The Legacy of The X-Files examines the content and production of the show, its reception, its use of legend and folklore, its contemporary resonance in politics and society of the 21st century, and its impact and legacy on film, television, the Internet and beyond.
Having converged with the early widespread use of the Internet, The X-Files became a cultural touchstone of the 1990s, transforming from a cult TV show into a pop cultural phenomenon by the end of the decade. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of The X-Files, this collection examines the content and production of the show, its reception, its use of legend and folklore, its contemporary resonance in politics and society of the 21st century, and its impact and legacy on film, television, the Internet and beyond. The series' themes of government mistrust, conspiracy, folklore, UFOlogy, and faith are dissected and applied to how the show spirituality resonated with post-Cold War Western society.
Contributors to this collection discuss the wide-ranging impact of the television show in popular culture, from Mulder and Scully 'shippers' to the show's slogan entering the contemporary lexicon. The Legacy of The X-Files serves as an all-encompassing, multi-disciplinary, contemporary account of The X-Files, reflecting upon critical, historical, political, and social contexts, and featuring an in-depth and comprehensive introduction making it a vital work for researchers and students alike.
List of Contributors Introduction: A Critical Reflection on Thirty Years of The X-Files James Fenwick and Diane Rodgers (Sheffield Hallam University, UK) Part I: Cultural Legacies: Landscape, Environment, and Technology 1. Space and Location in The X-Files Matt Melia (Kingston University, UK) 2. ‘Mulder, it’s me’: Intimacy, Invasion and Mobile Phones Victoria Scrimer (University of Mary Washington, USA) and Nicholas Stanton (University of Denver, USA) 3. Artificial Intelligence, Surveillance and the (Post)human in The X-Files Alex Goody and Antonia Mackay (Oxford Brookes University, UK) 4. Agentic Oil and Petrocultures: Black Oil in The X-Files Chantelle Mitchell and Jaxon Waterhouse (independent scholars, Australia) 5. Believe the Lie: Digital Visual Effects in The X-Files Tom Livingstone (University of the West of England, UK) Part II: Contemporary Legend: Conspiracy, Belief, Politics 6. ‘I want to believe’: How UFOs Conquered The X-Files David Clarke (Sheffield Hallam University, UK) 7. (Cult)ural Tensions: New Religious Movements and The X-Files Racheal Harris (Deakin University, Australia) 8. The End of History? Contesting the Legacy of the 1960s and 1970s in The X-Files Gregory Frame (University of Nottingham, UK) 9. ‘You believe what you want to believe—that's what everybody does now’: The X-Files, Fake News and the Rise of QAnon Bethan Jones (University of York, UK) Part III: The X-Philes: Fandom and Paratextual Narratives 10. The Aliens are not What They Seem: The X-Files and the legacy of Twin Peaks Briac Picart Hellec (Le Havre Normandy University, France) 11. A Very Sci-fi Christmas: An Examination of the Christmas Episodes of The X-Files and Millennium Will Lorenzo (independent scholar, USA) 12. The Truth is…Inside the Panels!: Comic Adaptations of The X-Files Iris Haist (Erich Ohser University, Germany) 13. “X Files till I DIE”: Fan Memory from the X-Philes Janelle Vermaak Griessel and Natalie Le Clue (Nelson Mandela University, South Africa) 14. Reading into the Romance: Gender, Genre, and the Rabid Shippers of The X-Files Fandom Marissa Spada (University of Michigan, USA) 15. The X-Files and Video Games: At the Threshold of Virtual Reality Ivan Girina and Andra Ivanescu (Brunel University, UK) Part IV: Intersectional Legacies: Identity and Representation 16. Racialized Disability as Narrative Prosthesis in The X-Files Lzz Johnk and Gabrielle Miller (Oregon State University, USA) 17. ‘I’m a Medical Doctor, and a Scientist’: Powerful Women, Angry Men, and Representational Violence in The X-Files Erin Siodmak (Tulane University, USA) 18. Invasion of Body Snatchers: Queer Theory, Cultural Capital and Desirability of Fox Mulder’s Body Klára Feikusová (Palacký University (Czech Republic) 19. A Collection of Human Curiosities: Disability in The X-Files Andrew Sydlik (independent scholar, USA) 20. The Scully Effect: The X-Files and Women in STEM Jolene Mendel (American Public University, USA) Appendix 1: List of Series, Episodes and Films in Chronological Order Appendix 2: The X-Files Main and Recurring Cast Index
James Fenwick is a senior lecturer in the Department of Media Arts and Communication at Sheffield Hallam University, UK. He is the author of Stanley Kubrick Produces (2020), editor of Understanding Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey: Representation and Interpretation (2018), and co-editor of Shadow Cinema: The Historical and Production Contexts of Unmade Films (2020). Diane A. Rodgers is a senior lecturer in Department of Media Arts and Communication at Sheffield Hallam University, UK and co-founder of the Centre for Contemporary Legend. Her PhD examines the communication of folklore in media and she is the author of chapters on television in Folk Horror Revival: Urban Wyrd (2019) and Nation and Fascination (2021).
Reviews for The Legacy of The X-Files
Fenwick and Rodgers’ The Legacy of the X-Files offers an insightful, thought-provoking, and revitalising analysis of this landmark series, inviting students, scholars, and fans to look at the show with fresh eyes. This rich selection of essays, published to mark the show’s 30th anniversary, positions the series within its historical zeitgeist while significantly showcasing how and why this iconic franchise continues to speak to contemporary political, technological, and social issues. The truth, it seems, is still out there. The Legacy of the X-Files is a vital contribution to TV studies and a must read for the X-Files fan. * Stacey Abbott, Professor Emerita of Film and Television, University of Roehampton, UK, and author of Undead Apocalypse (2018) * Something old, something new: The Legacy of The X-Files is a serious and fresh take on a much written about TV series, one that questions the importance of legacy and nostalgia, while offering fascinating excursions into the nooks and crannies of the show’s narrative, lasting influence and fan activity. A must-read compendium for academics, seasoned fans and newbies alike. * Catriona Miller, Professor in Media, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK *
