INTRODUCTIONS: The Fictional Adventures of Moose & Squirrel (Charnette Soto)

Charnette Soto introduces us to her own love of The X-Files...

“I think that because you enjoy Law & Order, you’ll probably really like The X-Files.” – A Friend

I remember it was pretty late at night, and I was considering starting a new series on Netflix. I had been through Twin Peaks, and had finished Law & Order: SVU for the 4^th time. I was bored, and I wanted to see something else. But what was there to watch?

A couple of days prior, a person had left that suggestion in my inbox, and I stared at it for a while, trying to decide if they were serious. The X-Files? That low budget show from the 90’s about aliens? Why would I like/care about that?

Fast forward to now… I've been a fan for about 4 years, more or less. It wasn’t just that urging from a friend, however, it was much more than that. My life always had the show as a dull hum in the background of my childhood. When I was younger, my older sister was a big fan of the show, and had me on her lap as she watched it. I didn't really understand it but I watched it anyways, confusing Mulder and Scully, and wincing when appropriate. I remember catching the show on occasionally as the years went by--it had become a part of our pop culture so I grew up seeing the tag lines and the very basic story. When I was a little older, I remember seeing some of the episodes on the air and being terrified.

When I went on to college, I remember I saw I Want to Believe at a screening at my school. I was pretty drunk and I didn't really understand it, but I told myself that there was a reason why so many people liked it; there had to be a reason why it was so ingrained in American 90’s culture. It wasn't until I got that message in my inbox that I ended up finding out that the X-Files was streaming on Netflix. I’ll be honest, I was skeptical at first. I watched the pilot, and quite about 10 minutes in, just after Scully’s arrival into Mulder’s office. I had to start the episode over a couple of times, never making it very far. When I finally did finish it, I was hooked and I dove headfirst in and just devoured the show.

Once I was done with the show, I wanted to find people to connect and talk to. I remember when I first started using the computer in 1995 or so, there was a dedicated chat on AOL for a long time. There were newsgroups, forums, boards, web groups—just so much to take in! Most of those places were devoid of activity for years, but I did find and make friends on newer platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. It was good to have people to talk to about it… but there was always a tinge of sadness knowing we wouldn’t really get more episodes.

Until the revival, that is. And boy was that exciting! My timing as a fan could not have worked out to be better. I have met Mitch Pileggi, David Duchovny, William B. Davis, and Gillian Anderson. I’ve been to conventions, shows, met and made new friends along the way and have been traveling to keep up with everything going on. I think that part of the appeal is that it touches on a universal feeling that as humans, we can all understand: fear. The show connects people of different worlds, quite literally, and because of it, I can say I’ve made and met friends in many other countries. I’ve learned so much and I thank the X-Files for bringing that into my life.

So, in an effort to pay it forward, I would like to share my own take on what the series means to me and hopefully share something new that maybe you didn't know. I’m an avid gamer, and a lot of the topics I’ll be touching will have to do with technology. But I’m also a storyteller. I enjoy hearing stories that are lost or forgotten and sharing them. I hope that I am able to do exactly that.

The X-Files isn't just "that show about aliens", it's very much its own sort of community, even today paving the way for the industry. I look forward to writing here, and sharing my experiences, as well as hearing everyone else, and I hope that I can introduce the series to you with a different perspective that you’re probably used to.

Things I enjoy: Watching Rocky & Bullwinkle, using computers, learning about crime, writing fanfiction, and playing videogames.

Charnette will be a regular contributor to the blog. You can find her on Twitter @giantkiller130.

INTRODUCTIONS: The Truth is in Here (Paige Schector)

Paige Schector invites us to explore the truth as she introduces her X-Files fandom...

 

The X-Files fit right into my proverbial wheelhouse. Growing up, my favorite film was Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I would watch it over and over ago, just totally bemused by the idea of aliens coming to this  planet and being friendly. I would sketch Devils Tower all over my school notebooks and pads. In fact, I still kind of do that today.

So a series about the paranormal? Let's just say I was all in from the get-go.

I loved the fact that not all the episodes were about the conspiracy, the mythology. A lot of my favorite episodes were stand alones (a.k.a. monster-of-the-week) stories. The first season had some truly dazzling works of art. We got an inkling of the acting powerhouse Gillian Anderson would become in "Beyond the Sea" and then saw a blueprint for Mulder and Scully simultaneously being on each others' side while still retaining their own sensibilities in "Ice."

Back in the day, you were a shipper or a no-romo. I was kind of neither. I didn't mind the idea of Mulder and Scully getting together, nor did I think it was necessary to advance the plot or hold my interest. What I gravitated to were stories reminiscent of The Twilight Zone and just the bond Scully and Mulder had -- that was what seemed so unique and fresh to me. To kiss or not to kiss, that wasn't my question.

And then the second season brought my favorite character, Alex Krycek, onto the canvas. I'm not sure I knew of Ratboy's effect on me until I met Nick Lea at the 1998 X-Files Expo in Florida. It didn't matter that Krycek's motivations would seemingly change from story arc to arc, I just loved how he was giving it everything he got. He was fun ... and easy on the eyes as well.

Third season brought my favorite TV writer to the forefront. Darin Morgan dazzled late in Season 2 with "Humbug," but he really hit his stride with the trifecta of "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose," "War of the Coprophages" and "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space." I call the latter my favorite hour of television ever -- except when I'm watching the Millennium-istic  sequel "Jose Chung's Doomsday Defense."

By this time, I was totally obsessed with the show. I was buying memorabilia on eBay and participating actively in chat rooms and message boards. Anyone else remember "keepers?" I was keeper of Krycek's jeans and Mulder's leather jacket. I went to the aforementioned Expo and saw 'Fight the Future' a handful of times in the theater.

Along the way, I was not only becoming a diehard fan of the likes of David, Gillian, Nick, Mitch Pileggi, Bill Davis, etc., but I was also starting to appreciate certain styles. I loved late great director Kim Manners' approach before seeing in gag reels and interviews that he seemed like a real cool guy. Vince Gilligan's quirky scripts quickly became favorites as well.

One of my treasured memories revolves around the Season 6 episode "S.R. 819." I remember where I was and what I was doing. In the years before text messaging and Twitter, my friend and I were on the phone every commercial break. "It's Krycek! It's Krycek!" ... "I know! I know!" Television viewing ain't like that any more.

I didn't stop watching because David Duchovny left the show -- I actually thought Robert Patrick did a fine job as a different type of character. It was when they took Krycek out at the end of Season 9 that I lost my taste for it. (Although I still believe he can and should be brought back as a Super Soldier.) I did, of course, watch the Season 9 finale. Ghost Krycek helps Mulder? Well, he never was predictable.

Since then, I've gone back and now I really treasure Season 9. It has some of my favorite episodes of the series run -- specifically "John Doe," "4-D"  and "Audrey Pauley." I valued The X-Files as a concept beyond Mulder and Scully ... although I don't believe trying to reboot their relationship with Agents Einstein and Miller from Season 10 is the way to do that.

The X-Files remained important to me after it went off the air. For the past five years or so, I've attended pop-culture conventions with my sister and started getting people from the show to sign my copy of The Complete X-Files. I call it my X-Files yearbook project. So far I've gotten David, Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz, Darin and Glen Morgan, Robert, Nick, Mitch, Bill, Jerry Hardin, Martin Landau, Brad Dourif, Veronica Cartwright and James Remar. Before the "project" started, I also met and talked X-Files with Gillian, Robert Patrick and Tom Noonan -- so obviously I hope to see them again (and others like The Lone Gunmen).

Nowadays, we keep tabs on Gillian and David at Facebook and Twitter. We all experienced Season 10 together and we can see X-Files panels that took place at different conventions on YouTube soon after. And message boards have given way to fabulous Facebook groups and blogs like that of X-Cast.

Most recently, I started writing a rewatch blog with my sister. Starting with the pilot, we do an episode a week. I serve as the resident "expert," she's the "amateur," and we have a lot of fun bonding over my favorite show. And now I'm very excited about adding X-Cast to my proverbial list of credits.

