned season opening extravaganza. Morgan and Wong were asked to come up with a lower-key replacement,<ref name="xwr"/> but their "[[Little Green Men (The X-Files)|Little Green Men]]" was nevertheless the first episode to actually show an alien and got the show's best ratings thus-far (with a 19% audience share).<ref name="RATINGS"/> The early part of the second season solidified Mulder and Scully's close relationship, even as the two had been separated on drudgery assignments in different departments when the X-Files had been closed at the end of season one. Due to her pregnancy, Anderson was largely demobilized from active scenes with Duchovny, which matched her character's confinement to teaching medical students at [[FBI Academy|Quantico]]. During early episodes of season two, Scully is typically pictured only in closeup, at a desk, or conducting [[autopsies]] &mdash; one of her usual roles on ''The X-Files'' due to her training as a medical doctor. [[Image:Flukeman.jpg|thumb|right|<small>[[Flukeman]] in "The Host", played by future writer [[Darin Morgan]] under prosthetics. The episode, like several others, was inspired by classic sci-fi B-movies.</small>]] The beginning of the second season saw an increasingly frustrated and hopeless Mulder, having been reassigned at the FBI to tedious wiretaps. He also had his prior informant taken away and replaced by the far more reluctant and less friendly Mr. [[X (The X-Files)|X]] ([[Steven Williams]]), who never fully revealed his true allegiances. Carter's script "[[The Host (The X-Files)|The Host]]" somewhat symbolized Mulder's frustration and loss of hope. In the episode, he is given what he thinks is a dead-end assignment in [[Newark, New Jersey]], literally sifting through sewage, which actually turns out to be an X-file&nbsp;&mdash; a giant mutant [[Flukeman]] who breeds in [[Radioactive waste|nuclear waste]]. Critics felt ''The X-Files'' of this period often consciously resembled classic [[B-movie]]s in containing [[environmentalism|environmental]] and political morals,<ref>{{cite journal |author=Kellner, Douglas |url=http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-8529%28199921%2957%3A2%3C161%3ATXATAA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-9&size=LARGE |title=The X-Files and the Aesthetics and Politics of Postmodern Pop |journal=The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism |volume=57 |issue=2 |year=1999 |pages=161&ndash;175 | doi = 10.2307/432310 <!--Retrieved from CrossRef by DOI bot--> }}</ref> as in Carter's earlier "[[Darkness Falls (The X-Files)|Darkness Falls]]" (about [[Old growth forest|ancient forest]] bugs who exact revenge on [[Pacific Northwest]] [[logging|loggers]]), Morgan and Wong's "[[Blood (The X-Files)|Blood]]" (dealing with [[mind control]] from electronic devices and [[pesticide]] spraying), and Howard Gordon's script for "[[Sleepless (The X-Files)|Sleepless]]" (about [[Vietnam veteran]]s who had been [[guinea pigs]] in a cruel government experiment in sleep deprivation). Notably, "Blood" was the first episode whose story credit went to [[Darin Morgan]], the actor who had portrayed Flukeman and the brother of writer/producer Glen Morgan (of the Morgan and Wong writing team). "Sleepless" was the second ''X-Files'' episode directed by [[Rob Bowman]], who would become one of the most prolific ''X-Files'' staff members behind the scenes, directing dozens of episodes as well as the 1998 feature film. "Sleepless" introduced Agent [[Alex Krycek]] ([[Nicholas Lea]]) as Mulder's new partner. Their partnership would last only into the next two episodes, "[[Duane Barry (The X-Files episode)|Duane Barry]]" and "[[Ascension (The X-Files)|Ascension]]", which proved crucial to the fate of the series. Searching for a solution to the now acute problem of Anderson's pregnancy, Carter and his writers decided to have Scully abducted by [[Duane Barry]] ([[Steve Railsback]]), himself a likely alien abductee, in the episode, "Duane Barry." The episode was both written and directed by Carter (his debut) and received several [[Emmy]] nominations the following year.<ref name="awards"/> Anderson was not featured at all in the episode "[[3 (The X-Files)|3]]", but reappeared when Scully mysteriously returned in Morgan and Wong's "[[One Breath]]" (directed by R. W. Goodwin), an episode which consistently scores among the highest in fan ratings.<ref>{{cite web |title=Assortment of fan reviews of "One Breath." |url=http://haebo.hihome.com/rv/breath.htm}}</ref> Scully's abduction provoked an [[existential crisis]] in Mulder. Although the show left it up in the air for years as to who was directly responsible (aliens, the government, or some combination of both), the earlier episode "Sleepless" had [[foreshadowing|foreshadowed]] the events with the Cigarette Smoking Man's declaration that "every problem has a solution" (referring to Scully). Scully was now seen to be firmly on Mulder's side in the larger conflict, regardless of her original role as a [[debunker]] and her continued skepticism towards the paranormal. After Scully's recovery (and the birth of Anderson's daughter, Piper), Mulder and Scully returned to work on the re-opened X-Files, investigating cases ranging from [[Haiti]]an [[zombies]] ("[[Fresh Bones]]") to animal abductions ("[[Fearful Symmetry (The X-Files)|Fearful Symmetry]]") and [[exorcism]] ("[[The Calusari]]"). This period would see the show gain more mainstream appeal, often earning winning scores during its Friday night timeslot.<ref name="powers">{{cite journal |author=Powers, William F. |title=X-Files: Signs of Intelligent Life &mdash; Cult Favorite Gains a Following Among the Masses |work=The Washington Post |date=1995-09-17 }}</ref> Its Nielsen ratings rose to their highest peaks thus-far with the occult-themed "[[Die Hand Die Verletzt]]" and the epic "[[Colony (The X-Files)|Colony]]"/"[[End Game (The X-Files)|End Game]]".<ref name="RATINGS"/> The latter was a two-part episode introducing the idea of [[colonist (The X-Files)|colonization]], the [[Alien Bounty Hunter]], as well as the characters Bill ([[Peter Donat]]) and Teena (Rebecca Toolan) Mulder, Fox Mulder's parents. "Die Hand Die Verletzt" was Morgan and Wong's final ''X-Files'' script until the fourth season, as they departed to start their own series ''[[Space: Above and Beyond]]'', but at the same time there was new involvement behind the scenes. The episode also marked the ''X-Files'' directorial debut of [[Kim Manners]], who would stay with the show until its end and direct the largest number of episodes of the series. On "Colony", star David Duchovny collaborated with Chris Carter on the story, the first of Duchovny's involvements in writing for the show. [[Frank Spotnitz]], a new [[script editor|story editor]] brought on by Chris Carter, wrote "End Game", the second of the two-part episode; Spotnitz would be a producer and writer on ''The X-Files'' and other Ten Thirteen projects for years and had a key role in shaping the mythology. The middle of the second season also saw "[[Irresistible (The X-Files)|Irresistible]]", an episode directed by [[David Nutter]] and written by Chris Carter, which Carter later credited as a blueprint for his even darker show ''[[Millennium (TV series)|Millennium]]''.<ref name="SALON"/> This was the first non-paranormal episode of ''The X-Files'', dealing with the trauma of investigating [[Donnie Pfaster]], a "[[necrophilia|death fetishist]]" (so named instead of "necrophiliac" to get past the FOX censors).<ref>{{cite web |author=Patterson, Kevin. |title=X-Files Season 2 reviews. |url=http://members.aol.com/KTPattersn/xf2.html }}</ref> A sequel, "Orison", was made in the seventh season. During its second season, ''The X Files'' finished 64<sup>th</sup> out of 141 shows, a marked improvement from the first season. The ratings were not spectacular, but the series had attracted enough fans to be classified as a "cult hit," particularly by Fox standards. Most importantly it made great gains among the 18-to-49 age demographic sought by advertisers.<ref name="powers"/><ref name="cult"/> The show was chosen as Best Television Show of 1994 by ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' and named best drama by the [[Television Critics Association]], and it received seven Emmy nominations, mostly in the [[film technique|technical]] categories, with one nomination for best drama series.<ref name="xffaq"/> In 1995, ''The X-Files'' won a [[Golden Globe Award]] for best television drama, winning out over several more established series such as ''[[ER (TV series)|ER]]'', ''[[Picket Fences]]'' and ''[[NYPD Blue]]''.<ref>Oldenburg, Ann. ''USA Today'', review of Golden Globe Awards. January 23, 1995.</ref> The last weeks of season two brought more changes, beginning what some saw as ''The X-Files''' peak creative period.<ref name="wei">{{cite web |author=Wei, Eugene |title=Amazon.com editorial review of Season 3 |url=http://www.amazon.com/X-Files-Complete-Third-Season/dp/B000059TQ9 }}</ref> The [[Edgar Award]]-nominated "[[Humbug (The X-Files)|Humbug]]", an unconventional standalone episode about a small town inhabited by circus [[sideshow]] performers, was the first script fully written by Darin Morgan. At the time it was also considered a risky experiment, as it was the first outright [[comedy]] episode. Gillian Anderson famously swallowed a real cricket in one [[ad-lib]]bed scene.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} Eventual senior writer Vince Gilligan also offered his first episode, the darker sci-fi "[[Soft Light (The X-Files)|Soft Light]]", guest starring [[Tony Shalhoub]] as a remorseful [[particle physics|physicist]] whose shadow kills people. Season two ended in May 1995 with "[[Anasazi (The X-Files)|Anasazi]]" (co-written by Carter with David Duchovny), which attracted widespread attention with its [[cliffhanger]] ending<ref name="powers"/> and put the future of the mythology up in the air. In the episode, Mulder and Scully are contacted by a [[computer hacker]] who has gained access to the [[Majestic-12]] documents. Now-free agent Alex Krycek also made his first reappearance since "Ascension". The episode began a three-part arc, the show's most ambitious mythology episodes thus-far, which extended into the third season and centering around [[Navajo people|Navajo]] former [[code talker]], Albert Hosteen ([[Floyd Red Crow Westerman]]).<ref name="code">{{cite web |author=Hersey, Eleanor |title=Word-healers and code talkers: Native Americans in ''The X-Files'' |work=Journal of Popular Film and Television |year=1998 |url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/printable.aspx?id=1G1:53437060 }}</ref> The show could not afford location filming, so a rock quarry in [[British Columbia]] was painted to match the desert hues of the [[American Southwest]].<ref name="details"/> Outside the U.S., ''The X-Files'' was by now one of the most popular shows in the world,<ref name="wei"/> and was being broadcast in (approximately) 60 countries.<ref name="CBC"/> ===Season 3 (1995&ndash;1996)=== Continuing from "Anasazi", "[[The Blessing Way (The X-Files)|The Blessing Way]]" and "[[Paper Clip (The X-Files episode)|Paper Clip]]" opened the third season, bringing in the involvement of former [[Nazi]] scientists, formally introducing the leading conspiracy member [[Well-Manicured Man]] ([[John Neville (actor)|John Neville]]), and containing revelations about both Mulder and Scully's families. Ratings-wise, "The Blessing Way" was the most successful ''X-Files'' episode thus far.<ref name="RATINGS"/> The third season confirmed the existence of [[extraterrestrial life]] within the show<ref>{{cite web |title=Review of "The Blessing Way" and "Paper Clip" |url=http://www.munchkyn.com/xf-rvws/paperclip.html }}</ref> and suggested that a shadowy international consortium known as the [[Syndicate (X-Files)|Syndicate]] were conspiring with the aliens to colonize Earth. This would be achieved via use of the so-called [[black oil]], introduced in the two-part "[[Piper Maru]]"/"[[Apocrypha (The X-Files)|Apocrypha]]." However, the season's other main mythology episodes, "[[Nisei (The X-Files)|Nisei]]" and "[[731 (The X-Files)|731]]", continued to call some of these conclusions into question. Chris Carter began to receive criticism for posing as many questions as answers in the mythology, while the mythology episodes were also praised for their increasingly [[Hollywood]]-like [[production value]]s.