- "When convention and science offer us no answers, might we not finally turn to the fantastic as a plausibility?"
- ―Fox Mulder
| "Pilot" | |
|---|---|
| |
| Air date | September 10th, 1993 |
| Writers | Chris Carter |
| Director | Robert Mandel |
| Producers | Chris Carter; Daniel Sackheim |
| Starring | David Duchovny; Gillian Anderson |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous — |
Next "Deep Throat" |
"Pilot" is the first episode of season one of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It was directed by Robert Mandel and written by series creator Chris Carter. It first aired on the FOX Network on September 10th, 1993. The series stars actors David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in the roles of F.B.I. special agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.
Wikipedia entry[]
In Bellefleur, Oregon, teenager Karen Swenson is seen fleeing through the forest. When she falls, a dark figure approaches, and they both become enveloped in light. Swenson's body is later found by Bellefleur detectives, with two small marks on her back.
Later, in Washington, D.C., FBI special agent Dana Scully is summoned to a meeting with Division Chief Scott Blevins and a seemingly anonymous government official, The Smoking Man. Scully is assigned to work with Special Agent Fox Mulder on the X-Files, an obscure FBI section covering purportedly paranormal cases. Blevins has assigned Scully for the implicit purpose of using her scientific knowledge to discredit Mulder's work, although Blevins never directly tells Scully this and is evasive when she asks if such is his intent.
Scully introduces herself to her new partner, who shows her evidence from the Swenson case. He notes that she was the fourth member of her high school class to die under mysterious circumstances. Mulder also notes an unknown chemical compound found on Swenson's body, as well as similarities between her death and others from across the country. Mulder believes that Swenson's death is due to extraterrestrial activity. However, the skeptical Scully expresses disbelief in Mulder's theory.
When Mulder and Scully's plane flies over Bellefleur, it encounters unexplained turbulence. As they drive in the woods near the town, the agents' car radio malfunctions; Mulder marks the spot of this event by spray-painting an "X" onto the road. Mulder arranges for the exhumation of the third victim, Ray Soames, despite the protests of Dr. Jay Nemman, the county medical examiner. When Soames' coffin is opened, a deformed body is found inside, which Scully concludes is not Soames, but an orangutan. However, she finds a metal implant in the body's nasal cavity.
Mulder and Scully visit the psychiatric hospital where Soames was committed before his death and meet two of Soames' former classmates—the comatose Billy Miles; and the wheelchair-using Peggy O'Dell. O'Dell suffers from a nosebleed during the agents' visit, and is seen to bear marks similar to Swenson's. Outside the hospital, Mulder explains to Scully that he believes Miles, O'Dell, and the victims to be alien abductees.
That night, the agents investigate the forest; Scully discovers strange ash on the ground, leading her to suspect occult activity. However, a local detective arrives and orders them to leave. Driving back to their motel, Mulder and Scully encounter a flash of light at the spot their car had malfunctioned earlier. When the car loses power, Mulder realizes that nine minutes disappeared after the flash, a phenomenon reported by alien abductees.
At the motel, Mulder tells Scully that his sister Samantha vanished when he was twelve, which has driven his work in the paranormal. The agents receive an anonymous call telling them that O'Dell was killed in traffic while on foot. They visit the scene, finding O'Dell's body and no wheelchair. They return to find the motel on fire and their evidence destroyed. Nemman's daughter Theresa contacts the agents for help. She tells them that she has awakened in the middle of the woods several times; though her father and Detective Miles arrives and takes her away.
Mulder and Scully return to the cemetery to exhume the other victims only to find the graves already dug up and the coffins missing. Mulder realizes that Billy Miles is responsible for bringing the victims to the woods. Returning to the woods, they again encounter Detective Miles, but hear a scream and find Billy nearby with Theresa in his arms. There is a flash of light, and Billy and Theresa are recovered unharmed.
Several months later, Miles is put under hypnosis. He recalls how he and his classmates were abducted in the forest as they celebrated their graduation; they were subjected to tests by the aliens, and killed when the tests failed. Scully provides Blevins with the metal implant, the only remaining piece of evidence. However, she later learns from Mulder that Miles' case files are missing. Meanwhile, The Smoking Man stores the implant away in a vast evidence room within the Pentagon.
Cast[]
Principal Cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| David Duchovny | Fox Mulder |
| Gillian Anderson | Dana Scully |
Guest Stars[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Charles Cioffi | Section Chief Blevins |
| Cliff DeYoung | Doctor Jay Nemman |
| Sarah Koskoff | Theresa Nemman |
| Leon Russom | Detective Miles |
| Zachary Ansley | Billy Miles |
| Stephen E. Miller | Coroner Truitt |
| Malcolm Stewart | Doctor Glass |
| Alexandra Berlin | Orderly |
| Jim Jansen | Doctor Heitz Werber |
| Ken Camroux | 3rd man in Blevins' office |
| Doug Abrams | Patrolman #1 |
| William B. Davis | Cigarette Smoking Man |
| Katya Gardener | Peggy O'Dell |
| Ric Reid | Assistant coroner |
| Lesley Ewen | Receptionist |
| J.B. Bivens | Truck driver |
| Joe Doserro | Officer #1 |
| Christopher Hutson | Mister Burrad |
| Phoebe Price | Marie |
Notes & Trivia[]
- This episode is included on The X-Files: The Complete Collection DVD boxset, The X-Files: The Complete Collector's Edition boxset and disc one of The X-Files: The Complete First Season.
- Production code number: 1X79.
Allusions[]
Quotes[]
Home Video[]
- The X-Files: The Complete First Season (Disc 1)
- The X-Files: The Complete Collection
- The X-Files: The Complete Collector's Edition