Paige is a sports editor by trade and an X-Files blogger on the side. Her favorite episode is Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space,' her favorite season is Season 3 and her favorite character is Alex Krycek.

INTRODUCTIONS: A Mind Shaped by X (Kelechi Ehenulo)

Kelechi Ehenulo invites us to explore a mind shaped by X...

Sometimes I try to imagine what my life would be like without The X-Files. But then I hopelessly give up as I realise how integral the show has been.

My X-Files journey started back in the early 90s. I was eight years old and it was by pure accident on how I discovered it. I was channel surfing, looking for something to watch – anything to delay going to bed early and thinking about Monday morning and school. Back in the day, we didn’t have the luxury we have today with a carousel of never-ending channels at a touch of a button. Nor did we have Netflix. If you didn’t have Sky, most of the UK population had to settle with four standard channels. Yes, you read correctly – four channels! On this particular day at this particular moment, I settled on BBC 2.

My first impressions were instant. I remembered being completely fascinated. The haunting music, the compelling story and the whole aura of conspiracy and paranoia drew me in. The one chilling and defining moment that I always remember is the scene where the Cigarette Smoking Man is walking down a corridor. The camera pulls back, slowly revealing that the secret room was within the Pentagon. It was a moment reminiscent of the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

So what made me like this show? It was the idea of powerful people and secrets hidden away from public knowledge. It was the idea of control. Whilst the pilot episode was primarily told from Mulder and Scully’s perspective, a beautiful balance of a believer vs. a skeptic, this one scene showed what they were really up against, laying the groundwork for an epic journey into the unknown.

It was fun growing up in the 90s when The X-Files was around. So mesmerized by the impact, I would run home from school, just to get homework done early so I could focus all my attention on the new episode. Back in the day, there was no BBC iPlayer. You had to be in front of your TV screen otherwise if you missed it, that was it. No repeats, no do-overs. Soon enough I began recording episodes onto VHS tapes. When the DVD collections came around, I collected them too. Slowly but surely, The X-Files started to take over pop culture.  I would walk into a local shop and see X-Files magazines or something sci-fi related dominating the news stand.

I would read books about aliens and the paranormal, just so I could keep up with all the theories mentioned on the show! I would chat about Mulder and Scully's investigations with friends at school as the school playgrounds became infested with alien eggs (and the conspiracy that they could become pregnant and give birth if you put it in the freezer) and Tamagotchi's - both were confiscated if teachers caught you with it!  Soon enough, the appeal of The X-Files spread to the furthest depths of TV to the point where you couldn't escape it.  You either saw shows inspired by The X-Files or shows taking an investigative look into the paranormal and science, just like Future Fantastic which aired on BBC 1 and was hosted by Gillian Anderson!

Over the years I've collected my fair share of memorabilia.  My bedroom wall used to be covered in X-Files posters (although I did have a space reserved for Will Smith).  I also possess a Mulder key ring, a Krycek bookmark, both soundtracks from the first movie, comic books and novels.  Now I may have grown up and lifestyles may change, but if there's one poster that proudly hangs on my wall - the I Want to Believe poster.  It's amazing how four simple words can define a character and the show itself by becoming a reminder of never giving up and always keeping the faith.

But my love of the show went to deeper levels. The X-Files helped shaped and defined my love of sci-fi. It brought out the inner geek in me, opening the gate of seeing the world in a different way. I grew up watching shows like Star Trek and Doctor Who, galactic space adventures that captured my imagination of distant futures. Yet The X-Files took the opposite approach, grounding itself in reality by making the paranormal and the weird closer to home. Episodes were deliberately left open, allowing the audience to go beyond the series and debate the consequences. That concept and certainly some of the episodes kept me up most nights. I was scared beyond my wits because I never encountered something like this.

Yet despite that, I kept coming back. Whether it was the mythology or a Monster of the Week, the mystery and Mulder and Scully’s investigations constantly intrigued me.  Whilst nothing lasts forever and the show had its fair share of ups and downs, from the first episode right through to the end of its original run and the two films that followed, I remained a faithful and loyal viewer.

