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ducer Chris Carter, the show followed two FBI agents as they worked through
cases that had been set aside because they seemed to defy rational explanation
or contained deep mysteries that ordinary law enforcement methods could
not solve. As viewers came to learn, this meant that most cases dealt with
supernatural forces, extraterrestrial alien life-forms, or what were essentially
the goblins and monsters of myth and superstition. Some of the stories, espe-
cially those concerning monsters and the supernatural, were self-contained.
In contrast to these stand-alone episodes, however, there was another type
of episode. These installments followed a long, convoluted, and conspiracy-
laden story line involving UFOs, a secret cabal, and the disappearance of a
young girl years earlier.
The missing girl was the sister of FBI agent Fox Mulder (played by David
Duchovny), one of the show s main characters. Nothing about her disap-
pearance was ordinary or, seemingly, explainable. Haunted by the mystery
surrounding his sister s disappearance years earlier, Mulder is similarly fasci-
nated with other unusual cases. After coming to work for the FBI, he began
to delve into such cases, each involving some bizarre or reality-defying com-
ponent. Labeled as X-files, the unsolved mysteries were quickly forgotten
by those in authority. Now, however, they had become a near obsession for
Mulder. He vigorously pursues X-file cases, working doggedly out of his of-
fice in the basement of FBI headquarters. The stories of the series mostly
follow Mulder s investigations into the bizarre cases in these files as he tries
to discover the truth about his sister s disappearance.
146 Conspiracy Theory in Film, Television, and Politics
Mulder is apparently a rather marginalized figure in the eyes of his superiors,
however. They do not want him to make too much out of his investigations
into paranormal and other unusual events. Therefore, FBI officials assigned
him a partner, ostensibly to keep an eye on him. The woman assigned to
work with Mulder is Dana Scully (played by Gillian Anderson). She is not
only an FBI agent, but also a medical doctor. With her scientific background,
Mulder s superiors hoped that she would bring a rational perspective to the
investigations. Inclined to be skeptical of the paranormal and supernatural,
the aim was for her to refute Mulder s conclusions when they seemed too
out of the ordinary. As the series opens, Scully acts as voice of reason and
thus provides a foil to Mulder s enthusiasm for seemingly outlandish theories.
Or so it seems. As the series progressed, Scully and Mulder develop a close
personal relationship. Eventually, she becomes increasingly likely to accept
Mulder s conclusions about extremely unusual phenomena.
Although a conspiracy theory mindset informs the whole of the show, it is
the ongoing story line that evolves from the mystery of Mulder s missing sister
that fleshes out this theme most directly. For as it turns out, Mulder believes
not just that his sister disappeared under mysterious circumstances. He thinks
that she has been abducted by apparently hostile extraterrestrial aliens. This
UFO angle provides a link that the show s writers used to construct a series-
long story arc which, at its base, is perhaps the most complicated and sustained
articulation of conspiracy theory that has appeared in any American screen
production.
The conspiracy that is slowly laid out in The X-Files has breathtaking
scope. As they developed the series overarching conspiracy theory theme,
the show s writers mined a vast range of material. The influence of such
wide-ranging productions as Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Twilight
Zone, All the President s Men, Three Days of the Condor, and many others is
at times quite evident. Writers also scanned fictional and purportedly non-
fictional accounts of conspiracies that had appeared in books, articles, and
other published materials. Indeed, many existing conspiracy theory ideas
were incorporated into the scripts. Viewers can find evidence of everything
from the Roswell incident to the Watergate affair scattered throughout many
episodes.
By the time the whole conspiracy story of The X-Files is laid out, the mys-
tery of Mulder s missing sister had led to a global perhaps more accurately,
interplanetary conspiracy. It involves everything from extra-terrestrial inva-
sion, mass killings, the secret control of American and international political
events, the Kennedy and other assassinations, and more. Apparently nothing is
beyond the interest of this conspiracy. Collusion with hostile extra-terrestrial
aliens, manipulation of world governments, political assassinations (including
the murder of John F. Kennedy) are all woven into the story line at various
times. One episode even suggests that football s Super Bowl had been rigged
by the conspirators.
A New Age of Conspiracy 147
Unlike the plots that are usually found in productions with conspiracy
theory themes, the conspiracy in The X-Files is extraordinarily complicated.
And although it is a core theme of the series, the conspiracy story line did
not appear regularly. It was revealed in small pieces over a number of sea-
sons. Sandwiched between stories involving such topics as ghouls, paranormal
powers, and the supernatural, audiences were given pieces of the information
about the conspiracy infrequently. Many episodes of The X-Files, in fact, make
little or no reference to that theme. Still, the irregularly appearing conspiracy
theory episodes what producers and fans of the show called mythology
episodes drew much attention from the audience. Devoted fans of the show
began to communicate via the Internet, a then-new innovation, to discuss
their ideas about the conspiracy themes in the show.
One figure, more than any other, symbolized the ongoing conspiracy, and
his appearance in an episode reminded viewers of this overarching theme. The
mysterious Cigarette Smoking Man (played by William B. Davis) appeared
infrequently and sometimes briefly, but his presence invoked the conspir-
acy. His appearance, or even the suggestion of it, signaled to viewers that
something about a situation involved the overarching mythology.
The Cigarette Smoking Man often literally lurks in the shadows. Early in
the series, viewers realize that he has interest in Mulder s investigations, which
he does not want to be continued, and that he also seems to exert influence
over various officials in the FBI. Modeled on the Deep Throat of All the
President s Men in some ways, the Cigarette Smoking Man appeared to be
a government insider with some malevolent agenda. For a while, it was not
clear what that agenda was.
The motivations and full extent of the Cigarette Smoking Man s involve-
ment with the grand conspiracy and with Mulder are revealed slowly over
many seasons (and in the 1998 theatrical movie The X-Files: Fight the Fu-
ture). Eventually, viewers realize that extraterrestrial aliens had been involved
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