11/3/98

When filming the scene where the ice-age primitive was infected by the black oil, it had to be done in such a way that the computer-generated oil could be added, or married, in post-production. Whenever this is done, the movements of the camera have to be able to be replicated exactly on the computer. Otherwise, the black oil, when added to the scene, would jump all over the place. To keep that under control, a motion-control camera was used to make exact movements. Since the computer needs reference points for the actual actor, and since it was dark and nothing could be seen on camera, the scene was shot at 48 frames per second, with LED lights mounted on the lens of the camera flashing every other frame. The lights reflected off of tracking dots placed on the actor, allowing the computer to accurately represent the primitive so that the black oil could be added perfectly. The frames with the tracking dots visible were taken out, resulting in a smooth and fluid 24-frames-per-second final product.

11/9/98

Chris Carter originally planned a car chase scene for the movie, but it was never filmed because the Fox executives didn't think it was necessary. They thought the movie was good enough without it. Presumably, the lost scene would have come after the hospital scene. Rob Bowman said he missed it and would have liked it to be in the final cut.

11/16/98

Fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation may be familiar with the two-parter called "The Best of Both Worlds," one of the most popular ever, in which Captain Picard is assimilated into the Borg. Who would know that our good friend Cliff Bole directed both parts? Cliff Bole, who directed "Bad Blood" and "Small Potatoes," along with Rob Bowman, have directed their fair share of Trek episodes.

11/23/98

The idea for making a movie of The X-Files started when the show's writers, directors, and producers attended the Museum of Television and Radio in spring 1995. An episode was being shown on the museum's theatrical-sized screen, and the members of the staff all began to realize that the show worked on screen. Once the mythology became established, and 2- and 3-part episodes began appearing, the making of a movie seemed like a challenge for the makers of The X-Files. The rest is history.

11/30/98

How did the word "Blackwood" come about as being the X-Files movie's production codename anyway? Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz wanted a word that would sound as little as something to do with the X-Files as possible, to ensure secrecy. So when Carter suggested "The Black Project," they started making compound words ("black this" and "black that"). Finally, "Blackwood" came up, and it stuck. Many people have gone around searching for a hidden meaning (and there are many possibilities!), but they are all coincidences. The fact is, the meaning of "Blackwood" is as nonexistent as Queequeg.

12/1/98

"TRUST NO ONE, MAHN!"

--1930s-era African ship worker to Mulder in "Triangle"

12/7/98

A long time ago, way before the X-Files movie came out, there were so many rumors around that no one was quite sure what to believe. Such was the case of the advance posters. We all know that 3 exist; there is a cornfield ("Fight"), an icy scene ("Future"), and a barren desert with a swing set ("Fight the Future"). Originally, though, the rumors were that there were going to be 6 advance posters. Six! That's probably more than the new Star Wars prequel will have. It could have been true, it would have been cool, but it never happened. There was supposed to be one word on each, just like on the first two posters, that would interlock after viewing all 6. ("Fighting for the Future Which Sucks"??) Incidentally, the original artwork for the posters didn't feature corn, domes, ice, or swing sets. The preliminary posters actually featured bees, honeycombs, and other similar things. And if anyone has had the privilege to see some of this artwork or any of the preliminary posters never released to the public, PLEASE let me know.

"I'd kiss you if you weren't so damn ugly."

--Scully to Mulder in Morris's body, "Dreamland II"

12/14/98

There are some really cool things in the script that you'd have no idea about from just watching the movie. Some examples are the names given to people who have no name or haven't been introduced yet. Kurtzweil was the Watchful Man before he was introduced; the guy in the hospital watching Mulder is the Man in a Suit. Also, there are three instances in the script where something was supposedly omitted: "50 OMITTED AND 51 OMITTED" on page 51, "144 OMITTED" on page 124, and "159 OMITTED THRU 161" on page 127. And that narrative on the official Web site on the homepage for the Cigarette-Smoking Man? ("The figure we've come to know as an assassin and a model of modern self-interest and amorality....") That's taken directly from the script.

"Paramasturbatory??!"

--Mulder to Maurice, "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas"

12/20/98

The X-Files is in a world of change. This includes names. The Cigarette-Smoking Man was going to be called "CIA Agent" in the pilot. Kurtzweil's original (rumored) name was Farber, which sparked some debate as to whether Mulder's hypnotic regression therapist, Dr. Farber, was going to be in the movie. Krycek has a code name, Arntzen, which he went by in "Terma." Even Samantha and Scully's middle initials have changed around. Not to mention the fact that there have been two different henchmen by the name of Black-Haired Man in the series and movie: The one played by Michael Shamus Wiles was in the movie and "The End," and the one played by Scott Eberlein was introduced and killed in "The Beginning."

