• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

About The "Aliens" In X- Files (Spoilers)

I've always been a fan of the X-Files but I never followed the overarching mythology very well.

As such I have a question about the aliens in the show.

From my understanding, the so-called aliens are not actually from another world. Their true form is some kind of black goo that existed on Earth hundreds of thousands of years ago or longer. I don't know how the Greys fit in but my understanding is they are some kind of biological construct of the black goo so they can get around easier.

Doing some research, it doesn't seem like there are any actual aliens in the show with one exception: the ghostly martian face that can possess people from "Space" Season 1, Episode 9. They never really explain that either but it seems to actually originate from Mars.

Perhaps someone can explain why the black goo left the Earth and how they even managed to build a spaceship to leave Earth in the first place but I guess that's what the Grey bodies they built were for.
 
Last edited:
tkjtvjj.jpg

It’s been a while but I think they explain it in the 1998 movie.
 
I thought it was nanomachines that turn living people into aliens. So the aliens sent them to our world in advance of the invasion.
I vaguely remember there being multiple alien "viruses" with different effects.
 
I thought it was nanomachines that turn living people into aliens. So the aliens sent them to our world in advance of the invasion.
I vaguely remember there being multiple alien "viruses" with different effects.
That is the black goo although that's explained that originally came from Earth hundreds of thousands of years ago.
 
What I want to know is what the aliens made of all the supernatural shit that was happening in the human world. Did they know about werewolves, the demonic, vampires and shit like that,
They never attempted to tie everything in together with an explanation. It's like that episode I mentioned with the ghostly Mars face. It's never really explained.

So we'll probably never know how the aliens tie into other paranormal phenomenon or what they even think about it.
 

Power Pro

Member
I never watched all of seasons 10 and 11 (the revival seasons), but didn't season 10 already start to imply that...some of it was all bull shit? I remember some line like "You saw what they wanted you to see" implying some of the Alien conspiracy shit was all bull shit also...

I dunno, I love X-Files, but they really fuck up the mythology stuff sometimes. I went from someone who cared about that stuff, to preferring the monster of the week episodes.
 

Drew1440

Member
Did we ever find out what happened to Samantha, Moulder's sister? Was she actually abducted or was her death covered up?
 

StueyDuck

Member
The problem with the X-files aliens is that they flip flopped alot on what the aliens were. Aliens are real, oh wait no it's the CIA, oh wait they are real again, oh wait it's goo from Russia, oh wait it's actually biblical dieties, oh wait they are CIA clones again.

And that just went on for far too many seasons

I loved the X-Files but the overall lore of the show fell off a cliff. Especially after the 2008 movie

At least in my opinion
 
Last edited:

StueyDuck

Member
Did we ever find out what happened to Samantha, Moulder's sister? Was she actually abducted or was her death covered up?
There was that weird episode with the dead kids and singing and dancing around mulder in a field.

Basically an arty farty way of saying, yo she's dead get use to it

Edit: it was an ep where they were looking for a serial child killer that they thought had mulders sister, he didn't in the end but all the dead kid Ghosts sang a weird song and dance around Mulder in a field is the part I was talking about which for some reason signifies to Mulder she's really dead and he should move on
 
Last edited:

Power Pro

Member
There was that weird episode with the dead kids and singing and dancing around mulder in a field.

Basically an arty farty way of saying, yo she's dead get use to it
Yeah, that was some real bull shit. I think it basically was there was group of humans working with Aliens, and Mulder's father was one of them, and he had to give up one of his kids to them for some reason? I think the humans working with aliens were just doing what they could to buy time before the take over invasion happened....I remember the last episode of the original series run implied that 2012 was when the invasion was going to take place, but no idea if the revival addressed that since it obviously didn't happen.
 
They never attempted to tie everything in together with an explanation. It's like that episode I mentioned with the ghostly Mars face. It's never really explained.

So we'll probably never know how the aliens tie into other paranormal phenomenon or what they even think about it.
That Mars face episode is one of the worst.

Serial TV was cool. What made X-Files fall off were the big arc episodes.
 

jufonuk

not tag worthy
I always thought the black goo was from another world came by meteor and landed in Tunguska and sealed away as it was shown to be dangerous. But TV show wise some aliens were actual aliens from another planet and the humans made a deal to colonise earth via hybrid aliens with the main bad aliens, but bought humanity some time by providing humans to abduct and tes upon.

In between you had aliens that wanted to take over. Aliens that wanted to help and the bounty hunters at war with the rogue aliens.

