X-Files fans would’ve been in seventh heaven.

Fox’s upcoming six-episode revival was thisclose to adding a seventh hour, series creator Chris Carter confirms to TVLine.

“It was almost about to happen,” he says. “We were planning for it. The script was written. I even called people to find out if they were available to direct, and it just didn’t happen.”

Carter cites scheduling conflicts as the cause of death for Episode 7, a standalone installment penned by a pair of X-Files neophytes. “I created an opportunity for two writers that I am close with to write a spec script,” says Carter, who says the episode could still see the light of day if Fox orders another limited-run down the line. “If there are more X-Files to be made, certainly it will be one of those.”

In addition to leads Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, cast members Mitch Pileggi and William B. Davis will be on hand for the event series. Additionally, Fox has confirmed that Tom Braidwood, Dean Haglund, and Bruce Harwood — aka the Lone Gunmen — will be back for an episode. New faces to the X universe include guests stars Joel McHale, Annet Mahendru, Robbie Amell and Lauren Ambrose.

Fox’s X-Files continuation debuts with a special two-night event beginning Sunday, Jan. 24 following the NFC Championship Game, and continuing with its time period premiere on Monday, Jan. 25 (8/7c).