<ref>{{cite web |author=Uhlich, Keith |title=Review of "Mythology: Black Oil" DVD |work=Slant Magazine |year=2005 |url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/dvd_review.asp?ID=720 }}</ref> "Nisei" received [[Emmy Award]]s for its [[sound editing]] and [[sound mixing|mixing]]. Season three was noted for its wide variety of "monster of the week" episodes. "[[Pusher (The X-Files)|Pusher]]", the second effort by writer Vince Gilligan, depicted the cold blooded [[Robert Patrick Modell]], a man who could control people telepathically (a sequel, "[[Kitsunegari]]", came two years later in the fifth season). Simultaneously, the show continued to yield darker episodes, such as "[[The Walk (The X-Files)|The Walk]]" (a mysterious deadly force in a veterans hospital), "[[Oubliette (The X-Files)|Oubliette]]" (a metaphysical connection between a recently kidnapped girl and another woman) and "[[Grotesque (The X-Files)|Grotesque]]" (Mulder's descent into the world of a gargoyle-possessed killer, which received an Emmy for John Bartley's [[cinematography]]). Behind the scenes, [[Darin Morgan]] continued his involvement with the show, becoming ''The X-Files''' most critically acclaimed writer.<ref>{{cite web |title=Darin Morgan, The X-Files' Leading Genre Emmy winner |work=Cinefantastique |url=http://www.morganandwongonline.com/paula1.htm }}</ref> Despite intense perfectionism and having been unsatisfied with his well-received "Humbug",<ref name="darin">Interview with Darin Morgan. [http://www.morganandwongonline.com/darin2.html]</ref> Morgan managed to turn in three [[dark comedy]] episodes which were considered original for the show. The first of these, "[[Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose]]", concerned a [[St. Paul, Minnesota|St. Paul]] insurance salesman ([[Peter Boyle]]) who could predict death. It won Emmys for best writing and guest actor Boyle, and comes in very high in fan polls of favorite episodes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Global Episode Opinion Survey |url=http://www.geos.tv/index.php/statistics/txf/053 }}</ref> "[[War of the Coprophages]]" was Morgan's parody-tribute to [[H.G. Wells]]/[[Orson Welles]]' ''[[War of the Worlds]]'', this time with an infestation of [[cockroach]]es driving a town to hysteria. It also mocked the sexual tension between Mulder and Scully by introducing the attractive female [[entomologist]] Dr. Bambi Berenbaum. A similar technique was also used in Chris Carter's own "[[Syzygy (The X-Files)|Syzygy]]", only one week later, leading to what some viewers felt was a comedy overdose.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sarah Stegall review of "Syzygy" |url=http://www.munchkyn.com/xf-rvws/syzygy.html }}</ref> Morgan's third effort of the season, and his final episode as an ''X-Files'' script writer, was "[[Jose Chung's "From Outer Space"|Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space']]", which presented multiple [[perspective (cognitive)|perspectives]] as in [[Akira Kurosawa|Kurosawa]]'s ''[[Rashomon (film)|Rashomon]]'', and made fun of the X-Files mythology while remaining consistent with it. Graeme Murray and Shirley Inget were nominated for an Emmy for art direction. Morgan would later write a sequel also involving the writer [[Jose Chung]] ([[Charles Nelson Reilly]]), for Chris Carter's other series, ''[[Millennium (TV series)|Millennium]]'' in 1998. In the spring of 1996, ''The X-Files'' began to achieve wide recognition. In addition to its eight Emmy nominations in its third season, of which it won five, it was awarded a [[George Foster Peabody Award]] for excellence in television broadcasting. Both David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson were nominated for [[Screen Actors Guild Awards]] for the first time, and Anderson won. Both actors were also nominated for [[Golden Globe Awards]]. Guest stars in season 3 included [[Jesse Ventura]] and [[Alex Trebek]] (both "[[Men in Black (The X-Files)|men in black]]" in "Jose Chung's"), [[Giovanni Ribisi]] and [[Jack Black]] (in "[[D.P.O.]]", about a young man who can control [[lightning]]), [[Lucy Liu]] and [[B.D. Wong]] (in "[[Hell Money]]", about mysterious and deadly occurrences in the [[Chinese people|Chinese]] immigrant community), [[JT Walsh]] (in "[[The List (The X-Files)|The List]]", about the reincarnation of a [[death row]] prisoner), and [[R. Lee Ermey]] (in "[[Revelations (The X-Files)|Revelations]]", about a [[stigmatic]] boy, played by [[Kevin Zegers]], the first of several episodes in the series to deal directly with Scully's [[Roman Catholicism|Catholic]] faith). Black, Ribisi and Liu were not widely known at the time they appeared on ''The X-Files''. [[Dave Grohl]] also had a [[Cameo appearance|cameo]] in the "Pusher".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nirvanaclub.com/info/nirvinfoa/facts.txt |title=Nirvana Facts }}</ref> His [[rock music|rock]] band, [[Foo Fighters]], were fans of the show, and contributed songs to the compilation album, ''[[Songs in the Key of X]]'', released that spring. They also contributed to ''The X-Files'' film two years later (see [[#Pop culture|below]] for other pop culture inspirations). <!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Mr X001.JPG|thumb|right|<small>Mr. [[X (The X-Files)|X]], played by [[Steven Williams]], became closely involved from the second to fourth seasons. The [[informant]] was so-named for Mulder's masking-tape "X" on his window, used to call a meeting.</small>]] --> The final part of the season brought the episode "[[Avatar (The X-Files)|Avatar]]" (the first episode centered around [[Mitch Pileggi]]'s Assistant Director [[Walter Skinner]], who was being punished by the Syndicate for his efforts on behalf of Mulder and Scully), "[[Quagmire (The X-Files)|Quagmire]]" (about a [[lake monster]]; the famous "conversation on the rock" between Mulder and Scully was added by script editor Darin Morgan as his last contribution to ''The X-Files''<ref>{{cite web |work=Morgan and Wong Online |title=Facts about "Quagmire" |url=http://www.morganandwongonline.com/quagmire.html }}</ref>), "[[Wetwired]]" (an episode involving a conspiracy to send [[subliminal messages]] in TV reception), and season finale "[[Talitha Cumi (The X-Files)|Talitha Cumi]]", which introduced Jeremiah Smith ([[Roy Thinnes]]), an alien with healing powers. The finale had a complex plot, tying back to Mulder's mother's past with the Cigarette Smoking Man. One scene, produced by writers Chris Carter and David Duchovny, was modeled directly after "[[The Grand Inquisitor]]" chapter from [[Dostoevsky]]'s ''[[The Brothers Karamazov]]''.<ref name="DUCHOVNY"/> The episode was again a [[cliffhanger]], "to be continued" in the next season. ===Season 4 (1996&ndash;1997)=== The next season began with ''The X-Files''<nowiki>'</nowiki> highest ratings success to that point, with "[[Herrenvolk (The X-Files)|Herrenvolk]]".<ref name="RATINGS"/> The [[season premiere]] introduced several new elements to the conspiracy: "[[Africanized bee|killer bees]]" designed to unleash [[smallpox]], [[clones]] and alien [[Hybrid (biology)|hybrids]], [[United Nations]] [[Diplomatic rank|Special Representative]] [[Marita Covarrubias]] (played by [[Laurie Holden]]), and the removal of a previous important character. Covarrubias became an informer to Mulder and Scully in several episodes in the season, such as "[[Teliko (The X-Files episode)|Teliko]]" and "[[Unrequited (The X-Files episode)|Unrequited]]." However it was the [[horror fiction|horror]] episode "[[Home (The X-Files)|Home]]", signaling the return of Morgan and Wong as writers after their canceled ''Space: Above and Beyond'', that was most noticed. "Home" told the story of an [[inbreeding|inbred]] family of murderers in rural [[Pennsylvania]], with references to ''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]'' and grisly violence contrasted with calm, becoming a hit with many fans ("X-Philes") and dividing others.<ref name="first">Cinefantastique, October 1997 (part 1) [http://www.morganandwongonline.com/paula8.htm]</ref> [[FOX]]'s [[Standards and Practices]] department granted it a rare [[TV-MA]] "Parental Advisory" rating and refused to ever air it again,<ref>Morgan and Wong Online, information about the episode "Home." [http://web.archive.org/web/20060327041329/http://www.morganandwongonline.com/home.html]</ref> though the episode later went into syndication. Two major changes occurred behind the scenes in the autumn of 1996, during the early part of the fourth season. Chris Carter's new series ''[[Millennium (TV series)|Millennium]]'', also produced in Vancouver, debuted on Friday nights. As a result, ''The X-Files'' was moved from Friday night to Sunday, seen as a key to better ratings success, although Carter was initially wary<ref name="secrets">Alex Strachan, "Secret of X-Files' success is its secrets." ''Vancouver Sun'', [[July 25]], [[1996]]. [http://www.mjq.net/xfiles/xfvansun.htm]</ref> and the decision was controversial with the show's audience.{{Fact|date=July 2008}} The first episode to air in the new time period was "[[Unruhe]]", written by Vince Gilligan and directed by [[Rob Bowman]]. It was one of the series' darkest episodes, dealing with a man (played by [[Pruitt Taylor Vince]]) who [[lobotomy|lobotomizes]] women and can project his fantasies in "thought photography". Gilligan also wrote "[[Paper Hearts]]", an emotional episode for Mulder, twisting his memories of his [[Samantha Mulder|sister]]'s disappearance with a case involving an unrepentant child killer. Wong and Morgan contributed their own, possibly non-[[canon (fiction)|canon]] addition to the mythology,<ref name="musings"/> "[[Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man]]", which referenced [[William Shakespeare|Shakespearian]] [[Henry IV, Part 1|history]], tied ''The X-Files'' to real life [[conspiracy theories]] about the assassinations of President [[John F. Kennedy assassination|John F. Kennedy]] and civil rights leader Reverend [[Martin Luther King]], and was the first episode in which neither Mulder or Scully appears on screen (except in [[flashback]]). The death of Lone Gunmen member Frohike was originally going to be in the episode, before Carter nixed the idea, but the scene was actually shot by director James Wong.<ref name="musings">''Cinefantastique'' Interview with James Wong and Glen Morgan, 1997. (part two) [http://www.morganandwongonline.com/paula11.htm]</ref> [[Chris Owens]], later to play other roles for the show, first appeared in this episode as the young CSM. The action-oriented "[[Tunguska (The X-Files)|Tunguska]]" and "[[Terma (The X-Files)|Terma]]" were the more traditional mythology episodes for the autumn [[sweeps]] period, sending Mulder and Krycek to a Russian [[gulag]] and involving the black oil and the Syndicate closely. ''X-Files'' ratings by the middle of the fourth season were as high as they had ever been,<ref name="RATINGS"/> and by autumn 1996 it was the FOX network's most popular show.<ref name="details"/> Many episodes of the fourth season were [[characterization|character driven]], such as "[[The Field Where I Died]]" and "[[Demons (The X-Files)|Demons]]", both about Mulder trying to recover his past, or [[Reincarnation|past lives]]. "[[Never Again (The X-Files)|Never Again]]", Morgan and Wong's final episode of the series, centered on Scully's personal life, with [[Jodie Foster]] providing the voice of a tattoo. It had originally been planned as a collaboration with director [[Quentin Tarantino]],<ref name="last"/> but Tarantino was not allowed to work in network television because he was not a member of the [[Directors Guild of America]].<ref name="GUILD">{{citeweb|url = http://www.slate.com/id/2116501|title = Slate: Why not quit the Directors Guild?|author = Daniel Engber|date = 2005-04-08|accessdate = 2007-01-12}}</ref> The episode was ultimately directed by Rob Bowman, with an homage to [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[Frenzy]]''. FOX had attained rights to broadcast [[Super Bowl XXXI]] in January 1997 and planned to showcase ''The X-Files'' in the premier post-game slot. As a result, "Never Again" was bumped to the next week, and "[[Leonard Betts]]", a stylish and gory monster-of-the-week episode about an [[Emergency medical technician|EMT]] (played by [[Paul McCrane]]) who was [[decapitation|decapitated]] and could [[regeneration (biology)|regrow]] his body, received the coveted spot (episodes of ''The X-Files'' were often aired slightly out of production order). "Leonard Betts" became the all time most-watched ''X-Files'' episode, with 17.2 Nielsen rating and 29% audience share.