"She called you from beyond the grave to tell you that? Sounds like something your partner would say."

--Bill Scully to Dana Scully, "Christmas Carol"

12/29/98

The opening sequence of The X-Files, which debuted in "Deep Throat" (the pilot is the only episode not to have the opening sequence), was made by someone who had no idea that the show would become such a success. There are some cool things hidden in the sequence. For example, the person who made it had his best friend make faces into the camera to create the "howling man" effect. A speeded-up shot of two seeds germinating is the backdrop to the "Paranormal Activity" text. In fact, the wife of the man who made the sequence still has never seen the show before. Still no word on whether the new sequence will be implemented....

"Who are the men who would create a life whose only hope was to die?"

--Scully to Mulder, "Emily"

1/9/99

The actors don't always look as they do on screen. In the spaceship scene in the movie, Gillian Anderson had on a rubber covering for her back while filming the supposedly "naked" scene where Mulder takes Scully out of the cryopod. In "One Son," Mulder and Scully will be "naked" in a decon shower, but David Duchovny had a body double (he was sick) and Anderson had a bikini on. Apparently they're both exhibitionists. Duchovny also usually likes to do his own stunts.

"I see. Okay, Deputy. We're going to put this right into our priority caseload."

--Jeffrey Spender, "Terms of Endearment"

1/20/99

Here's something so cool that I can't believe I didn't hear about it before. According to Coleen on the newsgroup, there was an episode of The X-Files which never aired! "Nessie," as it was called, never finished filming. It was about the Loch Ness Monster, probably too close to "Quagmire." I think that episode was supposed to air in the 4th season.

"I mean...you spend every day with Agent Scully, a beautiful, enchanting woman. And you two never, uh...? ...I...confess I find that shocking. I...I've seen how you two gaze at one another."

--Holman Hardt to Mulder, "The Rain King"

2/1/99

The movie has had interesting tie-ins with the series, some that weren't planned when it was being made. "Patient X"/"The Red and the Black" were added because the need was felt to clarify some points, and to incorporate Krycek and Covarrubias, who didn't have parts in the movie. Most importantly, the episodes had to give the Syndicate possession of a working vaccine. In fact, Bronschweig makes an appearance in these episodes as an introduction to his character. Spender and Fowley were introduced in these episodes, and through events in "The End" and "The Beginning," plotlines were introduced that "wrapped around" the movie, like Gibson Praise. The tie-ins go way back to "Paper Clip" in season 3, where a mat on the ground of an abandoned mine said "Strughold Mining Company." Even in "The End," the Black-Haired Man was introduced, and in that episode, the movie score was used, and is still being used as far as in 6X10.

"My intention is to save lives, Fox, but I can't save his. Good night, Fox. Drive safely."

--Senator Matheson to Mulder, "S.R. 819"

2/10/99

Chris Carter has...shall we say, an interesting taste in music. From '30s swing in "Triangle" to Have a Merry Christmas in "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas" to Cher in "Post-Modern Prometheus," we have seen a huge variety in his tastes, and he likes to put them in episodes. The first album he executive-produced, Songs in the Key of X, featured some songs that were in episodes, such as Unmarked Helicopters by Soul Coughing in "Max," Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in "Ascension," and more. Even Millennium, Carter's other show, found time in its continuing weirdness to devote an entire segment of the season 2 finale to a music video-type montage.

"You looking for work, Agent Spender? 'Cause if you are, I got a whole pile in that middle drawer that I'd love to shove down someone's throat."

--Mulder to Spender, "Two Fathers"

2/28/99

"Two Fathers" and "One Son" tied up many of the mytharcs nicely, but one function they had was to establish the things that Well-Manicured Man said to Mulder in the cut scene of the movie. In "One Son," Cigarette-Smoking Man took the role of telling the facts to Mulder, but he didn't kill himself afterward. The movie's version of the facts was that Samantha was taken to a cloning program so that she would survive, while Mulder was expected to Fight the Future. The episodes' version of the facts tie in nicely with that: The children of the Syndicate would be sacrificed to the aliens' hybridization experiments in return for the alien fetus, and they would be returned unharmed after colonization began.

