The truth is still out there
“The X-Files” turns 30
David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in season five of The X-Files.
© imago images/Everett Collection/20thCentFox
A pop culture phenomenon turns 30: The mystery series “The X-Files” was one of the defining TV productions of the 1990s.
On September 10, 1993 – exactly 30 years ago – the “X-Files” pilot episode “Drawn” on the US channel Fox – and established a pop culture phenomenon. In 218 episodes and two rather average cinema films, which were also not particularly successful financially, the FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny, 63) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson, 55) somewhere in a gloomy, often rainy or foggy American province, riddled with paranoia and supernatural phenomena.
It was the early days of the internet, which allowed conspiracy theorists to connect and share wacky ideas in ways never before seen. The fans of the new mystery, sci-fi and horror series also quickly organized themselves online, while new technical devices and inventions such as mobile phones or e-mails were central to some “X-Files” episodes.
The viewer’s imagination was particularly fired by an overarching story, which was spread over individual episodes of a season and extended over the entire duration of “The X Files”. But this alien conspiracy storyline actually came about more by accident: Actress Anderson became pregnant before the production of season two, which is why a replacement of the character Scully is said to have been briefly considered.
But then the makers quickly decided to have Scully kidnapped within the world of the series. So her actress was able to temporarily take a break – and the story about extraterrestrials who ultimately want to colonize the earth was born.
Mulder and Scully: A perfect team
Of course, in the mid and late 1990s, “The X-Files” did not yet come close to the production standards of modern prestige series such as “Breaking Bad” (2008-2013) or “Game of Thrones” (2011-2019). For example, the aliens often appeared in the form of bright, glaring light, or – when their bodies were visible – resembled stereotypical little green men, like those in trashy sci-fi B-movies from the 1950s or 1960s the film parody “Mars Attacks!” (1996) had to offer.
However, “The X-Files” was largely carried by the two formidable leads Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. Her figures were essentially designed as opposites in an extremely woodcut-like manner. He’s the FBI agent who has the famous alien poster “I Want to Believe” hanging in his office and believes that supernatural phenomena exist. She is a qualified doctor and natural scientist who is looking for concrete evidence and rational explanations in a way that is extremely praiseworthy for law enforcement officers.
Something elusive about Duchovny and Anderson’s portrayal of these two characters captured the imagination of millions of TV viewers. Given the undeniable chemistry between the two leads, television audiences quickly wished for a romantic relationship between the protagonists as well. Series creator Chris Carter (66) denied fans and viewers of the series this wish for a long time before Mulder and Scully were finally allowed to come together carefully.
Paranoia and conspiracies of dark forces
“I remember asking myself, ‘Do viewers really want to watch a show about aliens?'” Mulder actor Duchovny once revealed his thoughts from the time the production started. However, the future “Californication” star’s fears turned out to be completely unfounded.
In the early 1990s, shortly after the end of the Cold War, American television audiences were ready for a mainstream show that dealt with American monsters – not least of which was the US government.
Part of “The X Files” was about crimes from the Cold War era, such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) or Martin Luther King (1929-1968) or experiments on soldiers. Then again, Mulder and Scully were horrified to discover that a clandestine group of powerful men within the US government and society were actually pulling the strings.
However, showrunner Carter – a master of hints and ambiguity – never really resolved the alien storyline, which began so brilliantly, satisfactorily, which caused considerable frustration among viewers as the series went on.
When the main actor Duchovny also demanded a change of location, the Fox channel clashed with the channel over financial issues and only appeared sparingly in the series as a result, the gradual end of “The X Files” was sealed.
The end of the “X-Files” franchise
In 2002, the last episode flickered across Fox screens. The finale of season nine was followed six years later by the second film “The X-Files – Beyond the Truth” (2008), before two further revival seasons were released in 2016 and 2018.
In January 2018 Scully actress Gillian Anderson then explained: “It’s time for me to hang up Scully’s hat. That’s just how it is.” Supposedly for the future “Black Panther 1 and 2” director Ryan Coogler (37) is working on a new edition of the series with a diverse cast.
An animated series called “The X-Files: Albuquerque” was also in development, but nothing has been heard of this project for several years. The coming years will show whether the truth is still out there. The time of Scully and Mulder – that much seems certain – is probably over for good.