Hoping to capitalize on his small-screen popularity and make more movies, David Duchovny ceased
to be a regular on The X-Files after the seventh season. His departure made for some interesting plot twists. The Season 7
finale found Mulder abducted by aliens and Scully pregnant. At the very end of the Season 8 finale, Scully asks Mulder how
this could have happened, and he responds by referring to "the truth we both know" and proceeds to kiss her. It is unclear
as to whether she is referring to her supposed infertility or the possibility that she had not been with a man recently, although
Mulder and Scully's kiss is suggestive that the two of them had been together. Having supposedly been rendered infertile during
her abduction in Season 2, a fact first revealed during "Memento Mori" (4x14) in Season 4, this was indeed a shock to both
Scully and the show's fan base.
Duchovny returned for brief stints in seasons eight and nine. In season eight, Mulder reappeared
as a corpse, was buried for several months (of the story's time frame), and then later revived. With both Duchovny and Anderson's involvement reduced, the
show introduced two new X-Files agents, John Doggett and Monica Reyes (played by Robert Patrick and Annabeth Gish). It was
Chris Carter's belief that the series could continue for another ten years with new leads. This was not to be the case, however,
as Doggett and Reyes did not provide the ratings boost Chris Carter had hoped.
The show completed its ninth and final season with the two-hour episode "The Truth", which
first aired on May 19, 2002. The show ceased production at the end of the ninth season—on a cliffhanger,
though Carter knew that this would be the final episode. Plans for another movie are announced periodically but have yet to
come to fruition. While Carter, Duchovny and Anderson have all expressed their desire for involvement, there is still no script
and no official shooting schedule. It is widely believed that a second X-Files movie would be a standalone adventure, leaving
some question as to how (or if) the mythology-based series finale cliffhanger will be resolved.
As far as the paternity of the child Baby William was concerned, there were scattered hints
that Mulder could be the father. One of the most significant hints came in the Season 9 episode "Trust No 1." In this episode,
a government agent known as the "Shadow Man" who had been spying on Scully tells Scully that:
"I know your blood type, resting heart rate and your childhood fear of clowns. I know the
name of your college boyfriend, your true hair color, your ATM PIN, favorite charity and pet peeves. I know you spend too
much time alone, and I know one lonely night you invited Mulder into your bed. (cut to Scully) I was as surprised as you are."
The fact that Scully doesn't vehemently deny this statement (as would be in her personality
to do so) lends credence to his claim.
In the series finale "The Truth," Mulder also refers to William as "my son" when questioned
by a military officer and "our son" when speaking to Scully.
Over the course of the final few seasons, the show underwent several changes by way of both
character growth and plot direction, in addition to a steady ratings decline. One of the central mythologies of the show,
Mulder's search for his sister, would finally be resolved, as well as a few turns of events involving the ever-deepening bond
between Mulder and Scully and the dynamic between the two characters. Whether they "should" or "shouldn't" consummate their
relationship was the subject of great debate among the fan community for many years, and is still subject to scrutiny, since
even after numerous hints, Carter refuses to confirm whether the two characters ever had sex. Even after the show's cancellation
it retains a fan following. It can be said, however, that The X-Files had two audiences - one composed of early fans, some
of whom lost interest halfway through the series, and a new, enthusiastic fanbase which developed as the show became more
mainstream.
The Lone Gunmen, a trio of nerdish government watchdogs who occasionally assisted Mulder and
Scully, had their own short-lived TV series. Its cancellation left its storyline unresolved, but all the characters from the
series returned in the X-Files episode "Jump the Shark" (9x15) (definition of term "jump the shark"), which served as a final
Lone Gunmen episode. The trio also made a short appearance, as ghosts or memories appearing to Mulder, in The X-Files' final
episode, "The Truth" (9x19 & 9x20).
The number 42 occurs frequently (Mulder lives in Apartment 42, Mulder has seen Plan 9 From Outer Space 42 times, etc.). This is The Answer
to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything in Douglas Adams' novel The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
The season 8 episode "Alone" has artifacts from previous episodes: in Scully's desk drawer
are Queequeg's dog tag (from the episode "Quagmire"), the keychain Mulder gave her (from "Tempus Fugit") and the fused coins
(from "Dreamland"). Also appearing in this episode is the character of Agent Leyla Harrison, named for an actual person. Leyla
Harrison was an X-Files fan and a writer of fanfiction who died in February 2001. Well-known and well-loved among The X-Files
Internet community, writers on the show created the character (a self-professed admirer of Mulder and Scully) to honor her
memory.
When "Requiem" 7x22 (the season 7 finale) completed shooting, the producers were unsure if
they would come back for an eighth season.
Many episodes feature a "mirror shot" usually involving a medicine cabinet. Such a shot shows
a character opening a medicine cabinet with a mirror on the front, taking something out, closing the cabinet, and revealing
something in the mirror. "Deep Throat," 1x01 "Anasazi," 2x25 "Underneath," 9x09 and "Paper Clip" 3x02 are episodes featuring
such a shot.
The Maya calendar predicts that current era of the world will end on December 22, 2012, which is the date revealed for the onset of alien colonization in "The Truth" 9x19.
You can identify episodes directed by Kim Manners; he frames the camera so as to show the
face, but not the top of the head.
On Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, George Huang's FBI badge number is 2317616, as shown
in the SVU episode "Charisma." Scully's badge number is identical, as told in the season 5 episode "Christmas Carol." 5x05
both were revealed while asking that a phone call be traced. In addition, B.D. Wong, who plays George Huang on SVU, had a
guest appearance on The X-Files in the season 3 episode "Hell Money." 3x19
It was David Duchovny who suggested that Skinner play a larger role, hoping that it would
result in some time off for him.
