The X-Files

: See also The X-Files (books) and The X Files Movie

Trivia

• The number 42 occurs frequently (Mulder lives in Apartment 42, Mulder has seen Plan 9 From Outer Space 42 times, etc.). This is The Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything in Douglas Adams' novels The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
• The season eight episode "Alone" has artifacts from previous episodes; in Scully's desk drawer are Queequeg's dog tag (from the episode "Quagmire"), the keychain Mulder gave her (from "Tempus Fugit") and the fused coins (from "Dreamland"). Also appearing in this episode is the character of Agent Leyla Harrison, named for an actual person. Leyla Harrison was an "X-Files" fan and a writer of fanfic who died in February 2001. Well-known and well-loved among The X-Files internet community, writers on the show created the character (a self-professed admirer of Mulder and Scully) to honor her memory.
• When "Requiem" (the season seven finale) completed shooting, the producers were unsure if they would come back for an eighth season.
• Many episodes feature a "mirror shot" usually involving a medicine cabinet. Such a shot shows a character opening a medicine cabinet with a mirror on the front, taking something out, closing the cabinet, and revealing something in the mirror. "Deep Throat," "Underneath," and "Paper Clip" are episodes featuring such a shot.
• The Maya calendar predicts that current era of the world will end on December 22, 2012 ("The Truth")
• You can identify episodes directed by Kim Manners; he frames the camera so as to show the face, but not the top of the head.
• On ', George Huang's FBI badge number is 2317616, as shown in the SVU episode "Charisma." Scully's badge number is identical, as told in the X-Files episode "Christmas Carol." Both were revealed while asking that a phone call be traced. In addition, B.D. Wong, who plays George Huang on SVU, had a guest appearance on The X-Files in the episode "Hell Money."
• The eerie, yet catchy theme song is by Mark Snow. It was released with other songs from and inspired by the show on the 1996 soundtrack Songs in the Key of X.
• As has become commonplace with dramatic TV series in recent years, actual episode titles were never displayed on screen. This was one of the first TV series whose fans disseminated information such as episode titles strictly via the Internet.
• The controversial and violent episode "Home", which featured a story about a family that has been inbred to almost proto-human levels of development, was kept out of syndication for three years after its initial airing.
• The town known as Gibsonton in the circus freak centric episode Humbug is a real town that really is populated with former circus performers.
• The episode Bad Blood contains a number of clever references and homages to classic vampire and horror films, one of the most memorable yet subtle being the name of the town the episode takes place in. Known as Chaney, Texas, the name is most likely a reference to famous 1940's monster movie actor Lon Chaney. Whether it is Lon Chaney Sr. or Jr. is unclear, but both father and son were known for their parts in classic monster movies.
• Creator Chris Carter's birthday is October 13, thus the frequent references to the number 1013 on the show and the reason Fox Mulder's birthday is also October 13. It is also the name of Carter's production company, Ten Thirteen Productions.
• Chris Carter is obsessed with eating sunflower seeds, hence Mulder's appetite for them on the show. However, David Duchovny hates it.
• Scully was named after sportscaster Vin Scully.
• Scully's telephone number is 555-3564 and (202) 555-6431 (at home). Mulder's number is 555-0199.
• Mulder's address is #42, 2630 Hegal Place, Alexandria, VA 23242.
• The number of Scully's files (stolen by Duane Barry) is 73317.
• Mulder has been shot 3 times (once in "Anasazi," once in "Beyond the Sea", and once in the film). Scully has been shot only 2 times (in "Young At Heart" and "Tithonus").
• Mulder used his gun 16 times, Scully 13 times.
• While Mulder believes in extraterrestrial life, and Scully doesn't, the opposite is true of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson (i.e. Duchovny doesn't believe in ETs, and Anderson does).
• The season 5 episode Unusual Suspects, which tells the origin of the Lone Gunmen, features a cameo by Detective Munch, from the popular crime drama