"You sorry son of a bitch. You don't get it, do you? It's all going to hell. The rebels are going to win. They took it."

--Krycek to Spender, "One Son"

3/8/99

Could Chris Carter become too busy for The X-Files next season? With his new series, Harsh Realm, plus Millennium (if that's not replaced by the former), he already has a busy schedule. But he also has a deal to write two original suspense novels, and he always has the movie sequel to think about. Not to mention numerous award ceremonies and his weekly travels from Vancouver to L.A. where XF is being filmed.

"Just, uh...you're not allowed to have over 16 pounds of pet. That's one of the CC&Rs."

--Big Mike to Mulder, "Arcadia"

3/29/99

There have been some interesting cameos in The X-Files. In "Anasazi" a well-groomed Chris Carter played a member of an FBI review board. Darin Morgan--well, not really a cameo--played the flukeman in "The Host" and went on to become one of the best writers on the show...and also to play Eddie Van Blundht in "Small Potatoes." Even Arlene Pileggi, Mitch Pileggi's wife, plays Skinner's secretary. One of the men who beat up Skinner in "Paper Clip" is stunt coordinator Tony Morelli. He was also Lord Kinbote in "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space.'" Producer Joseph Patrick Finn played the chaplain in "The List." David Grohl of the Foo Fighters and his wife had a famous cameo in "Pusher" as well. I could go on....

"I am home. I'm just feathering the nest."

--Mulder to Scully (in the office), "Alpha"

4/12/99

How did David Duchovny come up with the idea for "The Unnatural" anyway?? While reading about minor-leaguer Joe Bauman, who hit 72 home runs in 1954 playing for the Roswell Rockets, he thought, "What if he was an alien?" Add in the Negro Leagues, the Bounty Hunter, and Dales and you've got a wacked episode.

"Dear Diary: Today my heart lept when Agent Scully suggested spontaneous human combustion."

--Mulder, "Trevor"

4/19/99

Scully has escaped death so many times that some people think that she is actually immortal (myself not included)! There is sound reasoning behind this though. She escaped death in "Tithonus" and "Milagro," among countless other episodes. But the kicker is, in "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" Bruckman the psychic told her that she would never die. This caused fans to think "Tithonus" was continuing that arc. But I think, along with others, that Clyde's "You don't" statement about how she dies was just a polite way of getting out of telling her. In fact, writer Darin Morgan confirmed it. Incidentally, Bruckman's dog at the end of the episode is taken in by Scully when he dies. This is Queequeg, who later dies in "Quagmire."

"...Agent Scully is already in love...."

--Padgett, "Milagro"

4/26/99

Arthur Dales has a brother named Arthur? Not to mention a sister and a goldfish of the same name??? If that part of last Sunday's Duchovny-directed episode seemed a little weak to you, that's because Darren McGavin was unavailable for filming. Only a few lines had to be added, and the flashback scenes didn't have to be changed at all.

"Shut up Mulder, I'm playing baseball."

--Scully to Mulder, "The Unnatural"

5/3/99

"Three of a Kind" brought back more characters than just the Lone Gunmen. Suzanne Modeski from "Unusual Suspects" was there, and so was Morris Fletcher from the "Dreamland" 2-parter! We've seen this kind of sequel before--from "Tooms" to "Kitsunegari" with Eugene Tooms and Robert Modell respectively. More similar to Fletcher's cameo appearance is the Stupendous Yappi from "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" appearing in "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space.'" Same with Queequeg in the former episode appearing in "Quagmire," and ditto with Holly, who was forced to attack Skinner by Modell in "Pusher," appearing in "Redux."

"I just can't decide who lights my fire!"

--Scully, "Three of a Kind"

5/10/99

Several X-Files episode ideas had been around for a long time before actually being made. "D.P.O." was a note on Chris Carter's desk for 2 years before they made it in season 3. And a sequel to "Eve" was supposedly going to be made in season 4 or 5. Harlan Ellison and Stephen King both have scripts they want to turn into shows, and so does Michael Scott. Next season should be full of surprises!

"I just think I've earned the benefit of the doubt."

