191-458: The X-Files is an American science fiction television series first broadcast in September 1993 and followed by two feature films: The X-Files and The X-Files: I Want to Believe . The characters defined the overarching mythology of the series . They appeared in a range of episodes across several seasons. The first seven seasons of The X-Files star Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully ,
382-471: A magnetite substance to seemingly "cure" the baby of his telekinetic powers. The motivation or repercussions of his actions are never fully explained. He testifies for the defense during Mulder's murder trial in " The Truth " where he reveals that Teena Mulder had an affair with CSM, and that he and Fox Mulder are half-brothers. A DNA test conducted on a disfigured Spender in the episode "William" initially leads agents Scully, Doggett, and Reyes to believe he
573-623: A "legendary TV character", noting his "moral ambivalence about the work of his shadow organization" and his ability to show "empathy for Mulder and Scully". The San Francisco Chronicle 's Bob Graham has praised Neville's portrayal of the character in the feature film, calling his expository monologue "a Wagnerian demonstration of the art of declamation". X , sometimes referred to as Mr. X , serves as an informant to Mulder , replacing Deep Throat in this capacity. While X's loyalties and his own agenda were often unclear, he has more than once proven that he at least does not want Mulder dead. In
764-724: A believer and Scully a skeptic. The first seven seasons featured Duchovny and Anderson relatively equally. In the eighth and ninth seasons, Anderson took precedence while Duchovny appeared intermittently. New main characters were introduced: FBI Special Agents John Doggett ( Robert Patrick ) and Monica Reyes ( Annabeth Gish ), among others. Mulder and Scully's immediate superior, Assistant Director Walter Skinner ( Mitch Pileggi ), began to appear regularly. The first five seasons of The X-Files were filmed in Vancouver , British Columbia , before production eventually moved to Los Angeles , apparently to accommodate Duchovny's schedule. However,
955-399: A chance to change things. The replacement shows various pictures of Scully's pregnancy. According to executive producer Frank Spotnitz , the sequence also features an "abstract" way of showing Mulder's absence in the eighth season: he falls into an eye. Season nine featured an entirely new sequence. Since Anderson wanted to move on, the sequence featured Reyes and Skinner. Duchovny's return to
1146-720: A fight scene with taekwondo master Hwang Jang-Lee in Future Hunters (1988). His performance in Fire in the Sky led The X-Files creator Chris Carter to cast him in that series for the role of John Doggett . Patrick's brother, Richard , had previously worked for the series by adding music for the soundtrack albums Songs in the Key of X: Music from and Inspired by the X-Files in 1996 and The X-Files: The Album in 1998. Patrick
1337-560: A final confrontation with the Cigarette Smoking Man , whom he discovered was still alive. Doggett and Monica Reyes went after Mulder and Scully to warn them that the conspirators knew where they were. Rohrer, alive and well, followed, intending to kill them all (including the Cigarette Smoking Man, who had long since outlived his usefulness to the conspiracy). However, as he approached Doggett and Reyes in
1528-406: A ghost in the series finale , " The Truth ". X is portrayed in the series by Steven Williams , and made his début in the second season episode " The Host ", although the character would not appear on-screen until " Sleepless ", two episodes later. The role had originally been conceived as a female, with Natalija Nogulich cast in the role, however her initial scenes were deemed unsatisfactory by
1719-608: A girl) and bears a striking resemblance to Garth Algar from Wayne's World . He idolizes Joey Ramone in particular. Of the Lone Gunmen, Langly is an expert in computers, hacking , and programming . He is likely the most paranoid of the Gunmen, taping all incoming phone calls, including those from Fox Mulder . All three of the Lone Gunmen died in the X-Files episode " Jump the Shark ," sacrificing themselves to save thousands from
1910-438: A governmental agenda to hide positive proof of the existence of extraterrestrial life . Mulder and Scully's shared adventures initially lead them to develop a close platonic bond, which by series' end develops into a complex romantic relationship. Roughly one third of the series' episodes follow a complicated mythopoeia -driven story arc about a planned alien invasion, whereas the other two-thirds may be described as " monster of
2101-419: A group of extraterrestrials that intends to destroy the human species. They are usually represented by Cigarette Smoking Man ( William B. Davis ), a ruthless killer, masterful politician, negotiator, failed novelist, and the series' principal antagonist. As the series goes along, Mulder and Scully learn about evidence of the alien invasion piece by piece. It is revealed that the extraterrestrials plan on using
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#17327986150572292-418: A group publishing The Lone Gunmen newsletter. Frohike has a deep attraction for Dana Scully . In his first appearance he was taking photographs of Scully, ogling her and calling her “hot”. Whilst this attraction seemed rather lustful at first, he has shown genuine affection for Scully (and Fox Mulder ) on numerous occasions, being the first person to bring her flowers after she returned from her abduction in
2483-474: A high-containment facility, where she manages to secretly remove an alien fetus for use as collateral in saving Mulder. In the subsequent meeting between the operatives and Deep Throat, he is shot and killed. The character later appears in dreams and visions experienced by Mulder during his recuperation on a Navajo reservation, and again years later while being experimented on by the Smoking Man. Deep Throat
2674-429: A list of the episodes that received alternate taglines is as follows: The pilot premiered on September 10, 1993, and reached 12 million viewers. As the season progressed, ratings began to increase and the season finale garnered 14 million viewers. The first season ranked 105th out of 128 shows during the 1993–94 television season. The series' second season increased in ratings—a trend that would continue for
2865-459: A lot of people do, to have the experience of witnessing a paranormal phenomenon. At the same time I want not to accept it, but to question it. I think those characters and those voices came out of that duality. —Chris Carter on creating the characters of Mulder and Scully. California native Chris Carter was given the opportunity to produce new shows for the Fox network in the early 1990s. Carter
3056-649: A master's degree in Religious Studies. In 1990, Reyes enrolled in the FBI at Quantico, Virginia . Her first assignment in the FBI was serving on a special task force investigating satanic rituals. She is a longtime friend of Doggett's and serves as his partner on the X-files after Scully's departure. Shortly after the closure of the X-files in 2002 she was contacted by the Cigarette Smoking Man who offered to secure her
3247-832: A medical doctor and hard-line scientist assigned to work alongside Fox Mulder ( David Duchovny ), an esteemed FBI profiler who left his coveted position to head up a unit that investigates the paranormal and the unexplained. Tasked with debunking Mulder's work, Scully eventually comes to question her own faith, while Mulder continues to search through the archives of the Hoover building in order to find out what happened to his missing sister. The first seven seasons feature recurring appearances by Walter Skinner ( Mitch Pileggi ), conspiracy theorists The Lone Gunmen ( Tom Braidwood , Dean Haglund , and Bruce Harwood ), and secretive informants Deep Throat ( The X-Files ) ( Jerry Hardin ) and X ( The X-Files ) ( Steven Williams ). The eighth season and
3438-468: A missile shot from a helicopter ordered by Knowle Rohrer , but is shown alive in the 2016 episode " My Struggle ". The Well-Manicured Man is a British member of the Syndicate. An Englishman, he is an important member, along with The Smoking Man and The Elder , and was a friend of Bill Mulder earlier in his life. The Well-Manicured Man is instrumental in the Syndicate's secondary agenda, to develop
3629-607: A pair of green tights required for Peter Pan . He graduated from Farmington High School in Farmington, Michigan in 1977. Patrick was a track and field and football athlete at Bowling Green State University . He dropped out before graduating when he found an interest in drama and acting. After leaving college, Patrick worked as a house painter and continued as such until a boating accident in 1984 in Lake Erie . He swam for three hours in order to save others still stranded on
3820-552: A place among the designated survivors of end-times, in exchange for her assistance. Reyes departed the FBI shortly thereafter, electing to take Spender's offer but with the intent on halting the invasion from within the syndicate. FBI assistant director Walter S. Skinner is played by Mitch Pileggi . He served in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War . During this time he shot and killed
4011-591: A preset sound called "Whistling Joe". After hearing this sound, Carter was "taken aback" and noted it was "going to be good". According to the "Behind the Truth" segment on the first season DVD, Snow created the echo effect on the track by accident. He felt that after several revisions, something still was not right. Carter walked out of the room and Snow put his hand and forearm on his keyboard in frustration. By doing so, he accidentally activated an echo effect setting. The resulting riff pleased Carter; Snow said, "this sound
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#17327986150574202-1398: A role he reprised for cameo appearances in Wayne's World (1992) and Last Action Hero (1993). His other film credits include Fire in the Sky (1993), Striptease (1996), Cop Land (1997), The Faculty (1998), Spy Kids (2001), Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), Ladder 49 (2004), Walk the Line (2005), Flags of Our Fathers (2006), We Are Marshall (2006), Bridge to Terabithia (2007), The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009), and Safe House (2012). In television, Patrick played FBI Special Agent John Doggett in The X-Files , Colonel Tom Ryan in The Unit , DHS agent Cabe Gallo in Scorpion , and Auggie Smith / White Dragon in Peacemaker . He has played ongoing roles in series such as 1923 , The Outer Limits , The Sopranos , Elvis , Burn Notice , Last Resort , Sons of Anarchy , its spin-off Mayans M.C. , Jamie Hawkins in The Night Agent , and From Dusk till Dawn: The Series , and Old Man Logan in