<ref name="RATINGS"/> It was also the first episode to be written by the team of Vince Gilligan, John Shiban and Frank Spotnitz, who were responsible for many episodes during the show's middle-to-late era. The air date of "Leonard Betts" became relevant because the final scenes of the episode were central to the ongoing [[story arc]] of the show and led directly into the events of "[[Memento Mori (The X-Files)|Memento Mori]]", in which it is revealed that Dana Scully has contracted terminal [[brain cancer]]. When originally aired, however, the episode "Never Again" came between these, implying Scully's behavior in that episode was a result of her diagnosis; Gillian Anderson said she would have played the role completely differently if that had been the case.<ref name="last">Cinefantastique, October 1997 (part 3) [http://www.morganandwongonline.com/paula14.htm]</ref> Nevertheless, Anderson's performances during the fourth season "cancer arc" were praised. She won an Emmy for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress - Drama Series|Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series]] in 1997, as well as her second straight [[Screen Actors Guild]] award and a [[Golden Globe]]. "Memento Mori" relied on extended emotional [[voiceover]]s, a technique that had become increasingly common in the show over the years, as Scully came to grips with her illness while simultaneously investigating its origins, leading back to her own abduction. Mulder, Walter Skinner and the Cigarette Smoking Man all became dramatically involved, which played out in the later episode "[[Zero Sum (The X-Files episode)|Zero Sum]]", one of the few episodes of the show not to feature Anderson's involvement, although the events were driven by Scully's worsening condition, as well as the Syndicate's plans for unleashing killer bees. Once Scully had contracted cancer, she continued to work in her former capacity as Mulder's partner investigating X-Files, apparently debilitated only by occasional [[Epistaxis|nosebleeds]], though the issue of mortality was again addressed in "[[Elegy (The X-Files)|Elegy]]" late in the season. In the intervening time, notable episodes included the two-part "[[Tempus Fugit (The X-Files episode)|Tempus Fugit]]" and "[[Max (The X-Files episode)|Max]]", in which Max Fenig from season one's "Fallen Angel" returned briefly as the agents investigated mysterious "lost time" in a deadly [[plane crash]], loosely modeled on [[TWA Flight 800]]. Amidst what was considered the show's darkest year, "[[Small Potatoes (The X-Files episode)|Small Potatoes]]" provided a lighter tone.<ref>Review of "Small Potatoes." [http://www.entil2001.com/series/x-files/reviews/season4/4-20.html]</ref> The episode was written by Vince Gilligan, and featured departed ''X-Files'' writer and former Flukeman Darin Morgan in the role of Eddie Van Blundht, a shape-shifting self-described "loser" who becomes the focus of Scully and Mulder's investigation of a [[West Virginia]] town where children are being born with tails. The final scenes of the episode provided "[[shipping (fandom)|shippers]]" with the sight of "Mulder" and Scully finally together, the first of many such jokes by the writers in later seasons. Season 4 ended with "[[Gethsemane (The X-Files)|Gethsemane]]", a resolution which appeared to leave one main character near death and kill off the other one, as well as turning his entire belief system into a house of cards. ===Season 5 (1997&ndash;1998)=== When season 5 opened, to the show's best numbers ever<ref name="RATINGS"/> (with the exception of "Leonard Betts"), it turned out Fox Mulder was still alive, having gone into hiding after becoming involved with Michael Kritschgau, a renegade [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] employee. The continuation of the three-part arc with "[[Redux (The X-Files)|Redux]]" and "[[Redux II (The X-Files episode)|Redux II]]" brought Scully's [[metastasizing]] cancer to the fore, as Mulder continued to question his own ideas about aliens and government conspiracies, while working to find a cure to a disease he believes the government gave Scully. Scully is finally cured, though it's unclear what has caused the intervention, and what sacrifices have been made for the end. Skinner's loyalties are in question, and the Cigarette Smoking Man is seemingly put out of commission by the Syndicate. These events were soon followed by Chris Carter's "[[The Post-Modern Prometheus]]", which he both wrote and directed. It was the show's only episode filmed entirely in [[black-and-white]], a retelling of the story of ''[[Frankenstein]]'' (subtitled by author [[Mary Shelley]], ''The Modern Prometheus''), mixed with allusions to ''[[Young Frankenstein]]'', ''[[The Jerry Springer Show|Jerry Springer]]'', [[comic books]], [[David Lynch]]'s ''[[The Elephant Man (film)|The Elephant Man]]'', and [[Cher]]. Carter earned his second [[Directors Guild of America|DGA]] nomination for his work. A few months earlier in 1997, ''The X-Files'' had received its largest awards recognition yet for its fourth season, with 12 Emmy nominations including best drama series, [[sound mixing]], [[makeup]], [[composer|music]], [[television director|directing]], [[screenwriting|writing]], two nominations for [[film editing|editing]], and wins for [[sound editing]], [[art direction]], and Anderson. Duchovny was also nominated at both this event and at the Golden Globes, where along with Anderson's win, he won best actor in a [[Television drama series|TV drama]] and the show itself won that category for a second year &mdash; taking all three top awards. ''The X-Files'' also won a second [[Saturn Award]] for best genre television series, and Anderson won for best actress; these awards were given by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films.<ref name="awards"/> Chris Carter's contract with FOX ran through the fifth season,<ref name="xffaq"/> and he and the stars had originally preferred to stop there,<ref name="secrets"/> turning ''The X-Files'' into a series of films; but the show was such a hit that FOX was intent to continue it on TV in some form, and Carter was convinced to sign a new contract, retaining creative control.<ref name="carter">Review of "Redux II". [http://www.entil2001.com/series/x-files/reviews/season5/5-2.html]</ref> In a very rare move for a show still in production,<ref name="ST JAMES"/> a [[feature film]] of ''The X-Files'' had been planned by Carter ever since the show achieved commercial success in season two.<ref name="transcr"/> The film's scripts were printed in red ink on red paper to ensure secrecy by making it impossible to photocopy,<ref name="tvg">Ceron, Daniel Howard. "Great Expectations", ''TV Guide'', November 15&ndash;21, 1997. [http://www.gilliananderson.ws/transcripts/96_97/97tvg.shtml]</ref> and it was largely filmed in [[California]] between season four's "Gethsemane" and season five's resumption of the plot with "Redux", pushing back the debut date for the season to November 1997 and resulting in the fifth being (until the ninth) the shortest season, only 20 episodes.<ref name="spotnitz">Frank Spotnitz interview. [http://www.scifi.com/xfiles/frank.html]</ref> As a result, several episodes in season five featured either Scully or Mulder at the expense of the other, to make time for personal projects or re-shoots on the film throughout the season (both stars were now reportedly receiving the same pay, $100,000 per episode<ref name="tvg"/>). "[[Christmas Carol (The X-Files)|Christmas Carol]]" and "[[Emily (The X-Files)|Emily]]", written by the team of Spotnitz, Gilligan and Shiban, were the first mythology episodes mostly centered around Scully. In "Christmas Carol", she receives further information about her abduction, coinciding with the mysterious arrival of a young child into her life. Another result was that two episodes of the season, "[[Unusual Suspects]]" and "Travelers", focused on the origins of [[The Lone Gunmen]] in 1989 and the origin of the X-File cases at the [[FBI]] during the [[McCarthyism|McCarthy era]] in the 1950s, respectively. Duchovny appears only briefly in the episodes, and Anderson is in neither. [[Richard Belzer]] guest starred in "Unusual Suspects", playing Detective [[John Munch]] of ''[[Homicide: Life on the Street|Homicide]]'' & ''[[Law & Order: Special Victims Unit|Law & Order: SVU]]''. "Unusual Suspects" was later followed up in the sixth season with "Three of a Kind", and these episodes about Lone Gunmen [[John Fitzgerald Byers]] ([[Bruce Harwood]]), [[Richard Langly|Richard "Ringo" Langly]] ([[Dean Haglund]]), and [[Melvin Frohike]] ([[Tom Braidwood]]) later became the basis for a short-lived [[The Lone Gunmen (TV series)|spinoff]] in 2001. Early in 1998, the show, largely written by a staff of regulars,<ref name="transcr"/> aired its first episodes by well-known guest writers. [[Stephen King]] contributed "[[Chinga]]" (also known as "Bunghoney"), about a demonic doll, which was co-written with Chris Carter and featured Scully investigating the case, between tongue-in-cheek phone conversations with Mulder. The episode, directed by Kim Manners, received mixed reviews. Next up was "[[William Gibson's "The X-Files" episodes|Kill Switch]]", written by [[cyberpunk]] author [[William Gibson]] along with [[Tom Maddox]]. The episode covered issues of [[virtual reality]] and received better reception.<ref>[http://www.streettech.com/archives_Special/maddoxSpecial.html Tom Maddox chat transcript], March 3&ndash;9, 1998.</ref> Then an episode aired where both Mulder and Scully's diverging viewpoints on a [[vampire]] case were presented, and humorously contrasted. Vince Gilligan's "Bad Blood", another pairing with "Small Potatoes" director [[Cliff Bole]], was a fan favorite<ref name="chart">Chart of highest rated episodes from X-Files Ratings and Reviews, statistics project. [http://web.archive.org/web/20050830010736/xfiles.amaroq.com/chart.html web archive (site offline)]</ref> and featured [[Luke Wilson]] in a guest role as a young [[Texas]] sheriff with or without "buck teeth". In February, the fifth season continued a tradition of mythology episodes in [[sweeps]] month and aired the dramatic two-part episodes "Patient X" and "The Red and the Black", the latter of which was again directed by Carter. These dealt with the beginning of [[colonist (The X-Files)|colonization]], and introduced two new characters, [[Cassandra Spender]] (a chronic alien abductee, played by [[Veronica Cartwright]], who was nominated for two Emmys in the role) and her estranged son [[Jeffrey Spender]] (a colleague of Mulder and Scully at the FBI, played by [[Chris Owens]]). The episodes also juxtaposed Mulder's ongoing crisis of belief in the existence of aliens, with the machinations of the Syndicate and Scully's own personal experiences. Krycek and Covarrubias were involved, while the [[Cigarette Smoking Man]] continued to be largely out of the picture during the fifth season. Leading up to the end of the year, more monster of the week episodes were aired, including "Mind's Eye" (guest starring [[Lili Taylor]] as a blind woman suspected of murder, and written by season 5 story editor [[Tim Minear]]), "The Pine Bluff Variant" (about Mulder's involvement in a plot to spread deadly [[biological terrorism]], with tie-ins to the ongoing mythology) and "Folie à deux" (about Mulder and Scully's investigation into a [[telemarketing]] employee who claimed his boss could turn into an insect). [[Image:Stanley Park 1999 Rain.jpg|thumb|left|<small>"The End" was the last episode to be filmed in rainy [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]] (pictured), closing season 5. The show produced 117 episodes in [[Canada]] before moving to [[Los Angeles]] in its sixth season.</small>]] David Duchovny had been unhappy with his geographical separation from his wife [[Téa Leoni]], although his discontent was popularly attributed to frustration with climatic conditions in [[Vancouver]].