--Mulder, "Field Trip"

5/17/99

"Biogenesis" went through a long process of changes in its journey from concept to screen. Originally planned at the beginning of the season, it was going to be a 4-parter that would partially take place in Australia and involve the boomerang. Then it was planned as the season finale, with 3 episodes this season and 1 the next (season 7 premiere). Time constraints altered that to 2 each season. Then the story was cut down because David Duchovny needed more time for his episode. 2 this season, 1 the next. By the time it was cut to 1 each season, it was only a 2-parter and the Australia parts had to go, and were replaced with the Ivory Coast. David Duchovny originally helped Chris Carter do the storyline, but it was cut down so much that he doesn't have a story credit in the final version of the episode; he would have if it were a 3-parter. Maybe he will get a credit for the 2nd part, next season. Also Kim Manners was supposed to direct the finale, but Rob Bowman ended up directing "Biogenesis," ending R.W. Goodwin's streak of directing every single finale up to now.

"Listen to me--he's not telling the truth. I'm hearing people. He's spying on us."

--Mulder on Skinner, "Biogenesis"

6/7/99

"I'm thinking murder by telekinesis. I'm thinking maybe a shamanistic death touch. I'm thinking about the Muslim superstition that to photograph someone is to steal their soul...."

--Mulder, "Tithonus"

7/1/99

"Don't sneer at the mysteries of the deep, young lady. The bottom of the ocean is as deep, and dark, as the imagination."

--Arthur Dales to Scully, "Agua Mala"

9/6/99

How often are X-Files episodes aired out of order? This season seems to have the most jumbled start of them all. Season 5 had its own mixed-up airdates, with the "Christmas Carol" and "Emily" 2-parter being 5X05 and 5X07 (!) respectively, and 5X01 being "Unusual Suspects" and not the premiere. This season the premiere is 7X03! The airing order is (by production number): 3-4-1-5-6-2-7-8 so far. One planned airing mix-up was in season 4, for Scully's cancer arc. As you recall, it was revealed in "Leonard Betts," the episode shown after the Super Bowl and still the episode with the highest ratings in the show's history, that Scully had cancer. The next week was "Never Again," the episode where Scully falls for an insane guy. Then came "Memento Mori," the mythology component. After viewing that we figure out why exactly Scully was acting so bizarre in the previous episode--she just found out about her terminal disease. But in fact "Never Again" was filmed before either episode.

"I'm having the best damn day of my life. Any moment I'm about to burst into song--'Zip a dee doo dah.' My, uh, waterbed sprung a leak and shorted out my alarm clock. My cell phone got wet and crapped out on me and the check I wrote my landlord to cover the, uh, damages is going to bounce if I don't deposit my pay. You ever have one of those days, Scully?"

--Mulder, "Monday"

9/20/99

"Irresistible" was a pretty gruesome episode. But Donnie Pfaster was originally written by Chris Carter as a necrophiliac. Fox was not amused. So he appears in the final episode as a graveyard fetishist. Changes were also made to Stephen King's "Chinga," which originally had the doll, Chinga, do its actions through a human-sized doppelganger called Big Chinga. Chris Carter did a rewrite so they both share the writing credit.

"These spacelings, Agent Mulder...they weren't something I saw in Men in Black?"
(pause)
"I didn't see Men in Black."
(to self) "...Damn good movie."

--Assistant Director #2 and Mulder, "The Beginning"

10/5/99

"The End" was originally going to be a 2-parter, tentatively titled "Zhigansk" and "Okhotsk," after two Russian towns. They were scaled down because of time running out and the production of the movie. Season 5 would have been 21 episodes long. Conversely, "Nisei"/"731" was planned as 1 episode but had to be stretched into two episodes in order for everything with the train, etc. to be fit in. "Patient X"/"The Red and the Black" was added in, not last minute, but not really planned, once the Powers That Be realized there had to be more setup for the movie. And the "Biogenesis" 3-parter went in the planning stages from a 4-parter to a 3-parter to a 2-parter back to a 3-parter. Whew!

10/25/99

While filming "Grotesque," director Kim Manners wanted more blood on the razor, the "gargoyle"'s murderous weapon. Props informed him that a severed throat would not produce much blood, so having more blood would not reflect reality. Kim, rather stunned by the response, looked up and said, "A gargoyle killing people isn't reality either, so give me some more damned blood." (Thanks Dennis X!)

Scully: "Mulder, this is a needle in a haystack. These poor souls have been dead for 50 years. Let them rest in peace. Let sleeping dogs lie."
Mulder: "Now, I won't sit idly by as you hurl cliches at me. Preparation is the father of inspiration."
Scully: "Necessity is the mother of invention."
Mulder: "The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom."
Scully: (taking a bite) "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we may die."
Mulder: (grabbing from Scully) "I scream, you scream, we all scream for nonfat tofutti rice dreamsicles."