4393-559: A second location manager would be needed. The show remained in Vancouver for the first five seasons; production then shifted to Los Angeles beginning with the sixth season. Duchovny was unhappy over his geographical separation from his wife, Téa Leoni , although his discontent was popularly attributed to frustration with Vancouver's persistent rain. Anderson also wanted to return to the United States, and Carter relented following
4584-478: A secret tape from him which reveals a US government coverup regarding alien visits to Earth . After a botched murder attempt on Scully results in the death of her sister, the Cigarette Smoking Man attempts to kill Krycek with a car bomb, but Krycek escapes. He lies low in Hong Kong for a short period, selling secrets acquired from the tape until he is found, beaten and apprehended by Mulder who takes him back to
4775-408: A sentient virus, known as the black oil (also known as "Purity"), to infect mankind and turn the population of the world into a slave race. The Syndicate—having made a deal to be spared by the aliens—have been working to develop an alien-human hybrid that will be able to withstand the effects of the black oil. The group has also been secretly working on a vaccine to overcome the black oil; this vaccine
4966-436: A skilled criminal profiler , an ardent supernaturalist , and a conspiracy theorist who believes in the existence of the paranormal, whereas Scully is a medical doctor and skeptic who has been assigned to scientifically analyze Mulder's case files. Early in the series, both agents apparently become pawns in a much larger conflict and so come to trust only each other and a few select people. The agents discover what appears to be
5157-506: A son, Jeffrey Frank Spender . Diana Fowley is revealed to be a subordinate of his; together, they escape the annihilation of the Syndicate. His confidence in Jeffrey falters after a failed assassination attempt and later on Jeffrey's betrayal, he confronts his son and apparently kills him. The episodes also presented further evidence suggesting that he is Mulder's father. Eventually, Fowley also splits from him, which leads to her death. After
5348-543: A specific task. The operative followed CSM as he tried to recruit Mulder to work with the Syndicate , watching their movements through the scope of a sniper rifle. Shortly after the discovery of Scott Blevins ' betrayal, the First Elder's operative shot CSM, who had been holding a photograph of Mulder and his sister . He was killed along with the rest of the Syndicate by a group of Alien rebels in 1999. Alex Krycek
5539-502: A split-screen image of a seed germinating and a "terror-filled, warped face". The latter was created when Carter found a video operator who was able to create the effect. The sequence was extremely popular and won the show its first Emmy Award, which was for Outstanding Graphic Design and Title Sequences. Producer Paul Rabwin was particularly pleased with the sequence, and felt that it was something that had "never [been] seen on television before". In 2017, James Charisma of Paste ranked
5730-491: A store owner struggling with gambling debts owed to Richie Aprile and Tony Soprano . Four years later, he made a guest appearance in the pilot episodes for Sci-Fi Channel 's original series Stargate Atlantis , " Rising ", as the military component commander of the Atlantis expedition, Marshall Sumner . He accepted the role, since he had worked with the same crew on The Outer Limits , a series which he appeared in during
5921-600: A supporting role in Firewall , a 2006 action film starring Harrison Ford . He has also appeared in Meat Loaf 's music video " Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer than They Are " with Will Estes . Director McG , who directed Terminator Salvation , said that he wanted to reintroduce characters from the previous Terminator films: "I like the idea and the perspective for
List of The X-Files characters - Misplaced Pages Continue
6112-438: A terrorist-created plague by using fire doors to seal themselves in a closed hallway with the man carrying the plague. Skinner pulls some strings and arranges for them to be interred at Arlington National Cemetery , as a tribute to their brave deeds. Marita Covarrubias is introduced as an informant to Mulder after the death of his former source, X . X scrawls the letters "S.R.S.G." in his own blood as he dies, leading Mulder to
6303-480: A vaccination against the black oil used by the aliens as a means of mind control. To this end, he works with Alex Krycek to develop a vaccine, eventually testing it—successfully—on Marita Covarrubias. In the 1998 feature film The X-Files , when Scully is infected with the black oil and taken to Antarctica , it is the Well-Manicured Man who, having grown disillusioned with the Syndicate, gives Mulder
6494-499: A water reservoir, presumably both now dead. However, in the series finale, " The Truth ", it is revealed that he survived, when Mulder breaks into Mount Weather . Rohrer chases down Mulder and in the ensuing scuffle Rohrer is electrocuted. Mulder is then taken into military custody and put on trial for Rohrer's supposed death. Eventually, Mulder breaks out with the help of Alvin Kersh , and with Dana Scully , headed to New Mexico for
6685-407: A young boy carrying explosives, an episode which scarred him for life. Skinner is originally the direct supervisor of Mulder and Scully, and of the X-files. He later serves the same position for Special Agents John Doggett and Monica Reyes . Although he is originally portrayed as a somewhat malevolent character, Skinner eventually becomes a close friend of his subordinates. Skinner is responsible for
6876-615: Is Fox Mulder, thus lending further credence to Spender's claim that both he and Mulder are the children of the Cigarette-Smoking Man. John Fitzgerald Byers is portrayed by Bruce Harwood . Byers was born in Sterling, Virginia on November 22, 1963, the day on which John F. Kennedy was assassinated , and was named after the fallen president—his parents were originally planning to name him Bertram, after his father. Byers idolized his namesake, but always had suspicions about
7067-520: Is a talented profiler , conspiracy theorist , and an ardent supernaturalist . He is also adamant about the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life and its presence on Earth. This set of beliefs earns him the nickname "Spooky Mulder" and an assignment to a little-known department that deals with unsolved cases, the X-Files . His belief in the paranormal springs from the claimed abduction of his sister Samantha Mulder by extraterrestrials when Mulder
7258-491: Is able to interpret DNA strands, instantly informing Mulder that Scully's blood had been tampered with in " One Breath ". All three of the Lone Gunmen die in the episode " Jump the Shark ," sacrificing themselves to save thousands from a terrorist created plague. Skinner arranges for them to be interred at Arlington National Cemetery , as a tribute to their brave deeds. Melvin Frohike is portrayed by Tom Braidwood . Frohike
7449-510: Is an American actor. Known for portraying villains and authority figures, Patrick is a Saturn Award winner with four other nominations. Patrick dropped out of college when drama class sparked his interest in acting, and entered film in 1986. After playing a supporting role in Die Hard 2 (1990), he came to prominence as the T-1000 , the antagonist of Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) —
7640-400: Is explained by Scully, who states, "Diana Fowley was found murdered this morning." Her death is not witnessed, though. Deputy Director Alvin D. Kersh is played by James Pickens, Jr. Kersh was a Navy A-6 Intruder weapons officer during the Vietnam War . He is known for using the same instincts that served him as an aviator in the military to guide his career in the FBI . His role in
7831-439: Is found guilty and sentenced to death but escapes punishment with the help of the other agents, and he and Scully become fugitives. As the show progressed, key episodes, called parts of the " Mytharc ", were recognized as the "mythology" of the series canon; these episodes carried the extraterrestrial/conspiracy storyline that evolved throughout the series. " Monster of the week "—often abbreviated as "MOTW" or "MoW"—came to denote
List of The X-Files characters - Misplaced Pages Continue
8022-476: Is in fact the Smoking Man. He is shown to be in the same condition as when he disappeared, but has degenerated further and is now quite unkempt. He has a shock of long white hair, and is living a primitive life in hiding from the New Syndicate. He reveals to Mulder and Scully all he has left to tell, including the fact that the aliens are scheduled to invade in 2012 . Shortly after he is supposedly killed by
8213-512: Is later partnered with Monica Reyes, and together they depart the X-files in 2002, when the unit is shut down. Monica Reyes is played by Annabeth Gish , an FBI special agent who was born and raised in Mexico City , where her parents still reside as of 2002. Because she was raised in Mexico, Reyes speaks fluent Spanish. She majored in folklore and mythology at Brown University , and has
8404-427: Is partnered with Mulder initially so that she can debunk Mulder's nonconforming theories, often supplying logical, scientific explanations for the cases' apparently unexplainable phenomena. Although she is frequently able to offer scientific alternatives to Mulder's deductions, she is rarely able to refute them completely. Over the course of the series, she becomes increasingly dissatisfied with her own ability to approach
8595-707: Is portrayed by Nicholas Lea . Krycek is a Russian-American who makes his first appearance in " Sleepless ", where Krycek, a young FBI special agent , is assigned as a temporary investigation partner to Fox Mulder . Krycek proceeds to work with Mulder and attempts to gain his trust. However, it later becomes evident that Krycek is actually an undercover agent working for the Cigarette Smoking Man . Krycek plays an important part in several events that are harmful to Mulder and Dana Scully : he assists in Scully's abduction, and murders Mulder's father, Bill Mulder . Krycek also assaults Assistant Director Walter Skinner and acquires
8786-457: Is revealed in the latter parts of season five , as well as the 1998 film . Counter to the alien colonization effort, another faction of aliens, the faceless rebels, are working to stop alien colonization. Eventually, in the season six episodes " Two Fathers "/" One Son ", the rebels manage to destroy the Syndicate. The colonists, now without human liaisons, dispatch the " Super Soldiers ": beings that resemble humans, but are biologically alien. In
8977-538: Is shot between the eyes and killed by Skinner during an unsuccessful attempt to kill Mulder. Krycek's ghost briefly showed up to help Mulder escape a military base in the series finale. Knowle Rohrer is portrayed by Adam Baldwin . He served alongside Sergeant John Doggett in the U.S. Marine Corps with the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit in Beirut, Lebanon . Doggett and Rohrer were friends, but lost touch when Rohrer and Shannon McMahon were taken out of their company to be
9168-481: Is the leader of the Syndicate . The Strughold mine in remote West Virginia , where the Syndicate secretly kept files on and tissue samples of abductees , is named after him. In the film, he authorizes Dana Scully 's abduction, seeing it as a way to effectively break Fox Mulder 's spirit, and as a more profitable alternative to outright killing Mulder. He lives in Tunisia . It is believed that he has Nazi ties and
9359-661: Is unable to enter the United States because it would draw too much attention to the Syndicate. Strughold survived the demise of the Syndicate in season 6, though as of the end of the series, he is probably either dead, in hiding, or working with the New Syndicate (though the last option is unlikely). The X-Files The X-Files is an American science fiction drama television series created by Chris Carter . The original television series aired from September 1993 to May 2002 on Fox . During its original run,
9550-515: The Syndicate conspirators and working against Mulder in his pursuit of the truth within the X-files. As Fowley is an old fling of Mulder's, additional tension was generated on the show and among viewers because of a perceived rekindling of her former close personal relationship with agent Mulder and the possibility of Fowley coming between him and his trusted partner, Special Agent Dana Scully . The character of Diana Fowley subsequently vanishes during " The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati ". Her absence
9741-563: The United Nations and had an air of "intelligent seriousness". Writer Frank Spotnitz has described Covarrubias as "young, attractive, vital [and] dangerous" compared to the other characters working for the Syndicate. Holden has compared the character to Mata Hari , adding that "you can't really read what she's saying or what her intentions are". Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen , felt that
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#17327986150579932-681: The WWE Films production The Marine as Rome. He also appeared in We Are Marshall as Marshall University head coach Rick Tolley , who lost his life when Southern Airways Flight 932 crashed in 1970. His credits also include a guest starring role in the Lost episode " Outlaws ", as well as a recurring role as the voice of Master Piandao in season 3 of the Nickelodeon animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender . Patrick played
10123-549: The X-Files . He is involved in the Syndicate , a shadow organization within the United States government that exists to hide the fact that aliens are visiting Earth from the public. Spender is the leader of the Men in Black (MIB) in the series. In the season 6 two-part episodes " Two Fathers " and " One Son " it is learned that his birthname or alias is C.G.B. Spender and was formerly married to Cassandra Spender , with whom he had
10314-528: The X-Files: I Want to Believe film proved successful at the box office, a third installment would be made going back to the TV series' mythology, focusing specifically on the alien invasion and colonization of Earth foretold in the ninth-season finale, due to occur on December 22, 2012 . In an October 2009 interview, David Duchovny likewise said he wanted to do a 2012 X-Files movie, but did not know if he would get
10505-465: The murder of Luke Doggett came to light. John Doggett sought Follmer's assistance because he had worked on organized crime in New York City before coming to Washington . Reyes, however, recalled seeing Follmer accept a bribe from a mobster. Although he had convincingly claimed he was only paying an informant, the truth was as Reyes suspected: Follmer was crooked. Once the truth of Luke's fate
10696-460: The "pilot episode" and hinting that he had got the job. The theme, " The X-Files ", used more instrumental sections than most dramas. The theme song's famous whistle effect was inspired by the track " How Soon Is Now? " from the US edition of The Smiths ' 1985 album Meat Is Murder . After attempting to craft the theme with different sound effects, Snow used a Proteus 2 rackmount sound module with
10887-665: The 1980s. Later he joined the New York City Police Department and was eventually promoted to the rank of detective . After his son's death, Doggett took a job in the FBI working in the Criminal Investigations Division. In 2000 Deputy Director Alvin Kersh assigned him to the X-files office as Scully's partner after an unsuccessful task force attempt to find a missing Mulder in " Without ". He grows to rely on Scully's friendship, even though he knows he can never replace Mulder. He
11078-403: The 1997–98 season. The sixth season premiered with " The Beginning ", watched by 20.24 million viewers. The show ended season six with lower numbers than the previous season, beginning a decline that would continue for the show's final three years. The X-Files was nevertheless Fox's highest-rated show that year . The seventh season, originally intended as the show's last, ranked as
11269-478: The 29th most-watched show for the 1999–2000 year, with 14.20 million viewers. This made it, at the time, the lowest-rated year of the show since the third season. The first episode of season eight, "Within", was viewed by 15.87 million viewers. The episode marked an 11% decrease from the seventh season opener, " The Sixth Extinction ". The first part of the ninth season opener, " Nothing Important Happened Today ", only attracted 10.6 million viewers,
11460-749: The CBS drama series Scorpion from 2014 to 2018. On March 28, 2017, Patrick was cast in Amazon Video horror anthology series Lore , which is based on the award-winning and critically acclaimed podcast of the same name. Lore recounts true stories of frightening and paranormal occurrences. Lore premiered on October 13, 2017, and ran for two seasons. In 2021, Patrick starred in Rushed , co-produced by Lars von Trier 's Zentropa Entertainment, and written by Siobhan Fallon Hogan . Also starring Jake Weary and Peri Gilpin , Vertical Entertainment has acquired
11651-405: The Cigarette Smoking Man by pushing him down a flight of stairs. Later, when Mulder was abducted by aliens and returned in a deathlike state, Krycek attempts to again blackmail Skinner, offering the means to save Mulder's life in exchange for Scully's baby. Skinner refuses, and Krycek has a violent confrontation with John Doggett before escaping. In the last season 8 episode, " Existence ", Krycek
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#173279861505711842-628: The Eagle , Equalizer 2000 or Future Hunters . Patrick later commented that his experience with Santiago had been his "film school". The B movies he made in the Philippines helped him get a SAG card. Patrick's first major Hollywood film was Die Hard 2 , in a small part as a henchman for Colonel Stuart, before landing the role of the T-1000 , the villain of James Cameron 's Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). Cameron said he chose Patrick because of his physical appearance, which he felt fit
12033-412: The FBI permanently in 2002. Sometime between then and 2008 she finds work as a surgeon. In 2008 she returns to consult with the FBI. She returns to the bureau permanently in 2016 alongside Mulder. John Doggett is played by Robert Patrick , an FBI special agent who makes his first appearance in " Within ," the eighth-season premiere. Doggett served in the United States Marine Corps during the 1970s and
12224-436: The FBI, which he eventually does in " Two Fathers ". Later on he reinstates Mulder and Scully to the X-files but appears to be shot in the head and killed by his father in " One Son ". Three years later, it is revealed in " William " that Spender survived the gunshot, but that he was subjected to horribly disfiguring experiments at the hands of his father. Posing as Mulder, he infiltrates Scully's house and injects William with
12415-433: The FBI. Mulder considers the X-files and the truth behind the supposed conspiracy so important that he has made their study the main purpose of his life. After seven years partnered with Scully, Mulder is abducted by aliens at the end of the seventh season. Upon returning, he officially hands the X-files to Special Agent John Doggett, who was hired in his absence. Mulder returns to assist the FBI in 2008, and permanently rejoins
12606-720: The Future was released. The crew intended the movie to be a continuation of the season five finale " The End ", but it was also meant to stand on its own. The season six premiere, "The Beginning", began where the film ended. The film was written by Carter and Spotnitz and directed by series regular Rob Bowman . In addition to Mulder, Scully, Skinner and Cigarette Smoking Man, it featured guest appearances by Martin Landau , Armin Mueller-Stahl and Blythe Danner , who appeared only in
12797-685: The Lambs , which provided the impetus for framing the series around agents from the FBI , in order to provide the characters with a more plausible reason for being involved in each case than Carter believed was present in Kolchak . Carter was determined to keep the relationship between the two leads strictly platonic, basing their interactions on the characters of Emma Peel and John Steed in The Avengers series. The early 1990s series Twin Peaks
12988-636: The Lost Ark , Rashomon , The Thing , The Boys from Brazil , The Silence of the Lambs and JFK as other influences. In addition, episodes written by Darin Morgan often referred to or referenced other films. Duchovny had worked in Los Angeles for three years prior to The X-Files , focusing on feature films. In 1993 his manager Melanie Green gave him the script for the pilot episode of The X-Files . Green and Duchovny were both convinced it
13179-601: The New Mexican desert, Rohrer died from exposure to magnetite . It turned out that the Cigarette Smoking Man figured out that magnetite killed the Super Soldiers, and consequently chose to hide in a pueblo saturated with it. C.G.B. Spender , best known as the Cigarette Smoking Man , is portrayed by William B. Davis , and serves as the main antagonist of the series. In Spender's first appearance, he oversaw Dana Scully 's debriefing and disposed of her evidence in
13370-400: The Smoking Man. He contacted Scully in person while Mulder pursued evidence of an alien autopsy on a train. He also obtained photographs taken by X of a meeting between The Smoking Man and Teena Mulder as proof that one of the Smoking Man's henchmen was a traitor. The First Elder set up a trap to reveal the identity of the traitor and dispatched an assassin to kill him. X fell for
13561-672: The Special Representative to the Secretary-General of the United Nations . However, it is later revealed that Covarrubias is working for the Smoking Man and the Syndicate . The Syndicate later discovers that Covarrubias has betrayed them and is providing information to Mulder. As a result, Syndicate scientists infect her with the black oil virus, so as to test a vaccine they have been working to create. A cured Covarrubias later makes contact with Krycek at
13752-568: The US. Unbeknown to him, Krycek is under the control of an alien organism and he escapes Mulder before he is taken to a missile silo in North Dakota by the Cigarette Smoking Man. Having ejected the alien influence into an alien craft, he is left locked in a missile bay, screaming and banging on the door. When escaping a gulag in Russia, where Krycek pursues a mysterious rock, his left arm is amputated to prevent some experiments on him. Later in
13943-539: The Well-Manicured Man wished to continue working on a vaccination for resistance. This rejection led to his betrayal of the Syndicate, and to him committing suicide by car bomb before his duplicity was discovered. The Well-Manicured Man was portrayed by John Neville in all his appearances. Conceived as the "voice of reason" within the Syndicate, the character has been seen as representing an opposing viewpoint to that of The Smoking Man. The character has been positively received by critics. MTV 's Tami Katzoff has called him
14134-486: The X-Files, he re-established contact with Rohrer. Doggett became suspicious of Rohrer when information was given to him from Rohrer that got a man killed, but it was not until Doggett saw Rohrer meet with Alex Krycek that he realized Rohrer was a member of the conspiracy. In "Nothing Important Happened Today II", he is decapitated by fellow Super Soldier , Shannon McMahon, but owing to his hybrid abilities, manages to then impale her with his arm, and they both fall into
14325-473: The accident site, and nearly drowned in doing so. After the accident, he moved to Los Angeles at age 26. Patrick first appeared in several low-budget science-fiction and action films produced by Roger Corman and shot in the Philippines by Cirio H. Santiago . Looking back, he credited his early appearances in films to his "tough-looking exterior". He played leading roles in pictures such as Eye of
14516-475: The actor was only pretending to be grumpy. Pileggi later realized he had been lucky that he had not been cast in one of the earlier roles, as he believed he would have appeared in only a single episode and would have missed the opportunity to play the recurring role. Before the seventh season aired, Duchovny filed a lawsuit against 20th Century Fox , claiming that Fox had undersold the rights to its own affiliates, thereby costing him huge sums of money. Eventually,
14707-400: The agents' efforts to uncover a government conspiracy that covers up the existence of extraterrestrials and their sinister collaboration with said government. Mysterious men constituting a shadow element within the U.S. government , known as " The Syndicate ", are the major villains in the series; late in the series it is revealed that The Syndicate acts as the only liaison between mankind and
14898-561: The alien invasion foretold within the series, due to occur in December 2012. The film grossed $ 4 million on its opening day in the United States. It opened fourth on the U.S. weekend box office chart, with a gross of $ 10.2 million. By the end of its theatrical run, it had grossed $ 20,982,478 domestically and an additional $ 47,373,805 internationally, for a total worldwide gross of $ 68,369,434. Among 2008 domestic releases, it finished in 114th place. The film's stars both claimed that
15089-477: The behest of The Smoking Man, who wishes to resume the work of the now-eradicated Syndicate. However, Covarrubias and Krycek betray the Smoking Man and leave him for dead. In the series finale " The Truth ," Skinner seeks Covarrubias as a witness in Mulder's trial for murder. She is called upon to testify, and she speaks about her involvement with the Syndicate. However, when she is pressed for further information about
15280-467: The bureau in 2016. He and Scully have a son together, named William. Dana Katherine Scully is played by Gillian Anderson , a medical doctor assigned to debunk the work of Special Agent Fox Mulder. Together they work out of a cramped basement office at the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. , to investigate unsolved cases labeled "X-files". In contrast to Fox Mulder's "believer" character, Scully
15471-532: The car, and boards with only enough time left to save either Mulder or the alien-human hybrid the car was transporting, opting to save Mulder. In the season 4 opener " Herrenvolk ", X's position as an informant is discovered by the Syndicate, and he is assassinated, but not before leading Mulder to his successor, Marita Covarrubias . After his death, X appears two more times—in The Lone Gunmen origin story " Unusual Suspects ," set before his death, and as
15662-492: The case, forcing them to pay out of their own pocket. He also attempted to separate Mulder and Scully, believing that Mulder threw away a promising career as a criminal profiler , but that Scully's career could still be saved. When Mulder and Scully were reassigned to the X-Files Section, Kersh continued to climb the ladder, culminating in an assignment as deputy director. It was not long after his promotion that Mulder
15853-458: The cases scientifically. After Mulder's abduction at the hands of aliens in the seventh season finale " Requiem ", Scully becomes a "reluctant believer" who manages to explain the paranormal with science. Various episodes also deal with the relationship between Mulder and Scully, originally platonic, but that later develops romantically. Mulder and Scully are joined by John Doggett ( Robert Patrick ) and Monica Reyes ( Annabeth Gish ) late in
16044-675: The chance. Anderson stated in August 2012 that a third X-Files film is "looking pretty good". As of July 2013, Fox had not approved the movie, although Carter, Spotnitz, Duchovny and Anderson expressed interest. At the New York Comic Con held October 10–13, 2013, Duchovny and Anderson reaffirmed that they and Carter were interested in making a third film, with Anderson saying, "If it takes fan encouragement to get Fox interested in that, then I guess that's what it would be." On January 17, 2015, Fox confirmed that they were looking at
16235-444: The character was "used so perfunctorily since her introduction" that her appearances added little to the episodes she featured in, describing her as a "bad parody" of the earlier characters Deep Throat and X . Deep Throat is the first of Mulder's informants, leaking information to him to aid his investigations. As a member of the then-unseen Syndicate , he is in a position to know a great deal of information. Deep Throat feels that
16426-461: The characters, those that dealt with the conspiracy, and the monster-of-the-week sort of stuff". Petrucha cited the latter as the easiest to write. Petrucha saw Scully as a "scientist [...] with real world faith", and that the difference between [Mulder and Scully] is not that Mulder believes and Scully doesn't; it's more a difference in procedure." In this manner, Mulder's viewpoint was often written to be just as valid as Scully's, and Scully's science
16617-520: The concept and returned a few weeks later, whereupon they commissioned the pilot. Carter worked with NYPD Blue producer Daniel Sackheim to further develop the pilot, drawing stylistic inspiration from the 1988 documentary The Thin Blue Line and the British television series Prime Suspect . Inspiration also came from Carter's memories of The Twilight Zone as well as from The Silence of
16808-480: The conspiracy surrounding Mulder's disappearance. The investigation turned up nothing. Although Doggett seemed convinced that Kersh was involved in the conspiracy, Kersh insisted that he was actually protecting Mulder. During the ninth season , the Toothpick Man , a key conspirator, could be seen in the company of Kersh, much like Cigarette Smoking Man before. In the end, Kersh showed a heroic side when during
16999-409: The continuation of the conspiracy, she clams up, and at Mulder's request she is dismissed from the stand, for fear that if she divulges certain knowledge, she will be killed. The character of Marita Covarrubias was portrayed by Laurie Holden in all her appearances. When auditioning for the role, Holden was not allowed access to an episode script, instead simply being told that her character worked for
17190-399: The coordinates needed to find her and a sample of the vaccine needed to cure Scully. The colonists had kept secret a secondary characteristic of the black oil—that those infected with it for prolonged periods would gestate a new colonist lifeform, killing the host. Upon discovering this, the Syndicate vowed to work more closely with the colonists in the hope of being spared this fate, while only
17381-498: The correct color balance. The Lone Gunmen is an American science fiction television series created by Carter and broadcast on Fox and was crafted as a more humorous spin-off of The X-Files . The series starred the eponymous Lone Gunmen and was first broadcast in March 2001, during The X-Files ' s month-long hiatus. Although the debut episode garnered 13.23 million viewers, its ratings began to steadily drop. The program
17572-535: The distribution rights. In 2022, Robert Patrick played Auggie Smith / White Dragon, the racist supervillain father of Peacemaker in the HBO Max series Peacemaker , and he voiced Wolverine in the Marvel's Wastelanders: Wolverine podcast. Patrick married actress Barbara Hooper in 1990. They have appeared together in various films and TV shows such as Zero Tolerance and The X-Files . They have two children:
17763-532: The early 1990s. Patrick played Johnny Cash 's father, Ray Cash, in the film Walk the Line and Elvis 's father, Vernon Presley in the miniseries Elvis . In 2003, he appeared in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle , which reunited him with his Striptease co-star, Demi Moore . He had a regular role on The Unit , and played Elvis Presley in Lonely Street (2009). In October 2006, he starred in
17954-471: The end of the eighth season, Scully departs the X-files, accept a teaching position at the FBI Academy. Thereafter she acts as only a consultant to Doggett. Annabeth Gish (as Monica Reyes ), and Pileggi (as Skinner), join the main cast during the ninth season after recurring previously. The tenth season once again stars Duchovny, Anderson, and Pileggi, while Patrick is notably absent. Gish guest-stars in
