There’s a strong wave of fondness for the 1990s right now, and the news that ‘The X-Files’ is officially coming back is thrilling fans. They’ve turned the show’s FBI agents, Mulder and Scully, into legendary figures.
If you watch the first few episodes of the popular sci-fi show about paranormal investigations, you’ll quickly notice how much it reflects the attitudes and styles of when it was made.
As a longtime fan, one of the things I always loved about The X-Files is how it felt like a different time. Scully didn’t have the internet to do her research – she was sifting through microfiche! Mulder worried about bugs on his phone line, not being tracked by cameras. Everything felt so…analog. Photos were developed in darkrooms, and evidence was collected in actual folders. But honestly, what really hits home about how dated the show is now? It’s that iconic slogan: ‘The Truth is Out There.’ It feels almost ironic now, considering how much information is at our fingertips.
To understand that idea, we need to remember 1993 – the year the haunting theme song of The X-Files first aired. September 11th was just an ordinary date, and Donald Trump was known simply as a very wealthy hotel owner who’d recently had a small role in Home Alone 2. Political scientist Francis Fukuyama even suggested we’d reached “the end of history,” meaning liberal democracy had triumphed and the Cold War was over.
This optimistic feeling was then challenged by a strange and unsettling conspiracy series. Its tagline, “The Truth is Out There,” hinted that a gap existed between how content we seemed and the real answers hidden from view. The show sparked questions: What secrets were being kept, who was hiding them, and could these two detectives working from a humble office uncover the truth?
I always loved the core idea behind The X-Files: that powerful people in the government were secretly working with aliens, not against them. It totally made sense when I learned Chris Carter, the show’s creator, grew up during Watergate. That really shook his faith in authority, and he brilliantly turned that personal feeling – that distrust – into this huge, amazing sci-fi story. You could really see that skepticism in Mulder, and it felt so real. It wasn’t just about monsters; it was about questioning who you could trust.
The original X-Files sparked playful speculation and felt like an intriguing mystery to unravel, rather than a bleak outlook on the world. Viewers enjoyed the excitement of the search for answers, without fearing anything truly dangerous. Ideas like QAnon, shadowy elites, and 5G conspiracy theories hadn’t emerged yet. However, the recent revival of The X-Files struggles because those kinds of divisive and alarming topics are now commonplace in our society.
Ryan Coogler, the director behind ‘The Sinners’ and the new revival of ‘The X-Files’, has stated his version will include both standalone episodes with unique monsters, and a larger, ongoing storyline. Most fans will likely welcome the ‘monster of the week’ format, as the memorable creatures and mutants from the original series still frighten many who grew up watching it in the ’90s. For example, when the UK’s Channel 5 recently re-aired a selection of episodes, they chose ‘Squeeze,’ the episode that introduced the terrifying, stretchable killer Tooms – a clear indication of how much that character has stuck with viewers.
Ryan Coogler can certainly push boundaries with frightening scenes, but he needs to be more careful when dealing with conspiracy theories. If he were to realistically explore the path of a character like Fox Mulder, that character would likely be sharing outlandish viewpoints on a podcast. Given the current political climate, it’s even possible such a character could have been involved in the Capitol riot in 2021.
This is all meant in jest – a playful jab at what might happen to the character Mulder. However, it’s impossible to ignore how much conspiracy theories have grown and are now being used to threaten democratic stability. What used to be harmless entertainment has become a tool for political manipulation, and the misinformation we see today often feels as bizarre and unbelievable as anything from The X-Files.
Because social media spreads information so quickly, any fictional conspiracy in a Coogler film could easily be twisted and misinterpreted. What starts as imaginative storytelling risks becoming seen as proof of real conspiracies. Ultimately, how can a movie effectively explore the fear of an alien invasion when real life often feels even more unsettling and suspicious?
Truth isn’t a single, discoverable thing anymore. It’s fragmented and all around us, often twisted for profit or turned into online jokes. What once felt like an open invitation to explore has sadly become a desperate cry for attention from those lost in the online world.
The X-Files is available to watch on Disney+. You can sign up to Disney+ from £5.99 a month now.
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Authors
I’m a big fan of David Brown’s work! As Deputy Previews Editor at TopMob, he really knows his stuff when it comes to crime dramas and fantasy TV – those are his passions, and it shows. But he’s not just writing previews; he’s a well-respected voice, appearing on shows like BBC News, Sky News, and Radio 4’s Front Row. Plus, his writing has been featured in major publications like The Guardian, The Sunday Times, and the i newspaper. He’s clearly a talented all-rounder, having contributed to the National Television Awards and even worked on documentaries about icons like Lenny Henry, Billy Connolly, and Take That. It’s impressive!
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2026-03-02 11:05