<ref>Alex Strachan, "The Alienation of David Duchovny." ''Vancouver Sun'', [[February 17]], [[1998]]. [http://www.mjq.net/xfiles/dd-sun-interview.htm]</ref> Gillian Anderson also wanted to return home to the United States,<ref name="Vanc">Strachan, Alex. "X-Files creator bids B.C. sad adieu." [[The Vancouver Sun|Vancouver Sun]], [[March 30]], [[1998]]. [http://www.mjq.net/xfiles/cc-farewell.htm]</ref> and Carter decided to move production to [[Los Angeles]] following the fifth season. The season ended in May 1998 with "The End", the final episode shot in Vancouver and the final episode with the involvement of many of the original crew members who had worked on the show for its previous five years, including director and producer R. W. Goodwin and his wife [[Sheila Larken]] (who played Margaret Scully and would later return briefly). "The End" introduced [[Diana Fowley]], a new character who had apparently once worked with Mulder on early X-Files, but it focused largely on the efforts of the Syndicate to get control of mind-reading [[chess]] prodigy Gibson Praise. The X-Files were closed for a second time in this episode (following season 2). This set up the events of the film, ''[[The X-Files (film)|The X-Files]]'', which had just completed post-production and was to open in theatres one month later. The show finished its fifth season with a season Nielsen average of 12.1, its all time peak viewership,<ref name="RATINGS"/> and an ''X-Files'' record of 16 Emmy nominations (winning two), in addition to winning the Golden Globe for best drama series for the third year. Overall, seasons three to five appear to have marked the show's most popular and acclaimed period. ===Film (1998)=== {{main|The X-Files (film)}} The worldwide theatrical [[box office]] total was $189 million. The film's production cost was close to $66 million,<ref name="bowman">Interview about ''Fight the Future'' with Rob Bowman. [http://www.scifi.com/xfiles/rob.html]</ref> and its advertising budget was similar. In summer 1998 the series produced a feature length motion picture, ''[[The X Files (film)|The X-Files]]'', also known as ''The X Files: Fight the Future''. It was intended to be a continuation of the season five finale "The End" (5x20), but was also meant to stand on its own.<ref name="spotnitz"/> The season six opener "The Beginning" picked up where the film left off. The majority of the film was shot in the break between the show's fourth and fifth seasons. The film was written by [[Chris Carter]] and [[Frank Spotnitz]] and directed by series regular [[Rob Bowman]]. In addition to [[Mulder]], [[Dana Scully|Scully]], [[Walter Skinner]] and the [[Cigarette Smoking Man]], it featured guest appearances by [[Martin Landau]], [[Armin Mueller-Stahl]], and [[Blythe Danner]] as characters that only appeared in the film (though Mueller-Stahl's [[Conrad Strughold]] is later mentioned in the series). It also had the last ''X-Files'' appearance by John Neville as the [[Well-Manicured Man]]. [[Jeffrey Spender]], [[Diana Fowley]], [[Alex Krycek]] and [[Gibson Praise]] do not appear in the film. The film had a strong domestic opening and got mostly positive reviews from critics. However, its box office dropped sharply after the first weekend. Although it failed to make a profit during theatrical release, due to a very high promotional budget,<ref>E Online news, 1998. [http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=d8f5136e-2107-4c67-9fd8-d70c6d59771a]</ref> ''The X-Files'' film was more successful internationally. Anderson and Duchovny received equal pay for the film, unlike their original contracts for the series.<ref name="tvg"/> ===Season 6 (1998&ndash;1999)=== Over the course of the previous two years, the show had built upon the [[story arc|mythology]] storylines that grew in complexity and prominence (and confusion, especially for new viewers<ref name="NYT"/>) as the show progressed. The loyalties of the Cigarette Smoking Man and [[Alex Krycek|Krycek]] were continually shifting and the influence of CSM appeared to be waning. Above all, the [[Syndicate (The X-Files)|Syndicate]]'s co-operation with the [[colonist (The X-Files)|colonizers]] was proven to be a ploy, as they were secretly attempting to develop a [[Purity Control|vaccine]] to the [[black oil]] (also known as "purity") which was shown to be an agent which would allow for the transportation of [[extraterrestrial|alien]] beings, and which would be spread through [[bee]]s come the time for colonization. However, another alien faction was proven to exist, and these rebels opposed the colonists and the Syndicate for their co-operation. Consequently, in mid-season 6 "full disclosure" episodes "Two Fathers" and "One Son", the rebels destroyed the Syndicate. At the end of ''The X-Files'' film, the X-Files had again been re-opened. However, Agents Spender and Fowley were assigned to them rather than Mulder and Scully, who were reassigned from Walter Skinner &mdash; who continued to appear on the show, nevertheless &mdash; to a new boss, Assistant Director [[Alvin Kersh]] (played by [[James Pickens, Jr.]]). Gibson Praise was dispatched in the first episode of season 6, "The Beginning" (which also posited a possible [[extraterrestrial|alien]] source for humanity), and Jeffrey Spender was also written out of the show during season 6, while [[Mimi Rogers]]' Diana Fowley continued to play a role and appeared quite close to the Cigarette Smoking Man. The latter character was finally given a name, CGB Spender, and an identity &mdash; father of Jeffrey and ex-husband of Cassandra. With the move to [[Los Angeles, California]] in season 6, many changes behind the scenes occurred, as much of the original ''X-Files'' crew was gone. New [[production designer]] Corey Kaplan, [[film editor|editor]] Lynne Willingham, writer David Amann, and director and [[television producer|producer]] Michael Watkins would stay on for several years. Bill Roe became the show's new [[director of photography]], and episodes generally had a drier, brighter look due to the sunshine and climate of [[California]], as compared with the rain, fog and [[temperate]] forests of [[Vancouver]], [[Canada]]. Early in the sixth season, the producers took advantage of the new location, setting the show in parts of the country they had not been able to write episodes in previously.<ref name="dir">Hurwitz, Matt. "Directing ''The X-Files''", ''DGA Monthly'', March 2002. [http://www.dga.org/news/v26_6/feat_kimmanners.php3]</ref> For example, Vince Gilligan's "Drive" (about a man subject to an unexplained illness) was a frenetic action episode, unusual for ''The X-Files'',<ref>X-Files 6th Season Guide. [http://www.geocities.com/earl20xx/X61.html]</ref> not least due to its setting on roads in the stark desert of [[Nevada]]. The "Dreamland" two-parter was also set in Nevada, this time in the legendary [[Area 51]]. It marked another [[comedy]] outing for the show, in a season increasingly light in tone, with [[guest star]] [[Michael McKean]] playing [[man in black]] Morris Fletcher, who switches bodies with Fox Mulder during the course of the episodes. It is the only non-mythology two part episode of ''The X-Files''. The sixth season also explored the ever-deepening bond between Mulder and Scully. The episode "Triangle" was Chris Carter's fifth try at [[film director|directing]] as well as writing ''The X-Files''. With its ambitious [[mise-en-scène]] featuring [[tracking shot|continuous takes]] and [[split screen (film)|split screen]]s, and its setting on an [[ocean liner]] on the eve of [[World War II]] (played by {{RMS|Queen Mary}} anchored in [[Long Beach, California]]), it was widely seen as a bid for an [[Emmy Award]], which Carter did not receive, though the episode was up for [[sound editing]]. "Triangle" concerned Mulder's trip to the [[Bermuda Triangle]] to investigate an X-File there, disobeying superiors such as Kersh, in parallel with Scully and [[The Lone Gunmen]]'s dogged efforts to locate him, contrasting this with [[time warp]] versions of all the main characters in September 1939, and ending with a pivotal "[[shipping (fandom)|shipper]]" moment while leaving both the preceding events and the agents' relationship ambiguous.<ref name="TRI">Review of Triangle (6.03) [http://www.angelfire.com/ga/wkb/xftriangle.html]</ref> Whether they "should" or "should not" consummate their "[[platonic]]" love was a matter of immense debate among the fan community for years, and is still subject to scrutiny, since even after abundant hints Carter refuses to substantiate whether the two characters ever had sex.<ref name="study"/> Other episodes that season, such as "The Rain King", "Monday", "Field Trip", and Carter's "Milagro" and "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas" (guest starring [[Ed Asner]] and [[Lily Tomlin]]), also dealt primarily with romantic relationships and alternate realities, using these to comment on Mulder and Scully's status.<ref>Review of "Milagro". [http://www.angelfire.com/ga/wkb/xfmilagro.html]</ref> Late in the season, David Duchovny &mdash; who had a [[master's degree]] in [[English literature|English]] and considered a career as a writer before joining the cast<ref name="DUCHOVNY"/> &mdash; contributed his first solo ''X-Files'' script, "The Unnatural", which he also directed. It was about Josh "Ex" Exley, a [[baseball]]-loving alien who played in the [[Negro Leagues]] after the fabled [[Roswell UFO incident|Roswell]] crash in 1947. A baseball announcer in "The Unnatural" was voiced by famous [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] announcer [[Vin Scully]], Chris Carter's original inspiration for the name of Dana Scully.<ref>CNN. [http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9807/08/chris.carter/]</ref> The episode was also originally set to feature the involvement of [[Darren McGavin]], star of early ''X-Files'' inspiration ''[[Kolchak: The Night Stalker]]''. McGavin had to pull out due to illness,<ref name="DUCHOVNY">Paula Vitaris. "[http://www.morganandwongonline.com/paula16.htm David Duchovny on 'The Unnatural' and 'Hollywood AD', interview]", ''Cinefantastique'', April 2002.</ref> but he does appear as original X-File investigator Agent Arthur Dales in season five's "Travelers" and season six's "Agua Mala" (about Mulder and Scully's discovery of a dangerous water-based [[Organism|life form]] during a [[hurricane]] in Florida). Some longtime fans were alienated by the show in season 6, due to the different tone taken by most stand-alone episodes after the move to Los Angeles<ref name="alienated">Parks, Jo-Ann. "What's Ailing The X-Files." space.com, January 2000. [http://www.space.com/sciencefiction/tv/ailing_xfiles_000120.html]</ref><ref name="beginning">Reviews of first episode filmed in LA. [http://haebo.hihome.com/rv/begin.htm#Katie]</ref> Rather than adhering to the previous style of "monsters of the week", they were often romantic or gently humorous or both, such as "Arcadia", where Mulder and Scully pose as a married couple in a [[gated community]] in order to solve a case, or the darker, [[campy]] "Terms of Endearment", starring [[Bruce Campbell]] as a demon. Meanwhile, some felt there was no coherent plan to the mytharc, that Carter was "making it all up as he goes along".<ref name="alienated"/> The show ended season 6 with solid ratings, but its lowest average since season two, beginning a decline that would continue for the final three years of its run.<ref name="RATINGS"/> This may have been due to different competition on Sunday nights, or because viewers felt the show was burning out or even "[[jumping the shark]]"<ref>Documentation from Jumptheshark.com: The X-Files [http://www.jumptheshark.com/x/xfiles.htm]</ref> (the show would actually reference the concept in its episode "Jump the Shark" three years later). The show's producers acknowledged they had been trying to do something different from previous years in season six. ''The X-Files'' was nevertheless FOX's highest rated show that year,<ref name="latimes"/> and was nominated for eight Emmys in 1999, winning one for [[makeup]]. It was also nominated for [[SAG Awards]] for Anderson, Duchovny and [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble - Drama Series|Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast]], recognizing Pileggi, Pickens, Owens and Davis' continuing contributions. As compared with other seasons, relatively few mythology episodes were made during season 6, only "The Beginning", the stand-alone "S.R. 819" (in which Walter Skinner's health is compromised by a mysterious [[nanotechnology]] affliction as possible blackmail to force him to turn against Mulder and Scully), "Two Fathers" and "One Son", and the season finale "Biogenesis", the first of a three-part story continued into season 7, about Scully's investigation of an [[ancient astronauts|ancient UFO]] discovered off the coast of [[West Africa]] and effects on Mulder from it. ===Seasons 7 &ndash; 9 (1999&ndash;2002)=== In November 1999, "The Sixth Extinction" and its second part "Amor Fati" continued the [[story arc]] begun in the previous year. New sixth season director [[Michael Watkins]] oversaw the latter episode, which was a writing collaboration between [[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]] and [[David Duchovny]], harkening back to the themes and characters of previous ''X-Files'' history &mdash; "Anasazi/The Blessing Way/Paper Clip" and Carter's "Redux" trilogy &mdash; as well as to ''[[The Last Temptation of Christ (film)|The Last Temptation of Christ]]''.<ref>Stegall, Sarah. Review of "Biogenesis", "Sixth Extinction", and "Amor Fati". [http://www.munchkyn.com/xf-rvws/6thextinction.html]</ref> However, it was the lowest [[Nielsen ratings|rated]] season premiere since 1994's "Little Green Men".<ref name="RATINGS"/> Subsequent offerings like "Millennium" (a [[crossover episode|crossover]] with Carter's recently canceled [[Millennium (TV series)|other series]]), and Vince Gilligan's "Hungry" (a sardonic "[[List of MOTW characters|monster of the week]]" in which Mulder and Scully barely appeared) and "X-Cops" (an experimental merging with Fox's [[reality television|reality]] show ''[[COPS (TV series)|COPS]]''), did not substantially improve viewership.<ref name="RATINGS"/> "Millennium", however, as well as featuring [[Lance Henriksen]] reprising his role of Frank Black for the final time, also made waves for showing the first consensual mouth-to-mouth kiss of [[Fox Mulder|Mulder]] and [[Dana Scully|Scully]].<ref>"Millennium" episode reviews from fans. [http://haebo.hihome.com/rv/millenni.htm]</ref> The occasion was [[New Year]]'s 2000. [[Nick Chinlund]] also reprised his role of [[Donnie Pfaster]] in "Orison", a sequel to season two's "[[Irresistible (The X-Files)|Irresistible]]", while [[Ricky Jay]] played a [[magician (illusion)|magician]] in "The Amazing Maleeni", which contrasted with the generally more emotional tone of season seven. Novelists [[Tom Maddox]] and [[William Gibson]] returned with a second episode, "[[William Gibson's "The X-Files" episodes|First Person Shooter]]", this time directed by Chris Carter. There were reports of friction between cast and crew, however. David Duchovny, who had filed a [[lawsuit]] with [[Fox Broadcasting]] that also alleged Carter was paid "hush money" to approve an unfair [[TV syndication|syndication]] contract, was reputed to be bored with ''The X-Files'' a year after relocating. The show's production costs since the move from Vancouver &mdash; typically over $3 million per episode &mdash; were also a matter of concern to the network, as it both financed and distributed the show and could not pass off costs to itself without hurting the corporate bottom line.<ref name="latimes">Brownfield, Paul. "Exploring the Unknown: 'X-Files' Future." ''Los Angeles Times'', [[August 28]], [[1999]]</ref><ref>[http://duchovny.net/articles/lawsuit.htm Duchovny.net]</ref> Breaking the formula of standard stand-alone episodes were several efforts written and directed by the show's stars. [[Gillian Anderson]] directed her own script for the [[metaphysics|metaphysical]] "all things"<!--this is the proper capitalization of the title - the lack of capitalization is deliberate-->, further exploring Scully's character. It was the first ''X-Files'' to be directed by a woman,<ref name="BIO"/> though the show had had several female writers for periods during seasons 2, 3 and 4 (Carter himself had been subject to a harassment lawsuit years earlier,<ref name="mill">Svetke, Benjamin. "The Next Files" interview with Carter. ''Entertainment Weekly'', [[October 18]], [[1996]]. [http://www.millenniumdesktop.co.uk/html/interviews/chris_carter_entertainment_weekly3.htm]</ref> which was dismissed). Duchovny followed up his prior episode "The Unnatural" with the over-the-top [[satire]], "Hollywood A.D." The title referenced both the [[Roman Catholic Church|Church]] scandal uncovered therein, and the prospect of [[Mitch Pileggi]]'s [[Walter Skinner|Assistant Director Skinner]] as a [[Hollywood]] player; the [[self-reflexive]] episode concerned Skinner's effort to get a blockbuster film made about Mulder and Scully's X-Files investigations, but the "stars" playing the agents are actress [[Téa Leoni]], Duchovny's real life wife as Scully, and comedian [[Garry Shandling]] as Mulder. Finally, [[William B. Davis|William Davis]], known for his ongoing role as the [[Cigarette Smoking Man]], wrote an episode examining his character, called "En Ami". It was one of Davis' final appearances in the show. "En Ami" was also director Rob Bowman's final episode for the show. Before the seventh season finale, longtime writer Vince Gilligan also got the chance to direct his first episode, "Je Souhaite" (about a reluctant [[genie]]), and Chris Carter turned in the dark [[slapstick]] "Fight Club", a return to Carter's roots in comedy. The episode, guest starring [[Kathy Griffin]], did not go over well,<ref>[http://www.geocities.com/area51/vault/1411/reviews/seventh/club.html Autumn Tysko, review of "Fight Club"]</ref> particularly so close to what fans expected would be final revelations to the mythology; it became the lowest-voted episode of the series in a survey of viewers.<ref name="chart"/> The final three seasons were a time of closure for ''The X-Files''. Characters within the show were written out, including the Cigarette Smoking Man and [[Teena Mulder|Mulder's mother]], and several plot threads were resolved, including the fate of Fox Mulder's sister [[Samantha Mulder|Samantha]], who had been a long running [[plot device]] within the show, in the episodes "[[Being and Time|Sein Und Zeit]]" and "Closure". After settling his contract dispute, Duchovny quit full-time participation in the show after the seventh season.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/1337685.stm BBC News | TV AND RADIO | Duchovny quits X-Files]</ref> This contributed to uncertainties over the likelihood of an eighth season.<ref name="ucsb">Spencer, Russ. "A close encounter with Chris Carter." ''Salon'', [[April 28]], [[2000]]. [http://archive.salon.com/people/feature/2000/04/28/chriscarter/print.html]</ref> Carter and most fans felt the show was at its natural endpoint with Duchovny's departure, but it was decided Mulder would be [[alien abduction|abducted]] at the end of the seventh season, leaving things open for the actor's return in 11 episodes the following year.<ref>Elber, Lynn. "Fox Mulder 'Ready to Get Back to Work.'" Associated Press. [[18 May]] [[2000]]. [http://ww.space.com/sciencefiction/tv/xfiles_duchovny_000518_wg.html]</ref> Season finale "Requiem" was written by Chris Carter as a possible [[series finale]], but the show was again renewed by Fox, despite lower ratings. For the next two years, Carter was offered incentives to continue the show, which he did despite reservations, concluding there were "more stories to tell."<ref name="SALON"/> Executive producer and screenwriter [[Frank Spotnitz]] was largely responsible, with Carter, for running the show in its final two years, introducing new central characters. 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]], respectively). Doggett was initially the primary character with Anderson, playing off her in a now-reversed dynamic from ''The X-Files''<nowiki>'</nowiki> earliest seasons, with Scully the "believer" and Doggett the "skeptic", once again investigating [[paranormal]] monsters of the week. Carter, Spotnitz, John Shiban and Vince Gilligan continued to serve as writers, with Kim Manners frequently directing, but otherwise the behind the scenes staff experienced turnover. It was Chris Carter's belief that the series could continue for another ten years with new leads, and the opening credits were accordingly redesigned for the first time in season 9 to emphasize the new actors (along with Pileggi, who was finally listed). 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 the producers had hoped for. Following the launch and U.S. commercial failure of [[spin-off (media)|spinoff]] show ''[[The Lone Gunmen (TV series)|The Lone Gunmen]]'', whose March 2001 debut episode had dealt with an airplane being hijacked and flown into the [[World Trade Center]], writers were also finding it hard to deal with stock ''X-Files'' themes in the wake of the [[September 11 attacks]].<ref name="NYT"/> The show received meager Emmy attention in its final years, nevertheless picking up a nomination for Bill Roe's [[cinematography]] in "This is Not Happening", and a win for [[makeup]] in the stand-alone "Deadalive". Robert Patrick won a [[Saturn Award]] for [[Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television|Best Actor]], however, and the mythology continued to develop, with a new "super soldiers" concept, and the informer [[Knowle Rohrer]], who interacted with Doggett. [[Cary Elwes]] also played a new character. Jeff Gulka's [[Gibson Praise]] and [[Chris Owens]]' [[Jeffrey Spender]] eventually made a return, as well as Scully's mother Margaret, played by Sheila Larken (who had not appeared since the show moved from Vancouver in season 5). The show also alluded to religious [[allegory]] in a story line about Scully's pregnancy.<ref name="NYT"/> It was a seeming reversal of earlier seasons' mythology, in which experiments that had given the character her cancer had also left Scully [[infertility|infertile]]. Duchovny returned over the eighth season for several dramatic episodes, and [[flashbacks]] were seen in the ninth. Duchovny also directed an episode. Anderson was nominated for her final [[Screen Actors Guild]] award as Dana Scully in 2001. The Mulder/Scully relationship by this point reflected what some "[[shipping (fandom)|shippers]]" had imagined for years, although others were dissatisfied or offended by the characterizations.<ref>Opinions for episode "William", X-Files ratings and reviews statistics [http://web.archive.org/web/20050425080709/xfiles.amaroq.com/9.17/review.html]</ref> The two were eventually joined by [[Baby William]], Scully's child via an implant related to her abduction, while the crew also offered a tribute to an Internet [[fan fiction]] writer who had died from cancer in 2001, creating the character of young FBI Agent [[Leyla Harrison]] (a self-professed admirer of Mulder and Scully) to honor her memory in the season 8 episode "Alone" and Season 9 episode "Scary Monsters."{{Fact|date=July 2008}} ''The X-Files'' completed its ninth and final season with the two-hour episode "[[The Truth (The X-Files episode)|The Truth]]", which reunited David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, and much of the original cast. It first aired on [[May 19]], [[2002]], finishing third in its [[timeslot]] (13.2 million viewers) in the [[Nielsen ratings]], with a slightly lower audience share than the original ''X-Files'' pilot episode.<ref name="RATINGS"/> The show ceased production at the end of the ninth season &mdash; on a [[cliffhanger]], though Carter knew that this would be the final episode. Carter's [[Ten Thirteen Productions]] also went into hibernation, and actors, writers, producers and technical staff all moved on to other projects. The show's final Emmy nomination in 2002 went to composer [[Mark Snow]].<ref name="awards"/> ==Episode types== ''The X-Files'' is considered unique in that it combined continuing [[serial drama]] elements, such as those often found in [[miniseries]] and [[soap opera]]s, with individual standalone episodes that did not require a viewer to understand the show's history prior to watching.