--Scully and Mulder, "The Unnatural"

11/1/99

More than one person was upset when word got out that Frohike was going to be killed at the conclusion of "Musings of a Cigarette-Smoking Man" (4X07). Tom Braidwood would still have had his job as First Assistant Director, but the glamour of being on screen would be gone. Not surprisingly, many crew members had strong feelings about this turn of events, since the production draft of the script, written by Glen Morgan and directed by James Wong, clearly described Frohike's death at the hands of CSM. Now comes the exciting part: they shot it both ways, presumably without Chris Carter's blessing! The following morning, Carter found out what had transpired and was angry because he'd already decided not to kill off Frohike. He told production to call the film processing lab and instruct them not to print the dailies showing Frohike's death. Chris wanted to make sure no one viewed that footage! (Thanks DeX!)

"This is our home, and that's the way it's gonna stay."

--Mrs. Peacock, "Home"

11/8/99

As the "Biogenesis" trilogy saga continues.... The storyline for the 2nd and 3rd parts were changed many times, just like that of the 1st part. Originally a med student was going to help Scully find out what's happening to Mulder. He eventually falls for her, but he's working for the Syndicate and gets killed for his betrayal. The med student was changed to Kritschgau, who comes into the picture when Mulder gives Skinner the tip that Kritschgau would know what to do with him--give him the right medicine and neurological tests.

"I came in search of something I did not think existed. I've stayed on now in spite of myself, in spite of everything I've held to be true. I will continue here as long as I can, as long as you're beset with the haunting illness I saw consume your beautiful mind."

--Scully in Voiceover, "The Sixth Extinction"

11/22/99

Legend has it that Shibes' script for "Teso Dos Bichos" went through so many revisions, each on a different colored paper, that it made it to the salmon-colored paper twice! (Thanks DeX!)

"This is like good cop, insane cop!"

--Rob Roberts on Scully and Mulder, "Hungry"

11/29/99

The writing staff created the wholly fictitious "Jose Chung," an aspiring writer who kept phoning the office (John Shiban did the honors) inquiring about an unsolicited script he'd submitted. Chung was repeatedly dismissed, prompting more than a little surprise and confusion from the recipient of those calls when the name suddenly turned up on Darin Morgan's script. And Detective Manners, of the blankety-bleeps is named for X-Files producer/director Kim Manners--who was once an actor and at one point was even going to play the detective himself, but sadly he proved too exhausted from his prior directing assignment to do so...he had agreed to do it, but for the good of the show his first loyalty is to directing and not acting. (Thanks DeX!)

"Nobody likes a math geek, Scully."

--Mulder, "Millennium"

12/6/99

For "Musings of a Cigarette-Smoking Man," they shot a scene where CSM comes home and finds a lighter under his Christmas tree. He kneels down, takes the lighter, looks at it and reads the words "TRUST NO ONE" written on one side. In the 1st draft of the script, Glen Morgan wanted the lighter to be a Christmas gift from "Ratboy" Alex Krycek! Another changed episode was "Memento Mori." The 1st draft of the script was written all alone by John Gilnitz (John Shiban, Vince Gilligan, Frank Spotnitz). Then CC changed most of it, and after shooting the episode, it was 10 minutes too long; Pat Skipper's appearance as Bill Scully, Jr. had to be cut. Finally, in "Terma" they shot a scene with our favorite Well-Manicured and Smoking Men. In the scene, WMM suggested they "expose the whole Senator Sorenson agency" but CSM was, of course, against that. (Thanks elwood blues!)

"You were cruisin', right? I mean, in a small town like this, you're not exactly livin' la vida loca."

--Mulder to Tony, "Rush"

12/20/99

There have been a number of episodes with altered end credits, i.e. "Executive Producer Chris Carter." The first was in the third season, "D.P.O." At the end while Oswald is switching TV channels using his power, the credit appears on the TV at a kind of 3-D angle. In "The Post-Modern Prometheus," a monster's hand turning a page in a book reveals the credit in old storybook type, after Mulder and Scully turn into a drawing, like from a comic book. And in "Triangle," the end credits slide in from the left instead of scrolling, to fit in with the style of the episode and the widescreen format. An altered end credit to a lesser degree was in "Hungry," when the final image of Mulder from Roberts' point of view fades out as if his eyes are closing for the final time, when the normal credit rolls in. In two instances, "Gethsemane" and "The End," the "To Be Continued" text was omitted to make for an even scarier cliffhanger. Throughout the seasons, the specific size and width of the letters have changed repeatedly, and in season 6 the text didn't even roll in. As of the season 7 premiere, the standard for this season is a larger-size font rolling in.

