Warning: slight spoilers ahead for Chris Carter's appearance on Discovery's UFOs Declassified: Live.
The X-Files managed to run for eleven seasons and two movies based on the dynamic between a believer and a skeptic investigating paranormal phenomenon, and although the personal relationship between Mulder and Scully became a bigger and bigger draw over the years, the believer/skeptic dynamic drove the series for a long time. Creator Chris Carter spun the stories of The X-Files with varying degrees of success as Mulder continued to believe and Scully continued to doubt (and they continued to make the big relationship leaps off-screen). Now, Carter has revealed that he doesn't just consider himself like Mulder or like Scully, but both.
Chris Carter appeared on UFOs Declassified: Live, which was simulcast across Discovery, Science Channel, and Travel Channel. He shared his perspective on real-life UFO reports as the creator of The X-Files, which popularized conversation about alien abduction back in the '90s. Carter said:
People ask me what I believe in the UFO phenomenon and the alien abduction phenomenon, and I’m kind of a hybrid of Mulder and Scully. Like Mulder, I want to believe like the poster on his wall, and like Scully, I want to see the science. I’m skeptical by nature. For me the videos are exciting. That on modern equipment and with modern technology we are capturing something that is out there, and it’s behaving in a strange and mysterious manner. This is a really exciting time. We may or may not learn what these things are, but I think recent studies and recent sightings have pushed things forward.
Apparently, the man who came up with the paranormal premise of The X-Files is at least somewhat skeptical like Scully, whose refusal to believe could be downright frustrating to watch at times. Of course, Scully's perspective as she watched Mulder jump on board with some of the most outlandish theories imaginable with little evidence to go on is pretty easy to see as well.
Perhaps most people, like Chris Carter says of himself, are a little bit Mulder and a little bit Scully! I know that I tend to be skeptical, but I also watched the UFOs Declassified: Live TV event and have been an X-Files fan from childhood. Do I want to believe?!
In all seriousness, while the evidence presented in UFOs Declassified: Live might leave some viewers believing at least a little harder than they did before tuning in to the three-hour live broadcast, there are probably plenty of skeptics who remain wholly unconvinced after watching as well. The X-Files creator weighed in, saying:
I think our reactions to the UFO videos are healthy. The pilots, for me, seem unimpeachable. What they gathered from their avionics or radar seems beyond doubt that they saw those things and that their reactions to them are real. So, The X-Files and the subject matter and UFOs are being given some credence that they might not have had before. You know, I believe that we don’t have answers. I believe that we’re searching for answers. I believe that there are the possibility of alien life out there, like [astronomer] Carl Sagan who actually said there’s more chance than not. And now we’ve discovered since the ‘90s that there are these exoplanets revolving around their suns. The chance is even greater now there is life on these planets.
Aliens in the universe of The X-Files are very real and very troublesome for Mulder and Scully over the years, but real-life debate regarding abductions and UFOs will undoubtedly continue indefinitely between believers and skeptics. Until it can be proven one way or the other, nobody will know for sure. You can always relive or check out the wild ride of The X-Files with the full series available streaming now on Hulu.
The X-Files seems truly finished for now, although Season 11 ended on some cliffhangers and downright bizarre bombshells, so it should be interesting to see if the Season 11 finale truly was the end of Mulder and Scully's story. For some viewing options that are guaranteed for the small screen, check out our 2021 summer TV premiere schedule.