<ref name="study"/> Due to these differing episode types, fans as well as the show's producers commonly divide ''X-Files'' episodes into two categories: * "''Mythology''" or "''Mytharc''" episodes told the tale of a governmental conspiracy revolving around extraterrestrials. * [[Standalone]] or "''[[List of MOTW characters|Monster-of-the-Week]]''" episodes dealt with paranormal creatures and situations, while generally being unrelated to the series mythology. ===Mytharc episodes=== Major mythology episodes were typically presented as season premieres and finales each year, as well as several times throughout most seasons. They made up about one third of the total episodes, and often occurred as two-parters. Below is a list of episodes that tell the mythology story, according to ''[[The X-Files Mythology, Volume 1 - Abduction|The X-Files Mythology]]'' DVD series released in 2005. They are listed in original broadcast order, the same order in which they appear on DVD. * '''[[List of The X-Files episodes#Season 1 (1993-1994)|Season 1]]:''' [[Pilot (The X-Files)|Pilot]], [[Deep Throat (The X-Files episode)|Deep Throat]], [[Fallen Angel (The X-Files)|Fallen Angel]], [[E.B.E.]], [[The Erlenmeyer Flask]]<ref name=dvd1>[http://www.moviefreak.com/dvd/xyz/xfiles_mythology_abduction.htm MovieFreak.com - "The X-Files Mythology - Abduction" DVD Review<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> * '''[[List of The X-Files episodes#Season 2 (1994-1995)|Season 2]]:''' [[Little Green Men (The X-Files)|Little Green Men]], [[Duane Barry (The X-Files episode)|Duane Barry]], [[Ascension (The X-Files)|Ascension]], [[One Breath]], [[Red Museum]], [[Colony (The X-Files)|Colony]], [[End Game (The X-Files)|End Game]], [[Anasazi (The X-Files)|Anasazi]]<ref name=dvd1 /> * '''[[List of The X-Files episodes#Season 3 (1995-1996)|Season 3]]:''' [[The Blessing Way (The X-Files)|The Blessing Way]], [[Paper Clip]], [[Nisei (The X-Files)|Nisei]], [[731 (The X-Files)|731]], [[Piper Maru]], [[Apocrypha (The X-Files)|Apocrypha]], [[Talitha Cumi (The X-Files)|Talitha Cumi]]<ref name=dvd1 /><ref name=dvd2>[http://www.moviefreak.com/dvd/xyz/xfiles_mythology_blackoil.htm MovieFreak.com - "The X-Files Mythology - Black Oil" DVD Review<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> * '''[[List of The X-Files episodes#Season 4 (1996-1997)|Season 4]]:''' [[Herrenvolk (The X-Files)|Herrenvolk]], [[Tunguska (The X-Files)|Tunguska]], [[Terma (The X-Files)|Terma]], [[Memento Mori (The X-Files)|Memento Mori]], [[Tempus Fugit]], [[Max (The X-Files)|Max]], [[Zero Sum]], [[Demons (The X-Files)|Demons]], [[Gethsemane (The X-Files)|Gethsemane]]<ref name=dvd2 /> * '''[[List of The X-Files episodes#Season 5 (1997-1998)|Season 5]]:''' [[Redux (The X-Files)|Redux]], [[Redux II]], [[Patient X]], [[The Red and the Black (The X-Files)|The Red and the Black]], [[The End (The X-Files)|The End]]<ref name=dvd2 /><ref name=dvd3>[http://www.moviefreak.com/artman/publish/dvd_xfiles_colonization.shtml MovieFreak.com - "The X-Files Mythology - Colonization" DVD Review<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> * '''[[List of The X-Files episodes#Season 6 (1998-1999)|Season 6]]:''' [[The Beginning (The X-Files)|The Beginning]], [[S.R. 819 (The X-Files)|S.R. 819]], [[Two Fathers (The X-Files)|Two Fathers]], [[One Son (The X-Files)|One Son]], [[Biogenesis (The X-Files)|Biogenesis]]<ref name=dvd3 /> * '''[[List of The X-Files episodes#Season 7 (1999-2000)|Season 7]]:''' [[The Sixth Extinction (The X-Files)|The Sixth Extinction]], [[The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati (The X-Files)|The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati]], [[Sein Und Zeit (The X-Files)|Sein und Zeit]], Closure, En Ami, Requiem<ref name=dvd3 /> * '''[[List of The X-Files episodes#Season 8 (2000-2001)|Season 8]]:''' Within, Without, Per Manum, This is Not Happening, Deadalive, Three Words, Vienen, Essence, Existence<ref name=dvd3 /><ref name=dvd4>[http://www.moviefreak.com/artman/publish/dvd_xfiles_soldiers.shtml MovieFreak.com - "The X-Files Mythology - Super Soldiers" DVD Review<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> * '''[[List of The X-Files episodes#Season 9 (2001-2002)|Season 9]]:''' Nothing Important Happened Today, Nothing Important Happened Today II, Trust No 1, Provenance, Providence, William, [[The Truth (The X-Files)|The Truth]]<ref name=dvd4 /> ==Future of ''The X-Files''== {{main|The X-Files: I Want to Believe}} '''''The X-Files: I Want to Believe''''' is the second movie based on the series, after the original 1998 film adaptation, ''[[The X-Files (film)|The X-Files: Fight the Future]]''. Filming took place in Vancouver and ended on [[March 11]], [[2008]]. The movie was directed by Carter and co-written by Carter and Frank Spotnitz. It is due to be released in the United States on [[July 25]], 2008.<ref>[http://www.flynetonline.com/2007/12/the-truth-is-in-vancouver/ Exclusive Celeb Photos - The Truth is in Vancouver - FlynetOnline<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> If this film is a success, Carter would like to make one more ''X-Files'' movie that would go back to the mythology of the series, particularly the alien invasion due to begin on [[December 22]], [[2012]], as revealed in [[The Truth (The X-Files)|the series finale]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2008/04/chris-carter-wa.html|title='X-Files' creator Chris Carter wants to believe in a third movie featuring Mulder and Scully|author=Clark Collis|publisher=''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''|date=[[2008-04-18]]|accessdate=[[2008-07-13]]}}</ref> ==Cast of characters== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Actor ! Character ! Years |- |align="center"| [[David Duchovny]] |align="center"| '''[[Fox Mulder|Special Agent Fox William Mulder]]''' |align="left"| 1993 &ndash; 2002 <br>''Seasons 1-7: 161 episodes <br>Season 8: 12 episodes<br>Season 9: 2 episodes'' |- |align="center"| [[Gillian Anderson]] |align="center"| '''[[Dana Scully|Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully, M.D.]]''' |align="left"|1993 &ndash; 2002 |- |align="center"| [[Mitch Pileggi]] |align="center"| '''[[Walter Skinner|Assistant Director Walter S. Skinner]]''' |align="left"|1994 &ndash; 1995 ''(guest star)''<br>1995 &ndash; 2002 ''(star)''<br> |- |align="center"|[[Robert Patrick]] |align="center"| '''[[John Doggett|Special Agent John Doggett]]''' |align="left"|2000 &ndash; 2002 |- |align="center"| [[Annabeth Gish]] |align="center"| '''[[Monica Reyes|Special Agent Monica Reyes]]''' |align="left"| 2001 &ndash; 2002 |} ===Recurring guest characters=== {{Main|List of recurring characters from The X-Files}} {| class="wikitable" |- ! Actor ! Character ! Seasons |- |align="center"|[[William B. Davis]] |align="center"|'''C.G.B. Spender, a.k.a.<br>[[Cigarette Smoking Man]]''' |align="center"|''1&ndash;5, film, 6&ndash;7, 9'' |- |align="center"|[[Jerry Hardin]] |align="center"|'''[[Deep Throat (The X-Files)|Deep Throat]]''' |align="center"|''1, 3&ndash;4, 7'' |- |align="center"|[[Steven Williams]] |align="center"|'''[[X (The X-Files)|X]]''' |align="center"|''2&ndash;5, 9'' |- |align="center"|[[Nicholas Lea]] |align="center"|'''[[Alex Krycek]]''' |align="center"|''2&ndash;9'' |- |align="center"|[[Brian Thompson (actor)|Brian Thompson]] |align="center"|'''[[Alien Bounty Hunter]]''' |align="center"|''2&ndash;8'' |- |align="center"|[[John Neville (actor)|John Neville]] |align="center"|'''[[Well-Manicured Man]]''' |align="center"|''3&ndash;5, film'' |- |align="center"|[[Don S. Williams]] |align="center"|'''[[First Elder (The X-Files)|First Elder]]''' |align="center"|''3&ndash;5, film, 6'' |- |align="center"|[[Laurie Holden]] |align="center"|'''[[Marita Covarrubias]]''' |align="center"|''4&ndash;7, 9'' |- |align="center"|[[Veronica Cartwright]] |align="center"|'''[[Cassandra Spender]]''' |align="center"|''5&ndash;6'' |- |align="center"|[[Chris Owens (actor)|Chris Owens]] |align="center"|'''[[Jeffrey Spender|Agent Jeffrey Spender]]''' |align="center"|''5&ndash;6, 9'' |- |align="center"|[[Mimi Rogers]] |align="center"|'''[[Diana Fowley|Agent Diana Fowley]]''' |align="center"|''5&ndash;7'' |- |align="center"|[[James Pickens, Jr.]] |align="center"|'''[[Alvin Kersh|Assistant/Deputy Director Alvin Kersh]]''' |align="center"|''6, 8&ndash;9'' |- |align="center"|[[Tom Braidwood]] |align="center"|'''[[Melvin Frohike]]''' |align="center"|''1&ndash;5, film, 6&ndash;9'' |- |align="center"|[[Bruce Harwood]] |align="center"|'''[[John Fitzgerald Byers]]''' |align="center"|''1&ndash;5, film, 6&ndash;9'' |- |align="center"|[[Dean Haglund]] |align="center"|'''[[Richard Langly]]''' |align="center"|''1&ndash;5, film, 6&ndash;9'' |- |align="center"|Rebecca Toolan |align="center"|'''[[Teena Mulder]]''' |align="center"|''2&ndash;4, 7'' |- |align="center"|[[Sheila Larken]] |align="center"|'''[[Margaret Scully]]''' |align="center"|''1&ndash;5, 8&ndash;9'' |- |align="center"|[[Adam Baldwin]] |align="center"|'''[[Knowle Rohrer]]''' |align="center"|''8&ndash;9'' |} ==Legacy== ===Television=== ''The X-Files'' directly inspired numerous other TV series, including ''[[Strange World (TV series)|Strange World]]'',<ref>{{citeweb|url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940CE2DD133FF93BA35750C0A96F958260|title = Television Review: Caught in the Trap Of Science Run Amok|author = Ron Wertheimer|accessdate = 2006-11-15}}</ref><ref name = "Xerox Files">{{citeweb|url = http://www.salon.com/ent/tv/mill/1999/03/08mill.html|title = The Xerox Files|author = Joyce Millman|accessdate = 2006-11-15}}</ref> ''Burning Zone'',<ref>{{citeweb|url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9507E1DE1338F930A3575AC0A960958260|title = A Virus That Speaks Of a Deadly World Plot|author = Caryn James|accessdate = 2006-11-15}}</ref> ''[[Special Unit 2]]'', ''[[Mysterious Ways (TV series)|Mysterious Ways]]'',<ref>{{citeweb|url = http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,85446_3%7C12855%7C%7C0_0_,00.html|title = Heaven Sent|author = Liane Bonin|accessdate = 2006-11-15}}</ref> ''[[Lost (TV series)|Lost]]'', ''[[Carnivàle]]'', ''[[Dark Skies]]'',<ref name = "Xerox Files">{{citeweb|url = http://www.salon.com/ent/tv/mill/1999/03/08mill.html|title = The Xerox Files|author = Joyce Millman|accessdate = 2006-11-15}}</ref> ''[[The Visitor (TV series)|The Visitor]]'',<ref name = "Xerox Files" />. Some of these included former crew-members of ''The X-Files'', such as ''Lost'', whose cinematographer is [[John Bartley]]; the [[story arc|mytharc]]-dominated ''[[24 (TV series)|24]]'', executive produced by writer [[Howard Gordon]]; ''[[Six Feet Under (TV series)|Six Feet Under]]'', coproduced by Lori Jo Nemhauser; and ''Supernatural'', involving directors David Nutter and Kim Manners, and writer-producer John Shiban. The influence can be seen on other levels: television series such as ''[[Alias (TV series)|Alias]]'' have developed a complex mythology that may bring to mind the "mytharc" of ''The X-Files''. In terms of characterization, the role of Dana Scully was seen as somewhat original, causing a change in "how women [on television] were not just perceived but behaved", and perhaps influencing the portrayal of "strong women" investigators.<ref name="twentyohsix"/> Many [[police procedural|procedural dramas]] also feature a Mulder-esque lead with a supervisor similar to [[Walter Skinner|Skinner]] or Kersh. Some of these procedurals, such as ''[[NCIS (TV series)|NCIS]]'', feature a quirky technogeek similar to The Lone Gunmen characters. Musical influence can also be heard in [[The WB]]/[[The CW]] superhero series ''[[Smallville]]'', on which ''X-Files'' composer Mark Snow has worked since the show's first episode [[Russell T. Davies]] said ''The X-Files'' had been an inspiration on his current British series ''[[Torchwood]]'',<ref>Chris Howell. Sci-Fi Wire. "Russell T. Davies on Torchwood." [ http://www.greatlink.org/shownewsitem.asp?item=5444]</ref> describing it as "dark, wild and sexy... ''The X Files'' meets ''[[This Life]]''."<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2005/10_october/17/torch.shtml Press Release: BBC Three], [[17 October]] [[2005]]</ref> Other shows have been influenced by the tone and mood of ''The X-Files'', e.g., ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)|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. [[Joss Whedon]] described his show as a cross between ''The X-Files'' and ''[[My So-Called Life]]''.<ref>{{citeweb|url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/buffy//reallife/jwhedon.shtml|title = Joss Whedon|accessdate = 2007-01-13}}</ref> ==="X-Philes"=== <!--The bold highlighting of the term "X-Philes" reflects that the word links to this page.--> As ''The X-Files'' saw its viewership expand from a "small, but devoted" group of fans<ref name="cult">{{cite web |url=http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1994/vp941215/12150051.htm |title=X-FILES: FOX'S SPOOKY SERIES GAINS A FOLLOWING FOX'S SPOOKY SERIES IS GAINING A LOYAL FOLLOWING THAT'S MAKING IT A CULT FAVORITE |work=The Virginian-Pilot |date=10-15-1994 |author=Bonko, Larry }}</ref> to a worldwide mass audience,<ref name = "Xerox Files">{{citeweb|url = http://www.salon.com/ent/tv/mill/1999/03/08mill.html|title = The Xerox Files|author = Joyce Millman|accessdate = 2006-11-15}}</ref> [[digital]] [[telecommunication]]s were also becoming mainstream. According to ''The New York Times'', "this may have been the first show to find its audience growth tied to the growth of the [[Internet]]."<ref name="NYT"/> ''The X-Files'' was seen to incorporate new technologies into storylines beginning in the early seasons:<ref name="whitehead">Whitehead, Jayson. "Anybody Can Rule", Gadfly, [[May 6]], [[2002]]. [http://www.gadflyonline.com/05-06-02/book-gilligan.html]</ref> Mulder and Scully communicated on [[cellular phone]]s, [[e-mail]] contact with secret informants provided plot points in episodes such as "Colony" and "Anasazi", while The Lone Gunmen were portrayed as Internet aficionados as early as 1994. Many ''X-Files'' fans also had online access. Fans of the show became commonly known as '''"X-Philes,"'''<ref name="metroactive">Davis, Rachel Leibrock. [http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/07.25.96/xfiles-9630.html "The X-Phile Facts", ''Metroactive'', July 25&ndash;31, 1996.]