"Senator Sorenson is an honorable man. They're all honorable, these honorable men."

--Well-Manicured Man to Cigarette-Smoking Man, "Terma" (Thanks Alex Maidy!)

1/10/2000

There have been a handful of sequels to episodes in The X-Files' history. The first was Glen Morgan and James Wong's sequel to their own "Squeeze," "Tooms." Both were in season 1. In fact, "Tooms" marked the first appearance of Skinner and the first onscreen words of CSM. Another season 1 episode had a sequel, that is, a 2-part sequel. Season 4's "Tempus Fugit"/"Max" brought Max Fenig back from "Fallen Angel," after which he was promptly killed. The episodes brought Max into the mythology established after season 1. Then came season 5's sequel to season 3's "Pusher," "Kitsunegari." Vince Gilligan wrote the original and co-wrote the sequel (originally meant to be about another man blamed for crimes he didn't commit) with season 5 script editor Tim Minear. Season 6 had a sequel to Gilligan's season 5 hit "Unusual Suspects," "Three of a Kind," which he co-wrote with John Shiban. (Morris Fletcher from the "Dreamland" 2-parter also made an appearance in the episode.) The most recent sequel was season 7's "Orison," which continued season 2's "Irresistible," written by Chris Carter. The sequel was written by Millennium's Chip Johannessen and may mark XF veteran director Rob Bowman's last episode. "Orison" was originally meant to be a story just about the priest and how he freed inmates, but the story was expanded to include Donnie Pfaster, who abducted Scully. Episodes rumored to have sequels this season (or next season if there is one) are season 2's "Humbug," season 1's "Eve" (meant to be continued in season 5), and even "Tooms."

"Go back to hell!"

--Scully to Donnie Pfaster, "Orison"

1/24/2000

The last we heard, it would be impossible for Mulder to ever see Samantha again. In "One Son" we learned about the Syndicate's deal to give up their children in return for the alien fetus that would give them the DNA needed for an alien-human hybrid. Their children would undergo experiments by the aliens themselves with hybridization. That's why we've seen clones of Samantha (actually experimental hybrids) helping in the preparations for colonization, both as a child and Mulder's age. But the rebels took or killed the fetus, so now the Syndicate will never be able to give it back to the aliens and see their family members again...unless there is another way. Stay tuned for "Sein Und Zeit" and "Closure"!

Scully: "Snake-handling...didn't learn that in catechism class."
Mulder: "That's funny. I knew a couple Catholic schoolgirls who were expert at it."

--"Signs and Wonders"

2/7/2000

Mulder on TV: "We will intensify our search for Amber Lynn and will remain hopeful of her eventual safe return."
Skinner: "Intensify our search where? The twilight zone?"

--"Sein Und Zeit"

2/21/2000

"X-Cops" went to the extreme to make sure that no one would mistake it for the real Cops, the same kind of paranoia that put the "X" logo on the news broadcast in the teaser of "Drive" so that it wouldn't be mistaken for the real thing. "The X-Files" was shown above an extra-bold Fox logo in the lower-right corner of the picture, and before the episode started, the normal Cops parental discretion message was altered to serve as a notice that it's actually an X-Files episode. And the Cops flashing lights in between segments had the X-Files logo in the background. BTW, Mark Snow did the arrangement of the Cops theme song, and that is the only music in the entire episode.

Scully: "Mulder, this could ruin your career."
Mulder: "What career?"

--"X-Cops"

2/28/2000

"First Person Shooter" marked the first appearance of the Lone Gunmen in season 7. Some may have noticed Langly's Ozomatli shirt (great band). He wore the same shirt in "Three of a Kind," the Gunmen's last appearance before FPS (in real life--their "Field Trip" appearance was in a mushroom-induced dream). One advantage of being on the show for 7 years, notes Dean Haglund, is that now he gets to choose the bands that go on the shirts Langly wears. Evidently he likes Ozomatli. Other bands that Haglund has shown his fondness for on the show are the Ramones and Korn.

"Bring it on."

--Mulder, "First Person Shooter"

3/13/2000

William B. Davis pitched to Chris Carter how he thought CSM survived his gunshot wound: Lying on the ground after being shot, CSM is about to die, when...Skinner appears. CSM cuts a deal with Skinner: If he saves his life, CSM will cure Scully's cancer. Of course she got the chip, but it might have needed a special password to work or something...or Davis knew that CSM would be lying. Apparently CC liked the idea, having not really thought over how to resurrect CSM in time for the movie just yet.