Right now it’s an exciting time to be a fan again. With news about Season 11, it will be interesting to see where Mulder and Scully's journey will go. I'm also excited being part of the X-Cast blog because it’s not every day you get to talk about something you love with a passion!

Favourite season: Season 5

Favourite character: Mulder and Scully – just love them both, it’s hard to choose between them.

Kelechi will be a regular contributor to the blog. You can follow her on Twitter @geekminduk.

INTRODUCTIONS: 20 Years of The X-Files (Baz Greenland)

I’ve been a fan of The X Files since near the beginning; I was vaguely aware of the show during its first season on BBC2 back in the mid-nineties and started watching the show a couple of episodes into season two. It was after 'The Host' (I would definitely have remembered the Flukeman) but before Scully’s abduction. I watched her kidnapping at the hands of Duane Barry with keen interest and was mesmerised by her dramatic return a couple of episodes later. By the time Mulder and Scully were back investigating the X Files, I was hooked and stuck with the show for many, many years after.

Before the full series release of each season on VHS, came the multi-episode stories, starting with The Unopened File, the epic three-episode story beginning with the season two finale 'Anasazi' and continuing with season three openers 'The Blessing Way' and 'Paper Clip', adapted into one feature-length TV movie.

I watched it with awe and continued to buy every subsequent video release; the second video combined the Eugene Victor Tooms episodes of season one, giving me my first glimpse of the ultimate monster of the week. I continued to buy the videos right up to the end of season five and the release of the first movie The X Files: Fight The Future. I remember the thrill of seeing it at the cinema. It might not have met expectations (I don’t think it ever could), but it was still a rewarding experience. The 90s were a great time to be fan of The X Files.

Around season seven I began to drift away (like many fans of The X Files), as the show began to feel a little tired; season six might be one of the best but there was such a drop in quality in the final full series to feature Mulder and Scully that I no longer felt inclined to watch each episode. Then came university and The X Files became a show I used to watch. A couple of years later I caught the season nine finale 'The Truth' and remarked at how different the show had become.

But I always considered myself a fan and collected each season VHS boxset (when VHS was still a thing), working my way through every episode. Much of season seven through nine was new to me and I appreciated that the show was still as good years later, even if it didn’t quite nail the classic status of early seasons. Of course VHS died and steadily I began to replace each season on DVD. I always intended to watch them but they sat there on the shelf gathering dust, a memento of the show I loved. When the new ‘event series’ was announced, I was over the moon. The X Files still had some unanswered questions and I was eager to see what Mulder and Scully would be like in today’s golden age of television.

In July 2015, I set about the mammoth task of re-watching The X Files in preparation for the revival, putting those DVD box sets to good use. With a day job and a family, I was never going to be able to get through 202 episodes and two movies, so I went for the simpler approach; watching all the key mythology episodes and classic stories from each year – about 15 episodes a season. 

As a writer and TV editor for The Digital Fix, this was a great opportunity to watch and review the show for the site. I made it to episode 100 before the show returned (it was a bigger task than I expected!) Post revival I’ve continued to ‘revisit’ old episodes, picking my way through season five, the first movie and beyond and am currently deep into season eight with the arrival of Doggett and the hunt for Mulder.

It has been a fantastic experience and I’ve loved every minute it. As a writer and TV reviewer, it has been a wonderful opportunity to pick apart the mythology, the stories, the characters and the mesmerising performances. I might remember about 90% of what is coming but the show continues to absorb even on the third or fourth viewing. What’s really fascinating is how much of a mark The X Files made on TV history; its influence ranges from everything from Supernatural to Criminal Minds to Lost.

As for the revival? Well it was certainly an interesting experience; it didn’t quite match the classic status of the original run but there was no denying the chemistry was still there between the two leads after all these years. 'Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster' was hilarious and 'Home Again' perfectly recaptured the gruesome horror of the early years. The mythology episodes…I’ll need to re-watch again but on first viewing there were lots of issues. As for 'Babylon'… I wasn’t a fan. But I still loved the revival regardless and I remain hopeful for more.