</ref> a term coined (from the [[Greek language|Greek]] root "[[-phil-]]" meaning love or obsession) on an early [[Fidonet]] ''X-Files'' [[Internet forum|message board]]. In addition to watching the show, X-Philes reviewed episodes themselves on unofficial [[websites]], formed communities with other fans through [[Usenet]] [[newsgroup]]s and [[listserv]]s,<ref name="metroactive"/> and wrote their own [[fan fiction]].<ref name="study"/> As has also become commonplace in television [[As of 2007|today]], episodes never displayed their titles on screen or in ''TV Guide''; the producers disseminated the information via the Internet.<ref name="xffaq">{{cite web |url=http://paul.rutgers.edu/~cwm/bedlam/x-files/xfilesFAQ.html#real |title=The X-Files FAQ}}</ref> In Sweden, ''X-Files'' fandom correlated with Internet use. Early ISP:s such as [[Algonet]] experienced that logins went down to zero as [[TV4 (Sweden)|TV4]] syndicated ''X-files'' at 9 pm.<ref>[http://www.sr.se/cgi-bin/p3/programsidor/artikel.asp?ProgramID=2519&Artikel=1504331 P3 Dokumentär, [[July 29]], [[2007]]]</ref> Unusually for the time, review sites and fan groups were also influential on the producers. Chris Carter claimed to read them: "The show originally [from 1993 to 1996] aired at 9 o'clock on Friday night and at 10 o'clock, I could get on the Internet and see what people thought of it."<ref name="ucsb">Spencer, Russ. "A close encounter with Chris Carter." ''Salon'', [[April 28]], [[2000]]. [http://archive.salon.com/people/feature/2000/04/28/chriscarter/print.html]</ref> Writer-producer Glen Morgan also described how he "would come in on Monday and find all these comments from the Internet that you could directly apply to the next episode... When I started out in television, your only input was if your family called you afterwards, they liked the show... What we found out on ''The X-Files'' is that there is an intelligent audience that's out there who doesn’t want TV to just wash over them. They want to talk about things."<ref name="MWNG">{{cite web |authot=Stevens, Kevin |title=Space Cadets Glen Morgan and James Wong reflect on their X tenure |work=Sci-Fi Universe Magazine |date=1995-10-01 |url=http://www.morganandwongonline.com/xmen.htm}}</ref> The writing staff were prohibited from reading unsolicited scripts or fan fiction for legal reasons, but an online fan base and their critiques of the show became crucial to its early survival.<ref name="whitehead"/> "Beyond the Sea", a 1994 episode which received acclaim, was made (over the objections of FOX executives) partly because "several fans had written messages criticizing Scully's character... they decided the fans had a point" in asking for more depth.<ref name="xwr"/> In the episode "E.B.E." from the same period, Deep Throat is "shown to be an unreliable character with questionable motives." According to Morgan, "[the network] thought he was just a guy who should feed Mulder information. We went in with the online comments, which, at the time, were presenting some very challenging, articulate notions about who Deep Throat was and his impact on the show." As a result, FOX aired the episode without forcing any changes.<ref name="MWNG"/> Fans also paid close attention to continuity: "Early on, people were really talking about themes and character, and then they became overwhelmed by people who were totally focused on plot points", according to Morgan. The writers received instant criticism from Internet fans when 1994's "Little Green Men" gave an account of Mulder's sister's abduction that contradicted an earlier episode.<ref name="MWNG"/> Writer Frank Spotnitz came up with the idea for the 1996 mythology episode "Apocrypha" when X-Philes at an ''X-Files'' [[science fiction convention|convention]] reminded him of an unresolved plot thread about Scully's sister.<ref>The X-Files, The Complete Third Season DVD. "The Truth About Season 3" documentary. [http://filmfreakcentral.net/dvdreviews/xfilesseason3.htm statement by Frank Spotnitz]</ref> This convention was one of a series of official meetings for fans (known as the "X-Files Expo") organized in various U.S. cities, similar to those of other science fiction shows.<ref>March 1998. [http://www.sfgate.com/technology/specials/1998/03/xfiles.shtml]</ref> ''The X-Files'' also "caught on with viewers who wouldn't ordinarily consider themselves sci-fi fans."<ref name="Xerox Files"/> Chris Carter said the show was plot-driven, while many fans saw it as character-driven.<ref name="study"/> David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson were characterized as being "Internet [[sex symbol]]s."<ref name="NYT"/> As the show grew in popularity, subgroups of fans developed, such as "relationshippers" hoping for a romantic or sexual partnership between Mulder and Scully, or those who already saw one between the lines.<ref name="study"/> The word "[[shipping (fandom)|shipper]]" was first used in this context by online ''X-Files'' fans on the popular newsgroup alt.tv.x-files as early as mid-1996, responding to the episode "Pusher" in which Mulder and Scully held hands.<ref name="push">[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.tv.x-files/browse_frm/thread/ccc4b99a6266840c/ae8c406f834fa0c4?hl=en&lr=&c2coff=1&safe=off&rnum=1&prev=/groups%3Fq%3Dg:thl505855287d%26dq%3D%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26c2coff%3D1%26safe%3Doff%26selm%3D31ABB0E1.169B%2540mail.multiverse.com#ae8c406f834fa0c4] (Discussion on "Pusher" from alt.tv.x-files, beginning [[May 28]], [[1996]], used to reference claim about online discussions)</ref> Other groups arose to pay tribute to the stars,<ref name="metroactive"/> their characters,<ref name="st">Sarah R. Wakefield. "'Your Sister in St. Scully': An Electronic Community of Female Fans of The X-Files &mdash; Critical Essay." ''Journal of Popular Film and Television'', Fall 2001. [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0412/is_3_29/ai_79350861]</ref> and even to a small supporting role, [[Agent Pendrell]],<ref>[http://pendrell.tripod.com/ Agent Pendrell - Gone but not forgotten<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> while others joined the subculture of "[[slash fiction|slash]]" fiction.<ref name="study"/> As of summer 1996, a journalist wrote, "there are entire forums online devoted to the 'M/S' relationship."<ref name="metroactive"/> In addition to "MOTW" (monster of the week), Internet fans invented acronymns such as "UST" (unresolved sexual tension) and "COTR" (conversation on the rock) to aid in their discussions of the agents' relationship, which was itself identified as the "MSR."<ref>Clerc, Susan J. "DDEB, GATB, MPPB, and Ratboy: The X-Files' Media Fandom, Online and Off" in ''Deny All Knowledge: Reading The X-Files'', 1996. ed. David Lavery.</ref> The producers did not endorse some fans' readings, according to a study on the subject: "Not content to allow Shippers to perceive what they wish, Carter has consistently reassured NoRomos [those against the idea of a Mulder/Scully romance] that theirs is the preferred reading. This allows him the plausible deniability to credit the show's success to his original plan even though many watched in anticipation of a romance, thanks, in part, to his strategic [[polysemy]]. He can deny that these fans had reason to do so, however, since he has repeatedly stated that a romance was not and would never be."<ref name="study"/> The Scully-obsessed writer in Carter's 1999 episode "Milagro" was read by some as his [[alter ego]], realizing that by this point "she has fallen for Mulder despite his authorial intent."<ref name="study"/> One 1995 episode, "[[2Shy]]", about a mutant who lured insecure women with poetry in [[chat rooms]] and then killed them by sucking the fat from their bodies, was seen as a possible dig at online fans. However, writers sometimes paid tribute to the more visible fans by naming minor characters after them.<ref name="metroactive"/><ref name="whitehead"/> ==Influences on the show== ===Television=== Chris Carter listed television series ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'', ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'', ''[[Night Gallery]]'', ''[[Tales from the Darkside]]'' and especially ''[[Kolchak: The Night Stalker]]'' as his major influences for the show. Carter said, "Remembering that show, which I loved, I said to the FOX executives, 'There's nothing scary on [[Television network|network television]] anymore. Let's do a scary show.'"<ref name="cult"/> 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 has mentioned that the relationship between Mulder and Scully (platonic but with sexual tension) was influenced by the chemistry between [[John Steed]] ([[Patrick Macnee]]) and [[Emma Peel]] ([[Diana Rigg]]) in the 1960s British spy TV program ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]''.<ref name="cyber">{{cite web |author=Winston,John |year=1993 |work=Cyberspace Vanguard Magazine |title=Interview with Chris Carter |url=http://www.skepticfiles.org/skeptic/x-filesj.htm}}</ref> One journalist documented possible influence from [[Nigel Kneale]]'s ''[[Quatermass]]'' series and its various television and film iterations.<ref>"Muldermass and the Pit", The 11th Hour Web Magazine, September 1999. [http://www.the11thhour.com/archives/091999/features/muldermass1.html]</ref> Kneale was invited to write for ''The X-Files'', but declined the offer.<ref name="kneale">{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,60-2432768.html|title=Nigel Kneale|publisher=[[The Times]]|date=[[2006-11-02]]|accessdate=2007-02-13}}</ref> The early 1990s cult hit ''[[Twin Peaks]]'' is 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'', and the character of Mulder was seen as a parallel to the show's FBI Agent [[Dale Cooper]].<ref name="NYT"/> Both shows were filmed in the [[Pacific Northwest]]. In the pilot episode of The X-Files, the first time Mulder is seen, he's sitting at his desk, and among the clutter on the desk, a framed copy of the Laura Palmer "prom-queen" photo is seen. ===Film=== The producers and writers have cited ''[[All the President's Men (film)|All the President's Men]],'' ''[[Three Days of the Condor]]'', ''[[Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]'', ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'', ''[[Rashomon (film)|Rashomon]]'', ''[[The Thing (film)|The Thing]]'', ''[[The Boys from Brazil (film)|The Boys from Brazil]]'', ''[[The Silence of the Lambs (film)|The Silence of the Lambs]]'',<ref name="FAQ2"/> and ''[[JFK (film)|JFK]]'' as influences on the series. Gangster films such as the ''[[The Godfather|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" (5X03), for instance, directly mirrors the famous baptism [[Montage sequence|montage]] at the end of ''The Godfather''. Chris Carter's use of continuous takes in "Triangle" (6X03) was modeled on Hitchcock's ''[[Rope (film)|Rope]]''. Other episodes written by Carter made numerous references to other films, as did those by Darin Morgan. ==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]].<ref name="awards"> {{cite web | url = http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106179/awards | title = IMDb Award Page for The X-Files | accessdate = 2006-06-10 }}</ref> ''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, both Duchovny and Anderson won Golden Globe awards for the best male and female actors in a drama series. Later that year, Anderson won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Throughout its run, ''The X-Files'' also won Emmy awards in seven technical categories: Graphic Design and Title Sequences, Cinematography, Sound Editing and Mixing, Art Direction, Single Camera Picture Editing, Makeup, and [[Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects|Special Visual Effects]]. It was additionally nominated for 15 [[Saturn Awards]], and its wins include three for Best Network Television Series, one for Best Actress on Television (Gillian Anderson), and one for Best Actor on Television (Robert Patrick). ==Broadcast history== The first season of ''The X-Files'' premiered on [[September 10]], [[1993]] on [[Fox Broadcasting. In the [[United Kingdom]] it first aired on [[satellite television]] channel [[Sky One]] [[January 19]], [[1994]] before being shown to a wider audience on the [[Terrestrial television|terrestrial channel]] [[BBC2]] from [[September 19]], airing at 21:00. Since then, it has expanded into other countries across the world (including [[Canada]], [[Mexico]] and throughout [[Latin America]], [[New Zealand]], [[Ukraine]], [[Australia]], [[Republic of Ireland]], [[Singapore]], [[Pakistan]], the [[Philippines]], [[Portugal]], [[Spain]], [[Greece]], [[Croatia]], [[Germany]], [[Poland]], [[South Korea]], the [[Netherlands]], [[Norway]], [[Sweden]], [[Denmark]], [[Finland]], [[South Africa]], [[France]], [[Malaysia]], [[Italy]], [[China]], [[Taiwan]], [[Brazil]], [[Thailand]],[[Turkey]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[Switzerland]], [[Serbia]], [[Bulgaria]] and [[Japan]]), either being dubbed or subtitled to accommodate for foreign language viewers.