Within the more of the show that some alien stuff was deliberately bullshit to throw fox off the trail as he was too determined and posed a threat.

The smoking man and all his group were controlling the narrative (wrestling ref) to get humans used to the idea of aliens. Etc before shit went down.
Real life imitating TV ?!?

But then I think once Mulder “left” the show went wonky. They lost their way and mythos went rubbish.

As mentioned above Samantha was abducted as she was chosen to be by her father.

I think the show started out with let’s jump on the ufo/abduction band wagon that exploded in the 90’s originally it went for a monster of the week feel then later on went conspiracy over arching story route. Still it’s a great show. Later seasons not withstanding. Though I haven’t watched the revival series.

For a truly bonkers take on it was aliens.
Dark Skies (TV series)needs to be watched.

Now I am here anyone know of a good alien abduction/UFO movie or series? Don’t matter the tone

I need to watch the new season of resident Alien also.
 
Last edited:

gradient

Resident Cheap Arse
The standalone episodes of the X-files were and are what makes the series great.

The running storyline with the alien conspiracy never really panned out and feels very much like the writers didn't have a plan from the outset and were instead just making it up as they went along.
 

RJMacready73

Simps for Amouranth
The Alien conspiracy cumulates in the first movie imo, the black "oil" is an alien virus that infects lifeforms which eventually become the actual Aliens, it's been on earth for a long long time hence the start of the movie showing ice age humans tracking an Alien and killing it but not before it's blood aka the oil infecting him, it's what the aliens use to conquer planets, if you watch Xfiles you can pretty much use the Movie as an incredible bookend to a stellar series, from their it starts to go a bit downhill gradually with plenty ups mind but the Movie imo is what Xfiles is at its best, such a pity we didn't get anymore films of that quality
 

Trilobit

Member
The mythology arch became frustrating and unfulfilling rather quickly.

"So this conspiracy is happening, but actually not. So there are aliens. But not really. But yes. But. Smoking man. Smoking man. Smoking man. Beware the invasion. No invasion. Smoking man."

If I rewatch it I'll maybe just watch five episodes that are standalone monster of the week episodes and the pilot.
 

jufonuk

not tag worthy
The mythology arch became frustrating and unfulfilling rather quickly.

"So this conspiracy is happening, but actually not. So there are aliens. But not really. But yes. But. Smoking man. Smoking man. Smoking man. Beware the invasion. No invasion. Smoking man."

If I rewatch it I'll maybe just watch five episodes that are standalone monster of the week episodes and the pilot.
Tombs and Jose Chung from outta space. The vampire kid one. And one where scully gets impregnated. That might be a two parter but that episode was great.
 
Last edited:

Werewolf Jones

Gold Member
Damn, X-Files lore be mad stupid when you actually try to break it down.

No wonder the best episodes are the stand alone ones about a dude struggling to get top working in fast food but is also a monster that eats people who doesn't wanna.
 
Season 7 sure has a lot of "comedic" episodes, which I normally don't like. Although, right now I'm watching the genie episode which is also comedic but I like this one. After that is the season 7 finale which I'm looking forward to but as I understand it starting from season 8, Agent Mulder is barely in it and Robert Patrick takes over.
 

Fools idol

Banned
I'm firmly in the camp of 'only seasons 1-2 were good' so probably shouldn't be reading this thread. The writing completely sucks after that imho and trying to figure out the convoluted mess doesn't get you anywhere.
 

K' Dash

Member
I agree the overarching Alien plot never got anywhere, but there are some legendary standalone episodes, I loved the whole series even if the main Alien thing never got resolved.

Victor Tooms, the Peacock Brothers, the guy with the shadow that disintegrated people, the Fiji mermaid, just to name a few, were amazing.
 
Last edited:
I'm firmly in the camp of 'only seasons 1-2 were good' so probably shouldn't be reading this thread. The writing completely sucks after that imho and trying to figure out the convoluted mess doesn't get you anywhere.
The show is very hit and miss. Well I love the characters and I like the show in general, it seems like half of the episodes are good and the other half not so good.

This episode I watched today with Kathy Griffin was one of the worst episodes I've ever seen of X-Files. It was really bad. But the episode about the genie that was on after it was pretty good.

But it seems like there's too many tongue and cheek episodes in season 7. I like it when it's more serious.

And unlike people here, my favorite episodes are the ones that have to deal with the UFOs or aliens. Especially any episode with Cigarette Smoking Man. I always enjoy watching him on screen. William B Davis did a fantastic job.
 