18145-412: The episode " End Game ", he is approached by Scully , who pleads that she needs to know where Mulder is, believing his life to be in danger. X reluctantly gives her the information after a fight with Skinner . In " 731 ", X's loyalty to Mulder is further confirmed. Trapped on a train car equipped with a time bomb , Mulder is attacked by an assassin. X fatally shoots the assassin as he is about to step off
18336-532: The episode " One Breath ". All three of the Lone Gunmen die in the X-Files episode " Jump the Shark ". They intentionally lock themselves in a closed hallway with a man carrying a terrorist-created plague, saving thousands. Skinner arranges for them to be interred at Arlington National Cemetery . Richard “Ringo” Langly is portrayed by Dean Haglund . Langly was born circa 1968/69 in Saltville, Nebraska. He showed an aptitude for computers from an early age, which
18527-458: The episode was chosen and anecdotes from the set. These clips were later included on the full season DVDs. Wave eight, covering the last part of the fourth season, was the last to be released. No Carter interviews appeared on DVDs for later seasons. Many of the waves had collectible cards for each episode. All nine seasons were released on DVD along with the two films. Seasons 1-4 were in fullscreen and seasons 5 and onward were in widescreen with
18718-409: The fall of the Syndicate, Smoking Man has no more fellow conspirators who can match his power, so he begins to operate as he wishes. However, his cancer resurfaces and he requires the use of a wheelchair . At the end of the seventh season , Alex Krycek and Marita Covarrubias betray him and throw him down a flight of stairs, where they presumed him dead. Through the eighth and ninth seasons, he
18909-517: The fast percussion featured in some tracks was inspired by the track "Prospectors Quartet" from the There Will Be Blood soundtrack. The soundtrack score, The X-Files: I Want to Believe , was released in 2008. The opening sequence was made in 1993 for the first season, and remained unchanged until Duchovny left the show. Carter sought to make the title an "impactful opening" with "supernatural images". These scenes notably include
19100-450: 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, including director and producer R.W. Goodwin and his wife Sheila Larken, who played Margaret Scully and would later return briefly. With the move to Los Angeles, many changes behind the scenes occurred, as much of
19291-415: The film a positive review, with an average rating of 4.9 out of 10. The website wrote of the critics' consensus, stating, "The chemistry between leads David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson do live [sic] up to The X-Files ' televised legacy, but the roving plot and droning routines make it hard to identify just what we're meant to believe in." In several interviews around the release, Carter said that if
19482-408: The film as independent of the series, saying, "We're looking at the movies as stand-alones. They're not necessarily going to have to deal with the mythology." Bowman, who had directed various episodes of The X-Files in the past as well as the 1998 film, expressed an interest in the sequel, but Carter took the job. Spotnitz co-authored the script with Carter. The X-Files: I Want to Believe became
19673-400: The film. In November 2001, Carter decided to pursue a second film adaptation. Production was slated to begin after the ninth season, with a projected release in December 2003. In April 2002, Carter reiterated his desire and the studio's desire to do a sequel film. He planned to write the script over the summer and begin production in spring or summer 2003 for a 2004 release. Carter described
19864-495: The film. It also featured the last appearance of John Neville as the Well-Manicured Man . Jeffrey Spender , Diana Fowley , Alex Krycek and Gibson Praise —characters who had been introduced in the fifth-season finale and/or were integral to the television series—do not appear in the film. Although the film had a strong domestic opening and received mostly positive reviews from critics, attendance dropped sharply after
20055-478: The finale as Reyes. Fox William Mulder is played by David Duchovny , a trained FBI profiler who believes in the existence of extraterrestrial visitors and a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth regarding extraterrestrial life. Mulder and his partner Special Agent Dana Scully work in the FBI's X-files office , which is concerned with cases with particularly mysterious or possibly supernatural circumstances that were marked as unsolvable and shelved by
20246-406: The first film was made available in 2007, which contains all of the special features from the initial releases. The set also includes an additional disc of new bonus features and various collectibles, including a poster for the first film, a comic book, a set of collector cards and a guide to all 202 episodes across all nine seasons and the first film. Due to the fact that the set was released in 2007,
20437-647: The first film, The X-Files: Original Motion Picture Score , was released in 1998. For the second film, Snow recorded with the Hollywood Studio Symphony in May 2008 at the Newman Scoring Stage at 20th Century Fox in Century City . UNKLE recorded a new version of the theme music for the end credits. Some of the unusual sounds were created by a variation of silly putty and dimes tucked into piano strings. Snow commented that
20628-506: The first half of the first season: "Pilot"/"Deep Throat", "Conduit"/"Ice" and "Fallen Angel"/"Eve". Each wave was also available in a boxed set. Unlike later DVD season releases, the tapes did not include every episode from the seasons. Ultimately twelve episodes—approximately half the total number aired—were selected by Carter to represent each season, including nearly all "mythology arc" episodes and selected standalone episodes. Carter briefly introduced each episode with an explanation of why
20819-476: The first people transformed into Super Soldiers , a new type of alien-human hybrid intended by the alien Colonists as replacements for normal humans. Knowle reached the rank of Master Sergeant and continued on with his military career by joining the Department of Defense . The work he did there is unknown, but it is safe to assume that he was involved in classified operations. When Doggett became assigned to
21010-600: The first time that the series has been made available in the high resolution format in North America. In October 2015, it was confirmed that the complete series would be reissued on Blu-ray, and the full set was released on December 8, 2015. The set was criticized for using the wrong fonts for the title sequence and season 8 was affected by color balance issues making the picture appear darker in most episodes (an issue known as "black crush"). These issues led to Fox offering corrected discs and eventually issuing new sets with
21201-415: The first weekend. Although it failed to make a profit during its theatrical release—due in part to its large promotional budget— The X-Files film was more successful internationally. Eventually, the worldwide theatrical box office total reached $ 189 million. The film's production cost and ad budgets were each close to $ 66 million. Unlike in the series, Anderson and Duchovny received equal pay for
21392-409: The future is unwritten." The rights are now owned by Disney . On September 24, 1996, the first "wave" set of The X-Files VHS tapes were released. Wave sets were released covering the first through fourth seasons. Each "wave" was three VHS tapes, each containing two episodes, for a total of six episodes per wave and two waves per season. For example, the home video release of wave one drew from
21583-409: The highest-rated episode of The X-Files to air since the eighth-season episode " This Is Not Happening " in 2001, which was watched by 16.9 million viewers. When DVR and streaming are taken into account, "My Struggle" was seen by 21.4 million viewers, scoring a 7.1 Nielsen rating. The season ended with "My Struggle II", which was viewed by 7.60 million viewers. In total, the season
21774-448: The latter parts of season eight , and the whole of season nine , the Super Soldiers manage to replace key individuals in the government, forcing Mulder and Scully to go into hiding. Mulder and Scully came right out of my head. A dichotomy. They are the equal parts of my desire to believe in something and my inability to believe in something. My skepticism and my faith. And the writing of the characters came very easily to me. I want, like
21965-453: The lawsuit was settled, and Duchovny was awarded a settlement of about $ 20 million, but the lawsuit put strain on Duchovny's professional relationships. Neither Carter nor Duchovny was contracted to work on the series beyond the seventh season; however, Fox entered into negotiations near the end of that season in order to bring the two on board for an eighth season. After settling his contract dispute, Duchovny quit full-time participation in
22156-451: The main antagonist. During the early stages of production, Carter founded Ten Thirteen Productions and began to plan for filming the pilot in Los Angeles. However, unable to find suitable locations for many scenes, he decided to "go where the good forests are" and moved production to Vancouver . It was soon realized by the production crew that since so much of the first season would require filming on location, rather than on sound stages,
22347-416: The main factor. At the end of 2002, The X-Files had become the longest-running consecutive science fiction series ever on U.S. broadcast television. This record was later surpassed by Stargate SG-1 in 2007 and Smallville in 2011. The debut episode of the 2016 revival, "My Struggle", first aired on January 24, 2016, and was watched by 16.19 million viewers. In terms of viewers, this made it
22538-544: The military on innocent civilians. Enlisting the help of Melvin Frohike and Richard Langly , who were also at the electronics show, they succeeded in helping Modeski, although she was later kidnapped. Modeski had awakened a desire in all three of them to uncover the truth, which subsequently led to the formation and publication of a newsletter entitled The Lone Gunmen , providing information on government cover-ups and conspiracy theories. Byers appears to have some working knowledge of medicine , genetics , and chemistry ; he
22729-407: The next picture that you meet Robert Patrick the way he looks today, and he's a scientist that's working on, you know, improving cell replication so we can stay healthier and we can cure diabetes and do all these things that sound like good ideas, and to once again live as idealized expressions as ourselves." Patrick also starred in the psychological thriller The Black Water of Echo's Pond , which