<ref name="xffaq"/> For the first few years of its run, its ratings steadily increased, reaching its zenith in terms of ratings by its fifth season.<ref name="RATINGS"/> Season 4's "Leonard Betts" which aired on Fox after [[Super Bowl|the Super Bowl]] in 1997, holds the record for the highest rated episode in the United States. The next 15 highest [[Nielsen ratings]] were for "Redux" (5X02), "Redux II" (5X03), "[[El Mundo Gira]]" (4X11), "Herrenvolk" (4X01), "[[Detour (The X-Files)|Detour]]" (5X04), "Small Potatoes" (4X20), "Never Again" (4X13), "Unusual Suspects" (5X01), "Schizogeny" (5X09), "Christmas Carol" (5x05), "Gethsemane" (4X24), "Chinga" (5x10), "Patient X" (5X13), "The Rain King" (6ABX07) and "Emily" (5X07).<ref name="RATINGS">{{cite web |title=X-Files Nielsen ratings 1993&ndash;2002 |url=http://x-files.host.sk/nielsens.php}}</ref> The show was first [[TV syndication|syndicated]] in the U.S. on a [[News Corporation|Fox]]-owned [[Cable television|cable channel]], [[FX (TV network)|FX]]. This arrangement resulted in a 1999 lawsuit from Duchovny, claiming the contract had not been open to fair bidding. The suit was settled out of court.<ref name="LAWSUIT">[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/23/business/23carter.html Aspan, Maria. "'X-Files' Are Closed; a Lawsuit Opens"] ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[January 30]], [[2006]]</ref> ''The X-Files'' reruns subsequently have been shown on [[Turner Network Television|TNT]] and the [[Sci Fi Channel (United States)|Sci-Fi Channel]], among others. Carter filed his own lawsuit over syndication issues against [[20th Century Fox Television]] on [[December 30]], [[2005]]; this was seen as the main impediment to plans for a second ''X-Files'' film. The lawsuit was settled and a second ''X-Files'' film was made, entitled ''[[The X-Files: I Want to Believe]]. ==Merchandise== {{main|The X-Files merchandise}} ''The X-Files''-related merchandise includes: {| |- |valign=top| * Action figures based on [[The X-Files (film)|the film]] * [[Barbie]] and Ken dolls as Scully and Mulder * Collectible trading cards |valign=top| * Comic books (by [[Topps Comics|Topps]] and [[Checker Book Publishing Group|Checker]]) * Episode sets on [[VHS]] and [[DVD]] * Soundtrack recordings on CD |valign=top| * T-shirts * [[The X-Files merchandise#Magazine|Magazine]] * Video games |} The entire series is currently available on DVD by season. Also available are "mythology" sets which were compilations of episodes that related to its "mytharc" storyline. Forty-eight episodes, selected to represent the best of the show's first four seasons, were also made available on VHS. Video game titles include ''[[The X-Files: The Game]]'', ''[[The X-Files: Unrestricted Access]]'' and ''[[The X-Files: Resist or Serve]]'', which expand on the show's storyline. ==Ten Thirteen Productions== [[Chris Carter]] founded [[Ten Thirteen Productions]] to produce ''The X-Files'', and later produced other shows under that company name. The shows were often shown to be related to one another, and references from one show to the next were often made: ===''[[Millennium (TV series)|Millennium]]''=== * ''The X-Files'' fourth season episode "[[Never Again (The X-Files)|Never Again]]": Agent Dana Scully goes to a tattoo parlor at the behest of her new acquaintance Ed Jerse. While there she selects a tattoo called an [[Ouroboros]], a depiction of a serpent, coiled into a circle, eating its own tail. This emblem was the logo for the television series ''[[Millennium (TV series)|Millennium]]'' and the fictional group after which the program is named. The episode was written by [[Glen Morgan]] & [[James Wong (producer)|James Wong]], who were frequent contributors to ''Millennium''. * ''The X-Files'' seventh season episode "[[Millennium]]": [[Lance Henriksen]] and [[Brittany Tiplady]] make their final appearances as ''Millennium'' characters Frank and Jordan Black. ''Millennium'' had been canceled earlier that year, after its third season. * ''Millennium'' first season episode "Lamentation" (written by Chris Carter): The main character, Frank Black, visits the FBI building and Mulder and Scully are briefly seen descending a stairway. In fact, they are Duchovny and Andersons' [[stand-in]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fourthhorseman.com/Abyss/Episodes/epi117.htm |title=Millennium Episode 117}}</ref> * ''Millennium'' second season episode "Jose Chung's ''Doomsday Defense''": The writer [[Jose Chung]] appears, who was first seen in the ''The X-Files'' episode, "Jose Chung's ''From Outer Space''". Both episodes were written by Darin Morgan. * ''Millennium'' second season episode "The Time Is Now": Character Peter Watts ([[Terry O'Quinn]]) picks up a "[[Morley]]" cigarette butt, indicating that the nefarious X-Files character, [[Cigarette Smoking Man]], has been lurking in the vicinity recently. ===''[[Harsh Realm]]''=== This brief 1999 series was based on a [[comic book]] series. [[Gillian Anderson]] provided voiceovers in the pilot episode, and [[Terry O'Quinn]], who costarred in ''Millennium'' and guest starred in several ''X-Files'' episodes and the feature film, had a large role. [[Scott Bairstow]], who starred in ''The X-Files'' episode "[[Miracle Man (The X-Files)|Miracle Man]]", also had a lead role. In the season 7 ''X-Files'' episode "Sein Und Zeit", written by Chris Carter soon after ''Harsh Realm'' had been cancelled, a character is seen watching the series on TV. Unlike ''Millennium'' and ''The Lone Gunmen'', there is no indication in the produced episodes of this series that it took place in the same universe as ''The X-Files''. ===''[[The Lone Gunmen (TV series)|The Lone Gunmen]]''=== This show was a short-lived spinoff that revolved around ''The X-Files''' "The Lone Gunmen" characters: [[John Fitzgerald Byers]], [[Richard Langly]] (aka "Ringo") and [[Melvin Frohike]]. The show occasionally featured guest appearances by ''The X-Files'' characters, such as [[Walter Skinner]] in the episode "The Lying Game"; and [[Fox Mulder]] and Morris Fletcher in the finale episode, "All About Yves". With the cancellation of ''The Lone Gunmen'' series coming after a cliffhanger finale, ''The X-Files'' episode "[[Jump the Shark]]" served as its resolution, showing the trio getting killed while attempting to stop the release of a [[contagion]]. It also featured other characters from ''The Lone Gunmen'' show. ==See also== * [[Black oil]] * [[Colonists (The X-Files)]] * [[Syndicate (The X-Files)]] * [[Shipping (fandom)]] * [[List of The X-Files episodes|List of X-Files episodes]] * [[List of recurring characters from The X-Files]] * [[List of X-Files informants]] * [[List of MOTW characters]] * ''[[Songs in the Key of X]]'' * ''[[The Truth and the Light - Music from the X-Files|The Truth and the Light &mdash; Music from the X-Files]]'' * [[Trixie (typeface)]] ==References== {{reflist|3}} ==Further reading== ===Books=== * Jeanne Cavelos, ''The Science of the X-Files'' (New York : Berkley Boulevard Books, 1998), 288 pp. * N.E. Genge, ''The Unofficial X-Files'' (New York: Crown Trade Paperbacks, 1995), 228 pp. * James Hatfield and George "Doc" Burt, ''The Unauthorized X-Files'' (New York: MJF Books, 1996), 309 pp. * Dean A. Kowalski (ed.), ''The Philosophy of The X-Files'' (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2007), 275 pp. * David Lavery (ed.), ''Deny All Knowledge: Reading The X-Files'' (Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1996), 280 pp. * [[Frank Lovece]], ''The X-Files Declassified'' (New York, N.Y.: Citadel Press, 1996), 246 pp. * Brian Lowry, ''Trust No One: The Official Third Season Guide to The X Files'' (New York: Harper Prism, 1996), 266 pp. ===Essays=== * Christy L. Burns, [http://cameraobscura.dukejournals.org/cgi/reprint/15/3_45/195 "Erasure: Alienation, Paranoia, and the Loss of Memory in The X-Files"], ''Camera Obscura'' &mdash; 45 (Volume 15, Number 3), 2000, pp. 195&ndash;224. * Paul Cantor, "Mainstreaming Paranoia: The X-Files and the Delegitimation of the Nation-State", ''Gilligan Unbound: Pop Culture in the Age of Globalization'' (Rowman & Littlefield, 2001), pp. 111&ndash;198. * Eleanor Hersey, [http://www.encyclopedia.com/printable.aspx?id=1G1:53437060 "Word-healers and code talkers: Native Americans in The X-Files"], ''Journal of Popular Film and Television'', Fall 1998. * Douglas Kellner, [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-8529%28199921%2957%3A2%3C161%3ATXATAA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-9&size=LARGE "The X-Files and the Aesthetics and Politics of Postmodern Pop"], ''The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism'', Vol. 57, No. 2, Spring 1999, pp. 161&ndash;175. * Mikel J. Koven, [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0015-587X(200010)111%3A2%3C217%3A%22IGAMF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-R "Have I Got a Monster for You: Some Thoughts on the Golem, "The X-Files" and the Jewish Horror Movie"], ''Folklore'', Vol. 111, No. 2, October 2000, pp. 217-230. * Paul C. Peterson, [http://www.leaonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/S15328415JMR0103_4?journalCode=jmr "Religion in The X-Files"], ''Journal of Media and Religion'', Volume 1, Number 3, 2002, pp. 181&ndash;196. * Christine Scodari and Jenna L. Felder, [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3669/is_200010/ai_n8926461 "Creating a pocket universe: 'Shippers', fan fiction, and The X-Files online"], ''Communication Studies'', Fall 2000. ==External links== *[[Wikicities:c:x-files|The X-Files Wiki]] &mdash; a [[wiki]] about "the X-Files television series, movie, and related spin-offs" *[http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/xfiles/ BBC X-Files Site (Unofficial).] The [[BBC]]'s ''X-Files'' section, with information, pictures, interviews, and more. {{start box}} {{succession box | before = [[NYPD Blue]] | title = [[List of Golden Globe Awards: Television, Best Series, Drama|Golden Globe &mdash; Best Television Series Drama]] | years = 1995 | after = [[Party of Five]]}} {{succession box | before = [[Party of Five]] | title = [[List of Golden Globe Awards: Television, Best Series, Drama|Golden Globe &mdash; Best Television Series Drama]] | years = 1997&ndash;1998 | after = [[The Practice]]}} {{end box}} {{sequence| | prev=''[[Friends]]'' <br> 1996 | next=''[[3rd Rock from the Sun]]'' <br> 1998 | list=''[[Super Bowl|Super Bowl <br>lead-out program]]''<br/><small>1997</small> }} {{Xfiles}} {{Footer TV and Films James Wong and Glen Morgan}} {{DEFAULTSORT:X-Files, The}} [[Category:1993 television series debuts]] [[Category:2002 television series endings]] [[Category:Science fiction television series|Science fiction television series]] [[Category:American science fiction television series]] [[Category:Canadian science fiction television series]] [[Category:1990s American television series]] [[Category:2000s American television series]] [[Category:Drama television series]] [[Category:Fox network shows]] [[Category:The X-Files| ]] [[Category:Paranormal television]] [[Category:Peabody Award winners|X-Files, The]] [[Category:Television shows set in Washington, D.C.]] [[Category:Vancouver television series]] [[ar:الملفات الغامضة]] [[bn:দি এক্স ফাইল্‌স]] [[zh-min-nan:X Tóng-àn]] [[bs:The X-Files (serija)]] [[bg:Досиетата Х]] [[cs:Akta X]] [[da:Strengt fortroligt]] [[de:Akte X]] [[et:Salatoimikud]] [[el:The X-Files]] [[es:The X-Files]] [[fr:X-Files, aux frontières du réel]] [[gl:The X-Files]] [[ko:엑스파일]] [[id:The X-Files]] [[it:X-Files]] [[he:תיקים באפלה]] [[hu:X-akták]] [[nl:The X-Files]] [[ja:Xファイル]] [[no:The X-Files]] [[uz:Mahfiy materiallar (teleserial)]] [[pl:Z archiwum X]] [[pt:The X-Files]] [[ro:Dosarele X]] [[ru:Секретные материалы (телесериал)]] [[simple:The X-Files]] [[sk:Akty X]] [[sl:Dosjeji X]] [[sr:Досије икс]] [[fi:Salaiset kansiot]] [[sv:Arkiv X]] [[th:ดิ เอ็กซ์-ไฟล์ส]] [[vi:The X-Files]] [[tr:Gizli Dosyalar]] [[uk:Секретні матеріали (телесеріал)]] [[vec:X-Files]] [[zh:X档案]]