The eerie, yet catchy theme song is by Mark Snow. It was released with other songs from and
inspired by the show on the 1996 soundtrack Songs in the Key of X.
Much of the season 3 finale, "Talitha Cumi" 3x24 was inspired by The Grand Inquisitor, including
the Cigarette Smoking Man's line "Anyone who can appease a man's conscience can take his freedom away from him."
As has become commonplace with dramatic TV series in recent years, actual episode titles were
never displayed on screen. This was one of the first TV series whose fans disseminated information such as episode titles
strictly via the Internet.
From season 2 on, the firearm of choice for most characters is the Sig Sauer P228.
The controversial and violent episode "Home", which featured a story about a family that has
been inbred to almost proto-human levels of development, was kept out of syndication for three years after its initial airing.
The town known as Gibsonton, Florida in the circus freak-centric
episode, "Humbug", is a real town that really is populated with former circus performers.
The season 5 episode "Bad Blood" 5x12 contains a number of clever references and homages
to classic vampire and horror films, one of the most memorable yet subtle being the name of the town in which the episode
takes place. Known as Chaney, Texas, the name is most likely a reference to famous 1940s monster movie actor Lon
Chaney. Whether it is Lon Chaney Sr. or Jr. is unclear, but both father and son were known for their parts in classic monster
movies.
Creator Chris Carter's birthday is October 13, thus the frequent references to the number
1013 on the show and the reason Fox Mulder's birthday is also October 13. It is also the name of Carter's production company,
Ten Thirteen Productions.
The season 4 episode "Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man" 4x07 was inspired by a Superman
comic book story titled "Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography".
Chris Carter eats a lot of sunflower seeds, hence Mulder's appetite for them on the show.
However, David Duchovny hated them.
Scully was named after sportscaster Vin Scully.
Scully's telephone number is 555-3564 and (202) 555-6431 (at home). Mulder's number is 555-0199.
Mulder's address is #42, 2630 Hegal Place, Alexandria,
VA 23242.
The number of Scully's files (stolen by Duane Barry) is 73317.
Mulder has been shot 3 times (once in "Beyond the Sea" 1x12, once in "Anasazi," 2x25 and once
in the film Fight The Future). Scully has been shot only twice (in "Young At Heart" 1x15 and "Tithonus" 6x09). Skinner was
only shot once (in "Piper Maru" 3x15). This is not counting "How The Ghosts Stole Christmas" 6x08, in which Mulder and Scully
were both shot in a hallucination — by each other.
Mulder used his gun 16 times, Scully 13 times.
While Mulder believes in extraterrestrial life, and Scully doesn't (until season 6), the
opposite is true of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson (i.e. Duchovny doesn't believe in EBEs, and Anderson does).
The season 5 episode "Unusual Suspects" 5x01, which tells the origin of the Lone Gunmen, features
a cameo by Detective Munch, from the popular crime dramas Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: Special Victims
Unit.
In the movie Men in Black, Will Smith makes a reference to Alex Trebek and Jeopardy!. Alex
Trebek actually makes a cameo appearance as a Man in Black in the season 3 episode "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" 3x20.
The Fight the Future movie was originally intended to make its network broadcast premiere
on Fox the Sunday after 9/11, but was immediately pulled from the line-up.
In the season 8 episode "Salvage" 8x10, Robert Patrick remarks "You only see metal men in
movies." In the movie Terminator 2, Robert Patrick played a metal man.
In the season 7 episode "Sein Und Zeit" 7x10, one of the characters is watching Harsh Realm
— another series by X-Files creator Chris Carter — on his TV. He remarks, "I don't know what this is but it's
fantastic." In another of Chris Carter's shows, Millennium, you can hear someone watch The X-Files on their TV.
While the show hinted that Skinner had a quiet crush on Scully, in real life, Mitch Pileggi
(Skinner) met his wife Arlene Warren on the set of X-Files, while she was Gillian Anderson's (Scully) stand-in. In later episodes,
she gets some screen time... as Skinner's secretary, Arlene, credited as Arlene Pileggi.
Nicknames for C.G.B. Spender include The Cigarette Smoking Man, CSM, "Our chain-smoking friend",
and Cancerman.
William B. Davis, who plays the CSM, quit smoking in the late 1970s and smoked herbal cigarettes
on the set. He is a spokesperson for the Canadian Cancer Society.
The phrase "The Truth is Out There" is usually shown on screen at the end of the opening credits
sequence. However, over the course of the series, this phrase would occasionally be replaced with something else:
Trust No One - "The Erlenmeyer Flask"
Deny Everything - "Ascension"
'éí 'aaníígÓÓ 'áhoot'é' - "Anasazi" ("The truth is far from here" in Navajo)
Apology is Policy - "731"
Everything Dies - "Herrenvolk" ("Master race" in German)
Deceive Inveigle Obfuscate - "Teliko"
E pur si muove - "Terma" ("And still it moves" in Italian)
Believe the Lie - "Gethsemane"
All Lies Lead to the Truth - "Redux"
Resist or Serve - "The Red and the Black"
The End - "The End"
Die Wahrheit ist irgendwo da draußen - "Triangle" ("The truth is out there somewhere" in German)
In the Big Inning - "The Unnatural"
Amor Fati - "Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati" ("Love of fate" in Latin)
Believe to Understand - "Closure"
Nothing Important Happened Today - "Nothing Important Happened Today II"
erehT tuO si hturT ehT - "4D"
They're Watching - "Trust No One"
Dio t'ama - "Improbable" ("God loves you" in Italian)