"You do keep me guessing."

--Mulder, "Theef"

4/24/2000

David Duchovny likes (or liked) to jokingly remind Chris Carter of one of their first meetings. Duchovny recalls talking very slowly for a reason he can't remember, and since he was doing it, Carter started talking slowly as well. It's hard to imagine these two people in the same room at all these days, let alone talking slowly for no reason at all!

"You can't blow a whistle with a mouth like that."

--Mulder, "Brand X"

5/8/2000

In the episode "Demons," Mulder has vivid flashbacks of his childhood and Samantha because of an aggressive regression treatment he underwent a few days before. Originally, his flashbacks were going to come from epileptic seizures. The writer, executive producer R.W. Goodwin, wanted Mulder to have suffered from epilepsy during his childhood, but Chris Carter nixed the idea.

"What's so special about you??!"

--Betty and LuLu's father to Scully, "Fight Club"

5/22/2000

Can you believe that Chris Carter has had the whole pregnancy and abduction storyline cooking in his head since the beginning of this season or earlier? The two premiere episodes were necessary to "Requiem" and set up both the pregnancy and abduction. Looking back at quotes from CC, it's interesting to see how much he was giving away. When asked if the series would end with a bang (season 7 was thought to be the last season at the time), Carter said, "Depending on your definition of that word, yes, definitely." He also said that Mulder and Scully would do something they've never done before. How about spooning? Frank Spotnitz also said that the remaining season 7 mythology episodes would be direct results of the premiere episodes, obviously referring to "Requiem." Incidentally, CC denies that two endings were shot, and says that the explanation for Krycek's selling "something" of CSM's was actually cut due to time restraints. Another cut is a line from Scully saying that she's not a complete disbeliever. The pregnancy ending was never published and was only revealed to the crew on the night it was shot.

"I reduced his vision a little bit."

--Mulder about the auditor, "Requiem"

6/25/2000

David Duchovny put some of his ideas into "Anasazi" (story by David Duchovny and Chris Carter; teleplay by Chris Carter). One of those that made it into the episode was the word "merchandise," referring to the failed hybrids. Duchovny got the idea after watching a movie showing that the SS officers responsible for the Holocaust used the word for the captured Jews in their documents. Another idea that later showed up in "Paper Clip" was that Mulder was the original choice to be abducted, not Samantha. (Thanks Elwood!)

"There are more worlds than the one you can hold in your hand."

--Albert Hosteen, "The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati"

7/8/2000

The original Mulder abduction scene as written in the "Requiem" script didn't have the group of abductees together under the light. The first version of the scene had Mulder under the hovering ship, shining around his flashlight. A light shines, and out walks the Bounty Hunter down a ramp to take Mulder on board. Inside, we can see the other abductees.

7/15/2000

For the episode "Pusher," director Rob Bowman used a mirror to create the effect of the "Cerulean" truck crashing into the police car. At the shoot, the truck drove parallel to the car. A mirror was placed beside the car and in front of the truck at a 45-degree angle so that when the camera panned away from the police car to where the truck was supposed to crash into the side of the car, the truck appeared to come straight at the camera. In reality, the truck was going at a 90-degree angle to its apparent course, parallel to the car. Vince Gilligan used this same technique for "Je Souhaite," when the truck hits the invisible man. If you look closely at the frames showing the front grille of the truck, it is actually a mirror image.

"That's entertainment!"

--Mulder, "First Person Shooter"

8/29/2000

Several actors have appeared in The X-Files, Millennium, AND Harsh Realm. The most obvious is Terry O'Quinn, who was in the XF episode "Aubrey" (and the movie as another character) and a regular bad guy on both MM and HR. Lance Henriksen has also been in all three series, in MM as the main character Frank Black (and in the XF episode "Millennium" as Frank also), and in the HR pilot as a military officer (a cameo). Sarah-Jane Redmond also was in the XF episode "Schizogeny," MM, and played the recurring HR character Inga Fossa. To be continued....

"...Somebody has stolen the past from them. Nine minutes of it. Nine minutes that became a lifetime for those passengers, and now for their families. Someone has got to figure out what happened in those nine minutes. Somehow, we've got to get them back."