22920-448: The next three seasons—and finished 63rd out of 141 shows. These ratings were not spectacular, but the series had attracted enough fans to receive the label "cult hit", particularly by Fox standards. Most importantly, it made great gains among the 18-to-49 age demographic sought by advertisers. During its third year , the series ranked 55th and was viewed by an average of 15.40 million viewers, an increase of almost seven percent over
23111-474: The ninth season represent a change in the direction of the show: Duchovny departs the regular cast and thereafter takes the role of intermittent lead. Scully, now a reluctant believer, is partnered with Special Agent John Doggett ( Robert Patrick ), a former NYPD detective and a strict skeptic who is still grief-stricken over the death of his son, Luke. As Doggett begins to work on the X-files, Scully continues her search for Mulder, while also carrying his child. At
23302-418: The ninth season, Carter said, "We lost our audience on the first episode. It's like the audience had gone away and I didn't know how to find them. I didn't want to work to get them back because I believed what we are doing deserved to have them back." While news outlets cited declining ratings because of lackluster stories and poor writing, The X-Files production crew blamed September 11 terrorist attacks as
23493-457: The ninth season, Gish became a series regular. Glen Morgan and James Wong 's early influence on The X-Files mythology led to their introduction of popular secondary characters who continued for years in episodes written by others: Scully's father, William ( Don S. Davis ); her mother, Margaret ( Sheila Larken ); and her sister, Melissa ( Melinda McGraw ). The conspiracy-inspired trio The Lone Gunmen were also secondary characters. The trio
23684-422: The original The X-Files crew was gone. New production designer Corey Kaplan, editor Lynne Willingham , writer David Amann and director and producer Michael Watkins joined and stayed for several years. Bill Roe became the show's new director of photography and episodes generally had a drier, brighter look due to California's sunshine and climate, as compared with Vancouver's rain, fog and temperate forests. Early in
23875-557: The original versions. Episodic DVDs have also been released in Region 2 , such as " Deadalive ", " Existence ", "Nothing Important Happened Today", " Providence " and "The Truth". Various other episodes were released on DVD and VHS. In 2005, four DVD sets were released containing the main story arc episodes of The X-Files . The four being Volume 1 – Abduction , Volume 2 – Black Oil , Volume 3 – Colonization and Volume 4 – Super Soldiers . A boxed set containing all nine seasons and
24066-408: The part of Scully in 1993. "I couldn't put the script down", she recalled. For the role, the network wanted either a more established actress or one that was "taller, leggier, blonder and breastier" than the 24-year-old Anderson, a theater veteran with minor film experience. After auditions, Carter felt she was the only choice. Carter insisted that Anderson had the kind of "no-nonsense integrity that
24257-418: The possibility of bringing The X-Files back, not as a movie, but as a limited run television season. Fox chairman Dana Walden told reporters that "conversations so far have only been logistical and are in very early stages", and that the series would only go forward if Carter, Anderson, and Duchovny were all on board, and that it was a matter of ensuring all of their timetables are open. On March 24, 2015, it
24448-425: The producers, leading to her replacement. Williams' portrayal of X was intended to introduce a personality completely different from the character's predecessor, Deep Throat, and has been positively received by critics and fans. Conrad Strughold is a fictional character played by Armin Mueller-Stahl in the 1998 motion picture The X-Files: Fight the Future . Strughold, a German scientist and entrepreneur ,
24639-399: The program spanned nine seasons, with 202 episodes . A short tenth season consisting of six episodes ran from January to February 2016. Following the ratings success of this revival, The X-Files returned for an eleventh season of ten episodes, which ran from January to March 2018. In addition to the television series, two feature films have been released: the 1998 film The X-Files and
24830-420: The radio drama podcast series Marvel's Wastelanders . AllMovie journalist Tracie Cooper wrote that, by the conclusion of The X-Files in 2002, Patrick had developed a "solid reputation within the industry", with critics, fans and co-stars alike praising his "work ethic, personality, and consistent performances." Actor and director Jason Bateman described Patrick as "one of the great heavies ." Patrick
25021-788: The real cause of his death. Byers worked as a public affairs officer for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in Baltimore until May 1989. At that time he met Susanne Modeski at a consumer electronics show in Baltimore and instantly fell in love with her. Initially lying about her identity to him, she revealed herself to be a scientist working for the Army Advanced Weapons facility and appealed to him for help in stopping one of her developments—a gas causing fear and paranoia—from being used by
25212-533: The remainder of The X-Files episodes. These episodes, forming the majority of the series, dealt with paranormal (and in certain cases, merely criminal) phenomena, including: serial killers (with or without supernatural powers), cryptids , ghosts , mutants, science fiction technology, horror monsters and religious phenomena. Some of the Monster-of-the-Week episodes even featured satiric elements and comedic story lines. The main story arc involves
25403-511: The reopening of the X-files in 2016. Brad D. Follmer is portrayed by Cary Elwes . Follmer was an assistant director at the FBI . He had a romantic history with Monica Reyes that he brought up while trying to keep her away from the X-files. His true motives were more political in nature and part of his sycophancy to Alvin Kersh . He did not believe in the X-files and deliberately showed disrespect to John Doggett by calling him "Mr. Doggett" instead of "Agent". In 2002, new evidence concerning
25594-405: The role of Doggett, but only about ten were seriously considered. Lou Diamond Phillips , Hart Bochner , and Bruce Campbell were among the ten. The producers chose Robert Patrick. Carter believed that the series could continue for another ten years with new leads, and the opening credits were accordingly redesigned in both seasons eight and nine to emphasize the new actors (along with Pileggi, who
25785-485: The role required." For portraying Scully, Anderson won numerous major awards: the Screen Actors Guild Award in 1996 and 1997, an Emmy Award in 1997, and a Golden Globe Award 1997. The character Walter Skinner was played by actor Mitch Pileggi , who had unsuccessfully auditioned for the roles of two or three other characters on The X-Files before getting the part. At first, the fact that he
25976-516: The role. Patrick was "broke" at the time, living in a cheap apartment with his girlfriend, Barbara, whom he married during shooting. He has credited the film with starting his career. After Terminator 2 , Patrick landed roles in various feature films such as Last Action Hero , Fire in the Sky (both 1993) and Striptease (1996). Because of his fondness for martial arts , Patrick starred in two martial arts films titled Double Dragon and Hong Kong 97 , both released in 1994, and even had
26167-410: The season finale, he helped Doggett and Skinner free Mulder from a military prison. Following this, Kersh had to permanently close the X-Files to appease his irate superiors. The X-Files are still officially closed when Mulder consults with the FBI 6 years later when FBI Agent Monica Bannon goes missing, however, Kersh is noticeably absent. Jeffrey Frank Spender is portrayed by Chris Owens . Spender
26358-428: The second film based on the series, after 1998's The X-Files: Fight the Future . Filming began in December 2007 in Vancouver and finished on March 11, 2008. The film was released in the United States on July 25, 2008. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly , Carter said that if I Want to Believe proved successful, he would propose a third movie that would return to the television series' mythology and focus on
26549-427: The second film, which was released in 2008, is not included. Release of The X-Files ' seasons on Blu-ray , restored in high-definition, was rumored to begin in late 2013. The German TV channel ProSieben Maxx began airing first-season episodes reformatted in widescreen and in high-definition on January 20, 2014. On April 23, 2015, Netflix began streaming episodes of The X-Files in high definition, marking
26740-414: The second season, making it Fox's top-rated program in the 18–49-year-old demographic. Although the first three episodes of the fourth season aired on Friday night, the fourth episode " Unruhe " aired on Sunday night. The show remained on Sunday until its end. The season hit a high with its twelfth episode, " Leonard Betts ", which was chosen as the lead-out program following Super Bowl XXXI . The episode
26931-668: The series and would be "providing feedback to the creative team regarding scripts and outlines to keep the new stories in line with existing and on-going canon." The series restarted the series' mythology, and the first arc of the story focused on "seek[ing] to bring the mythology of the Alien Conspiracy back up to date in a more paranoid, post-terror, post- WikiLeaks society." In addition, sequels to popular Monster-of-the-Week episodes were made. The X-Files Season 10 concluded on July 1, 2015, after 25 issues. Robert Patrick Robert Hammond Patrick (born November 5, 1958)
27122-770: The series is primarily that of a foil to Mulder, Scully and Doggett, constantly trying to undermine and get in the way of their work in the belief of his own superiority. As an assistant director, he temporarily became supervisor to Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully when they were assigned away from the X-Files unit. During this time, the Cigarette Smoking Man could be seen in his office, reminiscent of his silent presence in Walter Skinner 's office in earlier seasons. Kersh assigned Mulder and Scully mostly to menial tasks, such as terrorist details and Federal background checks. When they did investigate an X-File behind his back, Kersh would charge them for expenses they incurred on
27313-535: The series itself and lead actors Duchovny and Anderson received multiple awards and nominations , and by its conclusion the show was the longest-running science fiction series in U.S. television history. The series also spawned a franchise that includes Millennium and The Lone Gunmen spin-offs, two theatrical films, and accompanying merchandise . The X-Files follows the careers and personal lives of FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder ( David Duchovny ) and Dana Scully ( Gillian Anderson ). Special Agent Mulder