I’ve been a fan of The X-Files for over two decades and that will continue for many more. It is an iconic show for so many reasons, some of which I’m sure I will discuss in detail in the future

In the meantime, you can check out all my ‘The X Files Revisited’ features over at www.TheDigitalFix.com, from the pilot to the first movie and my latest feature, season eight’s Redrum…

Baz’s favourite favourite episodes are ‘Home’ and ‘Triangle’, his favourite season is Season 2, and his favourite character is Dana Scully.

INTRODUCTIONS: The Power of X (Sarah Blair)

Over 20 years ago, a little show called The X-Files premiered on FOX television network. I was 11 years old, and still thought a kid named Urkel was funny. That particular night, all those years ago, I had no idea that a show I wasn't watching would change my life forever.

Unfortunately, I was one of those annoying kids who did everything opposite of whatever was "popular" so as soon as I heard people talk about this show, I made the decision that I would absolutely not take part. Every time my cousin mentioned how awesome it was, I replied with, "Mulder and Scully? What kind of weirdo names are those?"

Okay, I was a total idiot. I didn't miss out on many episodes but missing even one at all, I soon found out, was too many.

One Friday night, the phone rang and my best buddy Jessica said, "Sarah! I'm home alone and I'm watching The X-Files and it's dark in my house and I’m so scared! Turn it on and watch with me!"

So I did.

The episode was “The Calusari.” It scared the crap out of me. It was also the most amazing show I'd ever watched ever. And holey buckets this dude called Mulder was goooood looking. An obsession was born. Here are a few true facts about me as relate to The X-Files:

*My first car was a Ford Taurus.

*I painted a giant black X on my wall exactly like the one in the opening credits.

*I carried around packs of David Sunflower seeds everywhere I went.

*I played The X-Files drinking game with plain 'ol iced tea because I didn't know what a drinking game actually was and I figured that's what Mulder would have done.

*I take my coffee with milk and no sugar because I remember reading somewhere that's how Scully likes her coffee. (Note: I can't remember where I read this. It very likely could have been a fanfic, or an Unauthorized guidebook. Either way it stuck with me. I also hope it's true, because I actually do enjoy my coffee this way.)

*I made my debut on the World Wide Web using the AOL screen name BigBlue82.

There have been many fandoms that I've geeked out about in my life, but The X-Files was my very first. It's a special thing when you experience an addiction so intense you quite literally just. can't. get. enough.

I bought every guide book, authorized and unauthorized. If Mulder and Scully were on the cover of a magazine, I snatched it up without even blinking. If I saw anything with an alien or an X on it? Into my stash it went. 

All those nights I spent frantically trying to record the show on my VCR, keeping meticulous track of every episode name and what tape it was on in a green notebook with a big X taped on the front, and I never once imagined I’d be able to hold each episode in my pocket to pull out and watch any time I wanted, almost anywhere I wanted, on my phone. My inner teenage Sarey, still can’t wrap her brain around that.

When the movie came out, our local radio station held a special premiere party, and I stayed glued to the radio for an entire week trying to win tickets. I was desperate to be the 100th caller, but no matter how fast I dialed, no matter how many times I hit redial, I couldn't make it happen. The day of the premiere finally arrived and I was ticketless and heartbroken. 

Being an Aries, the idea that other people in Knoxville would see this movie before I would was absolutely unbearable.

So I called the request line at the radio station and begged the DJ if he would please, please, please with whipped cream and a cherry on top give me tickets?

And... he did!

Thinking back on that night, it's hard to remember much of anything other than the way my heart actually stopped when that black oil filled the screen and the logo came up.

It was all kind of a blur, really. But the coolest thing about that night? There were around 340 people in that movie theater, and one of them turned out to be the man I would grow up to marry. We didn't know each other yet, but we were both there in that same room for 121 minutes. Maybe I'm a sap, but I think that's pretty special.

