Dave Baker by

The X-Files is one of the most iconic television shows of all time, running for nine seasons (1993-2002), spawning two feature films and just because we couldn’t get enough, the recent, highly-anticipated 10th season, released last month. The wildly successful franchise is known around the world and branded comic books, clothing, video games, toys, and countless other consumer products. But all of this would be nothing were it not for the one thing that makes the X-Files, well the X-Files and that’s the writing.

Above everything else, the writing is what drew people in, made them fall in love with Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, and compelled them to follow the creators on a somewhat wayward, always interesting decade-plus journey.

So let’s consider what was right about the writing:

The Gray Area

The first thing that’s readily apparent to anyone watching the X-Files is the fact that every episode ends mired in gray. Neither Mulder nor Scully is right about the ultimate conclusion to the events that have transpired over the course of any given episode. The show is purposely balanced on the unknowable truths that lurk out in the darkness. This is something that’s both inspired and incredibly difficult to do, let alone to convince a studio executive to allow you to make.

Societal Fears

The X-files is inherently political. It’s intrinsically a reaction to the governmental and societal fears of the day. It’s about two characters attempting to process and explain why the government is manipulating everyone’s environments and what they’re covering up. It plays on everyday concerns average citizens have about those in positions of power and their potential abuse of that power and then asks, “What if?”

Mythology

When then X-files came on the air in 1993 is was very uncommon for a show’s format to focus on serialized episodes. The prevailing logic was that no one would be able to keep up with a show that had episodes that needed to be viewed in succession. The networks’ rule of thumb was shows needed to be one and done, ready for syndication. However, X-files’ compelling, mythological approach broke the mold wide open, forever changing the way network executives thought about story structure in TV.

Romantic Tension

Contrary to what some might think, Mulder and Scully weren’t conceived of as intended love interests but as the show progressed it became obvious that a certain tension needed to be resolved. This romantic tension is actually what triggered one of the earliest Internet fandoms. X-files message boards were split down the middle. Half of the fan-base wanted Mulder and Scully to get together (they were called “Shippers”) and the other half wanted them to remain platonic work associates. This too, marked a massive change in entertainment. Fans were no longer passive spectators but people with voices who interacted with the material and even created their own plot twists and happy endings and published them online. In fact, the earliest X-Files fan fiction dates back to January 1994, just four months after the show’s launch.

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