--Mulder, "Tempus Fugit"

9/5/2000

...Continued from last week: There are even more actors who have been in all three of Chris Carter's shows so far. Kate Luyben played May in HR and was in "Kill Switch" and the MM pilot. Glenn Morshower was in "All Souls," the HR episode "Inga Fossa," and the MM eps "The Fourth Horseman"/"The Time is Now." John Pyper-Ferguson was also in all three: "Leviathan" on HR, "F. Emasculata" & "Christmas Carol"/"Emily," and on MM, "The Wild and the Innocent" & "Anamnesis." To be continued.... (Thanks elwood blues!)

"I think that you appreciate that there are extraordinary men and women and extraordinary moments when history leaps forward on the backs of these individuals...that what can be imagined can be achieved...that you must dare to dream...but that there's no substitute for perseverance and hard work...and teamwork...because no one gets there alone...."

--Scully, "Max"

9/19/2000

...Continued from last week: Three more actors who have been in TXF, MM, and HR. Michael David Simms is the first, who played a character called "Senior Agent" in both XF and MM! Marcus Hondro was in "El Mundo Gira." The final triple player, C. Ernst Harth, was a Zip Fighter/Wrangler in "Inga Fossa" and was also in "The Post-Modern Prometheus." (Thanks elwood blues!)

"Someone is always paying attention, Mr. Mulder."

--Max, "Fallen Angel"

9/26/2000

The opening sequence hasn't been the same for every episode. The pilot didn't have it at all; it only showed the scrolling "The X-Files," that we all know from the opening sequence, before the teaser with music from the episode. The end credits had music from the pilot too--this was before the theme was done. "Deep Throat" was the first ep with the opening sequence and theme music. There's more--starting with "Paper Clip," a shortened sequence was used for episodes with longer teasers or running times (thanks Lee Israel & Mulder_Fan001!). About half of the episodes since then use it. Also, the opening sequence of some episodes (some around season 3?, others in season 6, possibly more) had music that sounded slightly different--the notes were harder and less eerie. For season 6, a new sequence was apparently made with scenes from the movie and newer episodes--this was never used. Now, for season 8, either Robert Patrick's name plus Doggett's badge will be added to the existing sequence, or we'll get a new one entirely because Patrick's contract calls for third billing in the credits. Who knows...the old sequence might even be kept for 8X01. Of course, the tagline at the end of the opening credits changes every once in a while since "The Erlenmeyer Flask" (Trust No One).

"Not everything dies, Mr. Mulder."

--Marita Covarrubias, "Herrenvolk"

10/23/2000

According to the official magazine, although Agent Pendrell's first name was never revealed and Scully never found out what it was before his death in "Max," he originally had one. Apparently it was Danny--the same name as the FBI agent Mulder frequently calls for help but who we thought we had never seen before. Could this unknown helper and Pendrell be the same person?

"As you do to me and to Mulder, you do to all mankind."

--Cigarette-Smoking Man to Krycek, "Requiem"

11/20/2000

Perhaps this one would be best formatted as a question/answer.
Q: What episode is the only one to have the writers' opening credits feature nicknames?




A: Season 2's "Die Hand Die Verletzt," written by James "Chargers" Wong and Glen "Bolts, Baby!" Morgan who were...outspoken about their favorite football team. The episode aired the day before the Chargers played the 49ers...and lost. The nicknames appeared on the writers' co-executive producer credits, not the actual writing credits, and 1013 probably allowed a little leeway since it was their last episode before leaving the show (that is, until season 4).

"Nice to meet you, Agent Doggett."

--Scully before giving Doggett a shower, "Within"

12/18/2000

Three songs by Moby have appeared in episodes of 1013 shows. As a part of the publicity campaign for the album Play, Moby songs were put into all sorts of TV shows and movies. TXF and HR are not exceptions. First, Moby's song "Run On" appeared in HR's "Leviathan" teaser, then most notably "My Weakness" (chosen by Chris Carter) helped make "Closure" as poignant as it is. Finally, Gillian Anderson chose "The Sky is Falling" for "all things." Moby is actually related to Herman Melville.

"I don't like pointing guns at pregnant women any more than I like them pointing guns at me."

--Skinner, "Without"

1/8/2001

"Surekill" was originally going to revolve around a woman who believes her life was saved by a guardian angel, which turns out to be a man with x-ray vision. Frank Spotnitz mentioned this storyline before the writers evidently decided instead to go with two exterminator brothers.

"I'm not sure...if I'm awake...."

--Doggett, "Via Negativa"