Chris Carter has mentioned many times how he was inspired by a show called Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Well, Mr. Carter, you went on to inspire millions more with your very own show. There are many reasons I'm a writer today. The X-Files is very high on the list of those reasons. It taught me so much about suspense and pacing, characters and storytelling, and how to develop and add depth to plot.

Some of the first stories I ever wrote were pieces of (very terrible) fanfiction. But the thing about writing is that you have to write a lot to get better. So practicing writing with Mulder and Scully, helped me hone my craft and gave me the ability to test the waters with my very own characters. The dark, mysterious world of The X-Files, helped me see the world in a different way so that I would be able to create my own mysterious world filled with paranormal creatures. I love The X-Files, and I wanted to read a book that would make my inner fangirl swoon, the only thing was, I had to write it first.

I owe a lot to this show. It’s been an integral part of my existence, it’s shaped who I’ve become as an adult, how I view the world around me, how I interpret current events, and I’m so excited that the internet and current technology has made it possible for me to connect with other fans and share so many insights about this amazing experience.

Sarah will be a regular contributor to the blog. 

You can find her on Twitter @SarahLBlair.

INTRODUCTIONS - How I Became a Fan (Andrew Blaker)

I had not seen a single episode of The X-Files prior to 2008, when I Want to Believe hit theaters. 

Looking to see a movie with a high school friend of mine, the film’s premise sounded interesting. A good throwaway summer film, I figured. I knew the series has to do with aliens and alien abduction. So we saw the film shortly after its July 25 release. That film made me a fan.

I was taken by the characters. I really enjoyed the film, and stand by that initial opinion. The film was a mature and well-crafted thriller that relied on the film’s atmosphere and stellar acting by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. I decided to take a look at the series, knowing absolutely nothing about the mythology. 

I found a used DVD set of Season 3 and started watching. Surprisingly, watching the season straight through, including the mythology-heavy episodes, didn’t confuse or throw me too far off course; it made me eager to watch the series from the beginning. I checked out the DVDs from my local library and a year later, having made my way through the series and two films, purchased the complete series DVD set.

In college, my best friend and I watched the series straight through in about a year and a half. We gathered together earlier this year to watch The Event Series.

The X-Files is my favorite television series, and I love revisiting the series on a frequent basis. I favor the Monster of the Week episodes over the mytharc episodes, but love to read anything about the series and listen to podcasts recapping the episodes. 

I’m excited for the chance to write about the series I love, and the characters and episodes I love.

Andrew will be a regular contributor to the blog. 

You can follow him on Twitter @andrewblaker620

INTRODUCTIONS: Growing Up Spooky (Sam Turton)

Friend: “Did you see the pilot episode?” Me: “Oh yeah, it was amazing.”Friend: “I thought the chimp body in the coffin was really scary!”Me: “Yeah me too.”

This was my very first conversation regarding The X-Files. I had no idea what The X-Files was, I had no idea what a ‘pilot episode’ was. I thought it must be an episode about a pilot. Seems legit.

It was the ‘one to watch’ programme and I didn’t want to be the one kid who didn’t watch it, even though it sounded terrifying, was on at 9pm on Sunday, and I was in Y6 (11 years old). I got home that day and told my mum all about it and begged her to let me watch it that coming Sunday: I wasn’t disappointed. I think my journey started with ‘Squeeze’. You can’t get a much better episode to be your own personal pilot episode!

Mum was worried I’d have nightmares and never sleep with the light off again; how wrong she was! I was hooked. It became the last ray of weekend light before school again on Monday; it also became a great bargaining tool for the parents. It was The X-Files then bed. So, it became the reason I got in the bath when I was told, the reason I didn’t leave my homework till the last minute, the reason I made my bed in the morning… 

I loved being able to join in conversations with my best friend about our new favourite show; we bought T-shirts, made our own collages, got loads of merchandise for Christmas and birthdays… I do remember my auntie questioning my mum’s decision to let me watch it:

“Isn’t that a bit scary? It’s all monsters, and blood, and aliens…”

Yeah it is! That’s what made it amazing! It was all make believe told in a real life way; you didn’t have to be scared because you knew they weren’t real. It was the greatest escape into your imagination.