27504-491: The series later returned to Vancouver with the filming of The X-Files: I Want to Believe as well as the tenth and eleventh seasons. The X-Files was a hit for the Fox network and received largely positive reviews, although its long-term story arc was criticized near the conclusion. Initially considered a cult series, it turned into a pop culture touchstone that tapped into public mistrust of governments and large institutions and embraced conspiracy theories and spirituality. Both
27695-399: The series' lowest-rated season premiere. The original series finale , "The Truth", attracted 13.25 million viewers, the series' lowest rated season finale. The ninth season was the 63rd most-watched show for the 2001–02 season, tying its season two rank. On May 19, 2002, the finale aired and the Fox network confirmed that The X-Files was over. When talking about the beginning of
27886-422: The series, Krycek can be seen switching sides as it suits him, occasionally helping Mulder, Cigarette Smoking Man and other people. He attempted to blackmail Skinner by infecting him with lethal nanotechnology , but ended up being thrown into a Tunisian prison when the Cigarette Smoking Man discovered that Krycek had stolen an alien artifact from him. In the last season 7 episode, " Requiem ", Krycek apparently kills
28077-422: The series, after Mulder is abducted. Doggett replaces him as Scully's partner and helps her search for him, later involving Reyes, of whom Doggett had professional knowledge. The initial run of The X-Files ends when Mulder is secretly subjected to a military tribunal for breaking into the top secret Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center and viewing plans for alien invasion and colonization of Earth . He
28268-466: The show after the seventh season. This contributed to uncertainties over the likelihood of an eighth season. Carter and most fans felt the show was at its natural endpoint with Duchovny's departure, but it was decided that Mulder would be abducted at the end of the seventh season and would return in 12 episodes the following year. The producers then announced that a new character, John Doggett, would fill Mulder's role. More than 100 actors auditioned for
28459-612: The show continuing without Anderson. In May 2018, Fox's co-CEO Gary Newman commented that "there are no plans to do another season at the moment." In October 2020, Chris Carter said: "I always thought there would be even more X-Files ." He admitted that continuing the series at this point with Duchovny and Anderson is unlikely, but has plans to continue the franchise with an upcoming animated spinoff. "Being that Gillian has decided to move on with her career, we certainly couldn't do Mulder and Scully again. But that's not to say there isn't another way to do The X-Files . And so right now I think
28650-408: The show for the ninth-season finale, " The Truth " marked the largest number of cast members to be featured in the opening credits, with five. The revival seasons use the series' original opening credits sequence. The sequence ends with the tagline "The Truth Is Out There", which is used for the majority of the episodes. For certain episodes, the tagline was changed to be more thematically-relevant;
28841-406: The show's pilot episode , and eventually developed into the series' primary antagonist. The character is known initially only by this nickname because he is almost always seen chain-smoking Morley Cigarettes , and is usually surrounded by clouds of smoke. In the first seasons of the show, he was usually present in Walter Skinner 's office, which was often a sign to discredit Fox Mulder 's work on
29032-436: The show's opening sequence #8 on a list of The 75 Best TV Title Sequences of All Time . The premiere episode of season eight, "Within", revealed the first major change to the opening credits. Along with Patrick, the sequence used new images and updated photos for Duchovny and Anderson, although Duchovny only appears in the opening credits when he appears in an episode. Carter and the production staff saw Duchovny's departure as
29223-431: The show. The season concluded with "My Struggle IV", which was seen by 3.43 million viewers, which was also a decrease from the previous season. "My Struggle IV", which became the de facto finale for the series, was also the show's lowest-rated finale. In total, the season was viewed by an average of 5.34 million viewers, and it ranked as the 91st most-watched television series of the 2018–19 year. According to
29414-569: The sixth season, the producers took advantage of the new location, setting the show in new parts of the country. For example, Vince Gilligan's "Drive" , about a man subject to an unexplained illness, was a frenetic action episode, unusual for The X-Files largely because it was set in Nevada 's stark desert roads. The "Dreamland" two-part episode was also set in Nevada, this time in Area 51 . The episode
29605-399: The stand-alone film The X-Files: I Want to Believe , released in 2008, six years after the original television run ended. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agents Fox Mulder ( David Duchovny ) and Dana Scully ( Gillian Anderson ), who investigate the eponymous " X-Files ": marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. Mulder is
29796-413: The streaming aggregator JustWatch , The X-Files was the ninth most streamed television series across all platforms in the United States, during the week ending November 7, 2021. After several successful seasons, Carter wanted to tell the story of the series on a wider scale, which ultimately turned into a feature film. He later explained that the main problem was to create a story that would not require
29987-424: The timing of the movie's release, a week after the highly popular Batman film The Dark Knight , negatively affected its success. The film received mixed to negative reviews. Metacritic , which assigns a rating out of 100 reviews from mainstream film critics, reported "mixed or average" reviews, with an average score of 47 based on 33 reviews. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 32% of 160 listed film critics gave
30178-420: The top and bottom of the opening credits cropped off. It is not widely known how accurate this is to the original broadcasts. The entire series was re-released on DVD in early 2006, in a "slimmer" package. The first five slim case versions did not come with some bonus materials that were featured in the original fold-out versions. However, seasons six, seven, eight and nine all contained the bonus materials found in
30369-457: The trap and was executed. After Mulder shot Department of Defense agent Scott Ostlehoff in his head to obscure his identity, Mulder and Scully used the situation to effectively fake Mulder's death. CSM spoke with the First Elder at a horse track about Mulder's death, which CSM saw as unfortunate and unhelpful. However, the fact that Mulder was alive soon became known to both men, upon which the First Elder ordered one of his operatives to carry out
30560-477: The truth being kept secret from the public by the Syndicate needs to be known. He believes Mulder to be the one person capable of exposing this knowledge. However, he believes that there are certain truths that the public are not yet ready to know. In " The Erlenmeyer Flask ," the finale of the first season, Mulder is taken hostage following his investigation into an alien-human hybridization program. Fearing for Mulder's life, Deep Throat helps Scully to gain access to
30751-411: The viewer to be familiar with the broadcast series. The movie was filmed in the hiatus between the show's fourth and fifth seasons and re-shoots were conducted during the filming of the show's fifth season. Due to the demands on the actors' schedules, some episodes of the fifth season focused on just one of the two leads. On June 19, 1998, the eponymous The X-Files , also known as The X-Files: Fight
30942-500: The week " episodes that focus on a singular villain, mutant, or monster. The X-Files was inspired by earlier television series featuring elements of suspense, horror, and speculative science fiction, including The Twilight Zone , Night Gallery , Tales from the Darkside , Twin Peaks , and especially Kolchak: The Night Stalker . When creating the main characters, Carter sought to reverse gender stereotypes by making Mulder
31133-543: Was abducted by aliens . Kersh assigned John Doggett to run the manhunt for Mulder. When Mulder returned, Kersh refused to assign him to the X-Files, keeping Doggett in that position. When Mulder and Doggett pursued an unauthorized case, Kersh was prepared to fire them both, but Mulder accepted full responsibility and was dismissed from the FBI. Shortly thereafter, Mulder disappeared again, and Doggett brought in Monica Reyes to help him investigate Kersh's involvement in
31324-492: Was 12. Her abduction drives Mulder throughout most of the series. Because of this, as well as more nebulous desires for vindication and the revelation of truths kept hidden by human authorities, Mulder struggles to maintain objectivity in his investigations. Special Agent Scully is a foil for Mulder in this regard. As a medical doctor and natural skeptic, Scully approaches cases with complete detachment, even when Mulder, despite his considerable training, loses his objectivity. She
31515-464: Was a skeptic who was assigned to The X-Files after Fox Mulder 's forced leave. Spender is the son of the Cigarette Smoking Man (also known as C. G. B. Spender, or CSM) and his ex-wife, multiple abductee Cassandra Spender . Heavily involved in the Syndicate at that time, CSM abandoned the family when Spender was 12 years old. Subsequently, his mother was driven insane by what she claims were multiple alien abductions. Shortly after Samantha Mulder
31706-411: Was a "skeptic", basing her beliefs solely on what science can prove. However, as the series progresses she becomes more open to the possibility of paranormal happenings. After Mulder is abducted by aliens , the eighth season sees the assignment of a new partner to Scully: Special Agent John Doggett . Later in the same season, she leaves the X-files office to teach at the FBI Academy. Scully departs from
31897-445: Was a good script so he auditioned for the lead. Duchovny's audition was "terrific", though he talked rather slowly. While the casting director of the show was very positive toward him, Carter thought that he was not particularly intelligent. He asked Duchovny if he could "please" imagine himself as an FBI agent in "future" episodes. Duchovny, however, turned out to be one of the best-read people that Carter knew. Anderson auditioned for
