A decidedly mixed reaction was out there when the first X-Files revival (aka Season 10) landed on Fox two years ago. But series creator Chris Carter firmly believes that all the creative kinks have been worked out ahead of the series’ 10-episode comeback in early 2018.

Regarding the 2016 revival, Carter concedes that the franchise’s decade-plus sabbatical proved to be something of a liability. “We [relaunched] from a standing start after not having been on the air for 12 years — there was some reacquainting that had to be achieved,” he says. “It was like old friends getting back together. We had to shake some of the stiffness out.”

Carter’s confident that Season 11— bowing Wednesday, Jan. 3 (8/7c) — will hit the ground running, telling TVLine, “I think that we’re all in fighting shape now.”

Carter is particularly bullish about the installment written and directed by Darin Morgan, which he calls “original, smart, funny… everything you expect” from the acclaimed X auteur. Asked to share a tease, Carter pauses, before offering this morsel: “It has a big link to previous X-Files episodes.”