Anyway, how could you be scared when you knew that the two greatest heroes would save the day? The two most amazing adults in the world! Dana Scully became my heroine, my idol; Fox Mulder became the first boy I ever fancied. It was perfect; perfect episode after perfect episode.

Obviously, looking back, there are some pretty shaky episodes in series one, definitely not all perfect! In my opinion, ‘Fire’ is the worst episode of the entire canon (‘Babylon’ is a close second: don’t get me started!) ‘Beyond the Sea’ blew me away, and it still remains one of my favourites, probably top ten. Luther Lee Boggs also makes my top ‘monster’ list: amazing acting from Brad Dourif. I remember it being the episode when I really fell in love with Mulder and Scully and really began to care about what happened to them. Of course, as a kid, I also really wanted them to get together: I think they became my generation’s Scott & Charlene.

The love for this ground-breaking series followed me all the way through secondary school; it formed major parts in science projects, prose writing, and Scully became the reason that I started dying my hair red with semi-permanents at age 13 and carried on with permanents all the way until about a month ago: almost 10 years! I was, and still am, one of those people that can’t believe that there are some people who have never seen it, or have seen it and don’t love it. It became a bit of a mission to convert non-believers: this culminated this year with finally getting my boyfriend to watch all 9 series, and now he loves it too! Series 10 is on the cards.

Throughout the years, one thing has remained constant for me: Scully is the greatest character (possibly in any TV show EVER) and Gillian Anderson is an absolute legend. I love that woman. I loved Science at school: all the dissections, experiments and wearing the white coat. I always pretended I was Scully and some possible major disaster hung on me mixing my bases and acids properly. When I was dissecting a liver, I pretended it belonged to a suspected alien, or had been recovered from Tooms’ lair… 

Then, as an adult, I became a teacher (English, not science) and I saw how between the ages of 11 and 15, girls started to lose a love of science. They stopped looking forward to experiments, to making volcanoes with baking powder and vinegar, to throwing small bits of magnesium into water… what was happening? It was then that I became aware of the ‘Dana Scully effect’: the increase in women and girls pursuing STEM subjects at school and University in the 90s/early 00s. I think that says it all. A character so amazing that she inspired young women to follow their passions, and change the world, even though they might have been told that it wasn’t ‘feminine’ (I’m going to blog about this at another time).

For me, The X-Files will always be my favourite ever TV show, starring my two favourite actors in my favourite roles. It’s only by re-watching the whole series recently that I can see how much it affected my teenage life. I love it and I always will, even the really bad episodes with the really bad special effects. Series 10 wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea; it certainly wasn’t mine, but roll on series 11!

Sam Turton will be a regular contributor to the blog. 

You can find her on Twitter @yorkshireramble.

INTRODUCTIONS: A Short History of My X-Fandom (Carl Sweeney)

I saw an interview with Chris Carter once where he said, talking about Kolchak the Night Stalker, that he could have watched that show every day of the week. Well, for a few years I felt exactly the same way about Carter’s The X-Files.

I was a little young to be watching, truthfully. My first experience of the show was an abandoned attempt at watching ‘Shapes’. My 8-year-old self was terrified, though looking back I’m not sure why. I saw a couple of episodes over the next year or so, but it was mid-Season 3 when I got fully on board.

I think The X-Files appealed to me for a number of reasons. I loved the interplay between the main characters. I really liked the way the show could switch genres from week-to-week. Even at a young age, I could tell that the best episodes were extremely well-written. It was also clear from occasionally looking at internet message boards at the time that the fanbase was very smart and literate.

For a few years, I became a little obsessed with The X-Files. Recording each new episode onto VHS. Buying all the books and magazines I could get my hands on. Talking about the series with anyone who showed even the slightest interest. At one time I was even keeping a scrapbook of sorts (long since discarded, sadly).

