By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
The X-Files was one of the most popular shows of the ‘90s. There are many reasons for this, of course, including the killer chemistry between the show’s insanely sexy lead actors. But what really kept fans coming back, week after week, was the slow unfolding of the franchise’s mythology. What mythology, you ask? In between delivering truly unforgettable monster-of-the-week episodes, The X-Files gave us terrifying tales that explained more about who the aliens were, what their purpose was, and what was going on with the Cigarette Smoking Man and the rest of his conspiracy cronies.
Details of this big-picture story were doled out in dribs and drabs over the years, and we were still getting new information as recently as the disastrous revival. Most of this mythology was sketched out by X-Files creator Chris Carter, but he sometimes had some unexpected assistance. For example, one of the coolest parts of the show’s lore came from David Duchovny’s very specific request: channeling his inner Han Solo, he told Carter that he wanted Mulder to tangle with an extraterrestrial bounty hunter. This led to the creation of the X-Files’ most intimidating character, one who consistently terrified heroes and villains alike.
Move Over, Boba Fett
One of the more charming aspects of The X-Files is that you can find unexpected information about the show in some of the absolute strangest places. For example, this little tidbit was hidden inside the special features of the Season 2 DVD box set. There, franchise creator Chris Carter revealed that “Colony” (a major mythology episode involving the seeming return of Samantha, Mulder’s sister) came about because of David Duchovny. According to him, even though the episode was a “crystallization of the series’ mythology”, it “came about inadvertently” because Duchovny said he wanted his character to face an alien bounty hunter.
This led to the creation of a new villain known simply as the Alien Bounty Hunter. In “Colony,” he crashes on Earth and starts mysteriously killing various doctors. It turned out they were clones who had been created using alien technology, and the bounty hunter had been dispatched to kill these clones. In general, these shapeshifting space cops have a mandate to destroy any aliens or clones that don’t have permission (as in, from the main aliens, known as Colonists) to be there. They also hunt down and kill any aliens or clones that could expose the big plan for an extraterrestrial takeover of planet Earth.
An Intergalactic Showdown
As for Duchovny, he got everything he could have wished for, and then some. “Colony” begins with Mulder in critical condition following an unknown altercation; the rest of the episode takes place in the past. In the next episode, “Endgame,” we learned what happened: Mulder encountered the Alien Bounty Hunter in the Arctic, and they fought. Unfortunately for the intrepid FBI agent, the alien blood is toxic, and Mulder nearly dies after being exposed to it. Fortunately, Scully is able to save him. Later, Mulder and the bounty hunter would have a couple of rematches, and (at Cigarette Smoking Man’s request) the alien healed Mulder’s dying mother.
X-Files fans love the Alien Bounty Hunter because he’s the closest thing this show has to a Marvel-style supervillain. He has super-strength, super-healing, shapeshifting, and he’s basically invulnerable. Looking back, it’s almost impossible to imagine some of the show’s best episodes without this hulking menace. However, he only appeared in the show for one reason: because David Duchovny wanted to channel his inner Han Solo and fight a badass alien bounty hunter onscreen. With his obvious love of Star Wars, maybe he should have changed up Mulder’s catchphrase. You know what has a good ring to it? “Truth, or truth not. There is no try.”