32088-628: Was a major influence on the show's dark atmosphere and its often surreal blend of drama and irony. Duchovny had appeared as a transgender DEA agent in Twin Peaks and the Mulder character was seen as a parallel to that show's FBI Agent Dale Cooper . The producers and writers cited All the President's Men , Three Days of the Condor , Close Encounters of the Third Kind , Raiders of
32279-517: Was abducted and then returned, Jeffrey and Samantha were raised together by his father in California . Spender met Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully in 1998. That same year CSM began sending him letters, however Spender would return them unopened. After his father set fire to the X-Files in " The End ," Spender and Agent Diana Fowley start working on the X-Files. Spender receives orders from CSM to push for Mulder and Scully to be dismissed from
32470-454: Was announced that The X-Files would return to comic book form with " Season 10 ", now published by IDW . The series, which follows Mulder and Scully after the events of The X-Files: I Want to Believe , was released in June 2013. Joe Harris wrote the series, and Michael Walsh and Jordie Bellaire provided the artwork. It was later announced that Carter himself would be the executive producer for
32661-466: Was asked back to audition for the recurring role slightly puzzled him, until he discovered the reason he had not previously been cast in those roles—Carter had been unable to envision Pileggi as any of those characters, because the actor had been shaving his head. When Pileggi auditioned for Walter Skinner, he had been in a grumpy mood and had allowed his small amount of hair to grow. His attitude fit well with Skinner's character, causing Carter to assume that
32852-581: Was born circa 1953 in Pontiac, Michigan . Prior to joining The Lone Gunmen, he was an acclaimed tango dancer in Miami (under the stage name "El Lobo"). On giving up the tango, he toured the country with hippies before founding Frohike Electronics Corp., specializing in cable intrusion hardware. In 1989 at a consumer electronics show in Baltimore , where his company had a trade stand, he met John Fitzgerald Byers and Richard Langly and they subsequently formed
33043-507: Was born in Marietta, Georgia , on November 5, 1958, and raised there, as well as in Boston, Massachusetts, Dayton, Ohio, Detroit, Michigan, and Bay Village, Ohio. He is the eldest of five children born to Nadine and Robert M. Patrick. Patrick did not start to pursue an acting career until his mid-twenties. During his childhood, he did not like to act. In third grade, Patrick refused to wear
33234-578: Was cancelled after thirteen episodes. The last episode was broadcast in June 2001 and ended on a cliffhanger which was partially resolved in a ninth-season episode of The X-Files titled " Jump the Shark ", included in the DVD release of the series. The X-Files was converted into a comic book series published by Topps Comics during the show's third and fourth seasons. The initial comic books were written solely by Stefan Petrucha . According to Petrucha, there were three types of stories: "those that dealt with
33425-464: Was cast as Deep Throat based on his role in 1993's The Firm . Hardin's performance has been cited as "the spine of the series", and his portrayal of the character has been met with positive reviews from critics. The First Elder is portrayed by Don S. Williams . He was a high-ranking member of the Syndicate . His exact position in the Syndicate was unclear, especially in regard to the Well-Manicured Man , though at times he seemed higher-ranking than
33616-526: Was cast as Doggett in 2000. The X-Files was canceled two seasons later, after Duchovny left the show following season 7, which resulted in low ratings for the show. Patrick made several appearances on many genre magazines, with TV Guide going so far as to label him one of the Ten Sexiest Men of Sci-Fi. In 2000, Patrick appeared in three episodes of The Sopranos (" The Happy Wanderer ", " Bust Out " and " Funhouse ") as David "Davey" Scatino ,
33807-406: Was composed by Mark Snow , who got involved with The X-Files through his friendship with executive producer Goodwin. Initially Carter had no candidates. A little over a dozen people were considered, but Goodwin continued to press for Snow, who auditioned around three times with no sign from the production staff as to whether they wanted him. One day, however, Snow's agent called him, talking about
33998-511: Was confirmed the series would return with series creator Chris Carter and lead actors David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. It premiered on January 24, 2016. A year later, on April 20, 2017, Fox officially announced that The X-Files would be returning for an eleventh season of ten episodes, which premiered on January 3, 2018. In January 2018, Gillian Anderson confirmed that season 11 would be her final season of The X-Files . The following month, Carter stated in an interview that he could see
34189-730: Was directed by Italian filmmaker Gabriel Bologna. In recent years, he has appeared in such television series as Burn Notice , NCIS and True Blood , among others. From 2012 to 2013, he also starred in Last Resort as Chief of the Boat Joseph Prosser. He played a supporting character in Identity Thief (2013). From 2014 to 2016, he starred in Robert Rodriguez 's From Dusk till Dawn: The Series as Jacob Fuller. He also played Agent Cabe Gallo on
34380-457: Was finally listed as a main character). Doggett's presence did not give the series the ratings boost the network executives were hoping for. The eighth-season episode " This is Not Happening " marked the first appearance of Monica Reyes, played by Gish, who became a main character in season nine. Her character was developed and introduced due to Anderson's possible departure at the end of the eighth season. Although Anderson ultimately stayed through
34571-465: Was frowned upon by his parents. In 1989 he met Melvin Frohike and John Fitzgerald Byers at a consumer electronics show in Baltimore , and they subsequently formed a group publishing The Lone Gunman newsletter. Langly wears thick black-rimmed glasses, heavy metal and punk T-shirts (favoring the Ramones in particular) and jeans. He has long blonde hair (which sometimes leads to him being mistaken for
34762-530: Was in the keyboard. And that was it." The second episode, " Deep Throat ", marked Snow's debut as solo composer for an entire episode. The production crew was determined to limit the music in the early episodes. Likewise, the theme song itself first appeared in "Deep Throat". Snow was tasked with composing the score for both The X-Files films. The films marked the first appearance of real orchestral instruments; previous music had been crafted by Snow using digitally sampled instrument sounds. Snow's soundtrack for
34953-478: Was inspired by the historical Deep Throat , FBI Associate Director Mark Felt . Also cited as an influence on the fictional Deep Throat was X, the character portrayed by Donald Sutherland in the 1991 Oliver Stone film JFK . The character was intended to bridge the gap between Mulder and Scully and the shadowy conspirators who were working against them; and was conceived as someone "who works in some level of government that we have no idea exists". Jerry Hardin
35144-415: Was introduced in the first-season episode " E.B.E. " as a way to make Mulder appear more credible. They were originally meant to appear in only that episode, but due to their popularity, they returned in the second-season episode " Blood " and became recurring characters. Cigarette Smoking Man, portrayed by William B. Davis, was initially cast as an extra in the pilot episode. His character, however, grew into
35335-408: Was largely filmed at "Club Ed", a movie ranch located on the outskirts of Lancaster, California . Although the sixth through ninth seasons were filmed in Los Angeles, the series' second movie, The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008), was filmed in Vancouver, According to Spotnitz, the film's script was written for the city and surrounding areas. The 2016 revival was also shot there. The music
35526-449: Was often portrayed to be just as convincing as Mulder's more outlandish ideas. Petrucha was eventually fired and various other authors took up the job. Topps published 41 regular issues of The X-Files from 1995–98. A 30 Days of Night / The X-Files cross-over graphic novel was published by WildStorm in 2010. It follows Mulder and Scully to Alaska as they investigate a series of murders that may be linked to vampires. In 2013, it
35717-412: Was presumed dead until Jeffrey Spender appeared in " William ". It is learned that his attempted murder on his son failed which led him to subject his son to terrible experiments. In this very same episode it is revealed that he's supposedly Mulder's biological father . In the series finale , Mulder and Scully travel through remote New Mexico , and reach a pueblo where a "wise man" reputedly lives. It
35908-521: Was revealed, Follmer shot and killed the mobster who had nevertheless threatened to blackmail him concerning his bribe acceptance. Follmer's future at the FBI was left unresolved, although he would have likely faced criminal charges for his actions. Diana Fowley is an FBI agent played by Mimi Rogers and first appeared in the fifth-season finale " The End ". In keeping with the show's history of ambiguity, Fowley's motivations were never explained, although many viewers assumed her to be deeply associated with
36099-495: Was tired of the comedies he had been working on for Walt Disney Pictures . A report that said 3.7 million Americans believed they may have been abducted by aliens, the Watergate scandal , and the 1970s horror series Kolchak: The Night Stalker all contributed to trigger the idea for The X-Files . He wrote the pilot episode in 1992. Carter's initial pitch for The X-Files was rejected by Fox executives. He fleshed out
36290-468: Was viewed by 29.1 million viewers, the series' highest-rated episode. The fifth season debuted with "Redux I" on November 2, 1997, and was viewed by 27.34 million people, making it the highest-rated non-special broadcast episode of the series. The season ranked as the eleventh-most watched series during the 1997–98 year , with an average of 19.8 million viewers. It was the series' highest-rated season as well as Fox' highest-rated program during
36481-434: Was viewed by an average of 13.6 million viewers; it ranked as the seventh most-watched television series of the 2015–16 year, making it the highest-ranked season of The X-Files to ever air. A few years later, the premiere episode of the eleventh season, "My Struggle III", was watched by 5.15 million viewers. This was a decrease from the previous season's debut; it was also the lowest-rated premiere for any season of
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