Nothing lasts forever, of course. My interest began to wane during Season 7 (though I like Season 8 a lot more than many people do). I kept watching until the end, although I wasn’t that upset when Season 9 proved to be the end of the road. My life moved on. I went to university, met my partner, had a child. I saw I Want To Believe on opening day, but it didn’t do much for me. I didn’t spend much time thinking about The X-Files, honestly.

I was pleased when the revival was announced. I decided to rewatch the original series for the first time in a few years. I was slightly worried that it wouldn’t be quite as good as I remembered. It wasn’t. It was better.

The X-Files will always be my favourite show, without doubt. Hopefully I’ll have the opportunity on this site to write about some of the things that I love most about it. It’s still the one show I could watch every day of the week.

Carl will be a regular contributor to the blog. 

His favourite episode is ‘Home’, his favourite season is Season 3, and his favourite character is, of course, Fox Mulder.

INTRODUCTIONS: I Wanted to Believe (Tony Black)

I wanted to believe.

When I was a boy, I was a little bit obsessed with the paranormal. In the UK we had a fortnightly periodical called ‘The X-Factor’ (long before Simon Cowell abducted the name and used it to bludgeon our earholes), which dealt with the paranormal, supernatural and conspiratorial in all its guises. UFO’s, MK-Ultra, Satanic rituals, JFK, crop circles, the list goes on – you name it, I was reading about it. This was the 90’s. We didn’t have the internet. We barely had Encarta.

But we did have The X-Files.

Magazines like The X-Factor appeared in the slipstream of the most popular TV show of that decade, the Star Trek of Generation Y. If Gene Roddenberry’s science-fiction saga epitomised the post-war optimism of the colourful, counter-culture 1960’s, then Chris Carter’s magnum opus swiftly became its pre-millennial antithesis, a show where that optimism had been replaced with cold, hard, paranoia about the world around it. Growing up in the 1990’s, that struck a chord with my generation of teenagers who lived, little did we know it, in one of the few decades of true peace in the 20th century. It was the prime moment for The X-Files to make its mark.

And on me, it did. I was a fan of Star Trek and Babylon 5 first, but when The X-Files entered my life first on BBC2 showing Season Two and then majorly when Sky One picked it up in 1995 for Season Three, it hooked me in. ‘One Breath’ was the first episode I truly remember watching, specifically the moment Frohike arrives at the hospital in the bow tie and bunch of flowers. I remember thinking ‘who’s THIS dude?!”. What an episode to come in on though! From then on, there was no going back. The X-Files became a religion for me, firstly on Tuesday nights and then Sunday nights come Season Four.

I distinctly remember as a 14 year old asking my Uncle to tape the show on his massive TV when my parents took me on holiday, and no WAY was I going to miss ‘Talitha Cumi’. I remember watching ‘Zero Sum’ with my dear departed Nan as she fell asleep in the chair, not fazed by the killer bees in the post office! I remember collecting the VHS video tapes with the mythology episodes and the joy when my Dad brought 13 year old me the ‘Duane Barry/Ascension’ two-parter home from work (even though it was a 15 certificate – naughty!). I remember collecting the cards and putting them in binders. I remember my excitement at The X-Files Game and the five hundred CD’s it swallowed on my antiquated PC trying to play it.

Then came my last year of school, 1998, and how to celebrate GCSE results? Fight the Future, of course! I remember trying to explain the entire alien mythology up to that point on the way to the cinema to my non-X-Files obsessive mates. By the time Mulder was abducted & John Doggett came along, it felt like I was the only person still watching as I began University. Even during the rough patches and the disappointments and the bad times, even when Sky sent it back to BBC One and then BBC Two aired the last season in a graveyard slot, I never missed it. I was excited for ‘The Truth’ and devastated when it ended. The five year wait for I Want to Believe was torturous, and the years afterwards before Season 10 convinced my beloved show was gone forever even more.

Never… never did my fandom waive. Never did it falter.

I always wanted to keep believing.

Tony is a writer and podcaster who created The X-Cast. 

His favourite episode is ‘Pusher’, his favourite season is Season 2, and his favourite character is the Well-Manicured Man.