Monokrom

Member
Did we ever find out what happened to Samantha, Moulder's sister? Was she actually abducted or was her death covered up?
Can't remember but in a couple of episodes there was a bunch of clones/hybrids made from Samanthas DNA.
The bountyhunters/shapeshifters was hunting the clones for some reason.

But it was a very long time I watched X-Files.
 
Last edited:

DGrayson

Mod Team and Bat Team
Staff Member
dont forget the alien bounty hunter

alien_bounty_hunter-600x450.jpg


It was also implied that the kindred in that gender bender episode were aliens


Brian Thompson! THis guy walked by me once in real life. I didnt recognize him at first but he looked super familiar. He waved and smiled (probably because I was staring) and only after a bit did I realize who it was.

Re XFiles dont even try to figure the mythology stuff out. Its pretty inconsitant and really falls apart after the movie. First couple seasons the overarching plot was cool tho.
 
Last edited:

MMaRsu

Banned
Brian Thompson! THis guy walked by me once in real life. I didnt recognize him at first but he looked super familiar. He waved and smiled (probably because I was staring) and only after a bit did I realize who it was.

Re XFiles dont even try to figure the mythology stuff out. Its pretty inconsitant and really falls apart after the movie. First couple seasons the overarching plot was cool tho.
He has a cool role on the Xfiles.. Here he is in MK Annihilation though :messenger_tears_of_joy:

 

22:22:22

NO PAIN TRANCE CONTINUE
Black goo is kinda hot in certain conspiracie groups

Perhaps some predictive programming who knows
 
Last edited:

22:22:22

NO PAIN TRANCE CONTINUE
Brian Thompson! THis guy walked by me once in real life. I didnt recognize him at first but he looked super familiar. He waved and smiled (probably because I was staring) and only after a bit did I realize who it was.

Re XFiles dont even try to figure the mythology stuff out. Its pretty inconsitant and really falls apart after the movie. First couple seasons the overarching plot was cool tho.

Great face
 

TheInfamousKira

Reseterror Resettler
Part of this is one’s imagination

Imagination is anathema to the MauLer school of cinema wherein it is stated (rather circuitously, but I digress, that "Every detail of every plot must be thought of beforehand, every character must behave in a certain way or they're poorly written, The High Council of EFAP holds final decision on which ways characters must behave. Also, every piece of gear, armor, weaponry, ship siding, arrangements of gravel, sub atomic particles, etc must behave in a logical irl functional way, because I guarantee you there is someone pausing every frame *knowing wink* to figure out whether the rocket boosters used on the aircab briefly seen flying away from the casino in Canto Blight were actually in production at the time of the sequel Trilogy, or whether it's an anachronism, but also, show don't tell. Unless it's something that confuses me, then the writers are fools who can't convey emotion correctly!

IMAGINATION? I'm not a freelance worker, Hollywood, I don't pay to see your films to write my own story on top of your insulting bare bone frameworks and settings! Etc, etc. I intensely dislike Yahtzee. I get it, it's comedy and a shtick, it's just a shtick that make me want to punch him in the test- oh, sorry. I intensely dislike MauLer. For basically the same reas- oh, sorry.

Tl;dr: There's a large majority of vocal online pseudo intellectuals that really don't vibe with interpretative or abstract cinema, unless it's this year's big thinker movie like Inception. I hate it. Granted, abstract can be done wrong, too. There's plenty of film makers who watched David Lynch's work and thought to themselves lolsorandom rubberjohnny I'm enlightened artist now, but come the fuck on.

P.S. I hated The Last Jedi.
 
I always liked that Genie in the carpet episode.
Yeah I just watched that episode the other day. I usually don't like the funnier episodes but that one I did like.

X-Files generally keeps things pretty grounded so it was also kind of cool they have established that the Djinn are real. She even explained that she was a human before she became a Djinn and that it was an Ifrit 500 years ago who gave her the power of immortality and granting wishes.
 

Brigandier

Member
The tooms episodes were excellent, The alien plot was confusing drawn out and annoying by the end and unremarkable, I can't even remember but were the Aliens basically here via black goo and hadn't actually appeared in person yet?.

I should rewatch the series again one day.
 
I love the alien and UFO conspiracy episodes but the one about the black baseball players and the KKK being aliens was the absolute worst episode I've seen from the show so far.

I can't tell if that's all just supposed to be some stupid made up bullshit or if it's canon in some way. Hopefully not the latter.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom