Entertainment

One of the Most Notorious ‘X-Files’ Episodes Almost Didn’t Make It to Air

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To this day, The X-Files is one of the most popular and beloved sci-fi shows ever created, and for good reason. The various adventures of Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) have stood the test of time as not only one of the most influential shows in an era long before streaming, but also one of its most boundary-pushing. It’s a more than fitting legacy considering one of the many big names to work on the series is none other than the legendary Vince Gilligan, who worked on the series as a writer, director, and producer. Gilligan, of course, is now known as the creator of some of the best shows ever made, including Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and, most recently, Pluribus.

After producing 128 episodes of The X-Files, the series is easily what put Gilligan on the map as a major force in the television space, but that’s not to say the series was always smooth sailing. A number of X-Files episodes in its long-running career faced a fair amount of controversy and backlash, with one of the most controversial examples being Season 4’s second episode, “Home.” The infamous episode goes full Texas Chainsaw Massacre as Mulder and Scully go toe-to-toe with inbred farmers, and it’s a story that certainly pushes the limit of what can and can’t be on network television.

In a new conversation with Jenelle Riley hosted by The Paley Center for Media attended by Collider, Gilligan is also dumbfounded by “Home” as an episode, saying he “can’t believe it was on network TV.” However, Gilligan also admits that another episode proved to be even more controversial behind-the-scenes, and the team found a surprisingly simple way to get the story past the censors. Referring to Season 2, Episode 13, titled “Irresistible,” Gilligan said that broadcast standards and practices described the episode with the single note of “This episode is absolutely unacceptable for broadcast.” While that would be a sign to many to just toss the episode outright, creator Chris Carter found a novel solution to the problem:

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“Chris Carter, who is this everlasting genius, went through the computer file, and every time the word ‘necrophiliac’ was there, changed it to ‘death fetishist,’ and turned in the same exact script, and they were like ‘yeah okay, this one’s fine.”



















































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Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz
Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive?
The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars

Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.

💊The Matrix

🔥Mad Max

🌧️Blade Runner

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🏜️Dune

🚀Star Wars

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01

You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do?
The first instinct is often the truest one.





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In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely?
What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.





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What kind of threat keeps you up at night?
Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.





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How do you deal with authority you don’t trust?
Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.





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Which environment could you actually endure long-term?
Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.





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Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart?
The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.





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Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all?
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What would actually make survival worth it?
Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.





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Your Fate Has Been Calculated
You’d Survive In…

Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.

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The Resistance, Zion

The Matrix

You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.

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  • The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.


The Wasteland

Mad Max

The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.

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  • You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
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Los Angeles, 2049

Blade Runner

You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.

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  • You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
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Arrakis

Dune

Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.

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  • Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
  • You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
  • Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
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A Galaxy Far, Far Away

Star Wars

The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

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  • You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
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The Truth Is Still Out There in Ryan Coogler’s Upcoming ‘X-Files’ Reboot

The X-Files‘ historic TV run is truly something to be studied, but it’s also a story that isn’t over quite yet. Ryan Coogler, the visionary filmmaker behind Creed, Sinners, and the Black Panther movies (including the upcoming third chapter that stars David Jonsson and will be shot on film), is set to reboot the beloved series with a brand-new duo played by Danielle Deadwyler (Rooster) and Himesh Patel (The Odyssey). No word yet on how or if the new show will connect to the original series, but original star Gillian Anderson confirmed she has read a script from the project and has repeatedly praised Coogler as the perfect person for the job, even if she stopped short of confirming a return as Scully.

Ryan Coogler’s X-Files reboot will stream on Hulu at a later date, which is where the original series is currently available. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.


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Release Date

1993 – 2018-00-00

Network
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FOX

Directors

Rob Bowman, David Nutter, R. W. Goodwin, Michael W. Watkins, Tony Wharmby, Daniel Sackheim, Michael Lange, Cliff Bole, David Duchovny, Jim Charleston, James Wong, Peter Markle, Rod Hardy, Thomas J. Wright, William A. Graham, Jerrold Freedman, Joe Napolitano, Kevin Hooks, Larry Shaw, Richard Compton, Tucker Gates, Allen Coulter, Barry K. Thomas, Brett Dowler

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Writers

jeffrey bell, Frank Spotnitz, Howard Gordon, David Amann, Darin Morgan, Steven Maeda, Greg Walker, Chris Ruppenthal, Kim Newton, Paul Brown, Sara B. Cooper, Thomas Schnauz, Tim Minear, William Gibson, Jeff Vlaming, Charles Grant Craig, Chip Johannessen, Chris Brancato, Daniel Arkin, Gillian Anderson, Jessica Scott, Jim Guttridge, Kenneth Biller, Larry Barber

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