33 Years Later, ‘The X-Files’ Still Has the Best Sci-Fi TV Pilot Episode

The X-Files pilot episode aired on Fox in 1993, and it’s still the best introduction to any sci-fi TV series. These days, we’re definitely spoiled by great sci-fi TV. The strange worlds of Severance and Pluribus are not only entertaining, but they also bring up big questions about work, life, love, and conforming vs. standing out from the crowd. However, no matter how many new stories are told about monsters, technology, and other tropes of the genre, it’s hard to compete with The X-Files.

1993 was a big year for TV, and several popular sitcoms premiered, including Living Single, Frasier, and the nostalgia-inducing Boy Meets World. While we’re still talking about those important comedies, no one can ignore the popularity of The X-Files, or the impressive character development of Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). So, no matter how we feel about The X-Files Season 10, can we all agree that the series had a flawless pilot?

‘The X-Files’ Pilot Episode Is the Perfect Introduction to Scully and Mulder’s Journey

Fox

The tension between Scully and Mulder starts in The X-Files pilot episode, and the entire point of the series is summed up in an early interaction between the two characters. When Mulder asks, “Do you believe in the existence of extraterrestrials?” Scully replies, “The answers are there, you just have to know where to look.” We immediately know everything we need to know about these characters. As the more open-minded “believer” and the scientific “non-believer” try to solve a case involving the deaths of teenagers in Oregon, we know they’re going to spend the entire series attempting to answer one big question: are aliens real?

Mulder and Scully are still such special main characters because they’re honest with each other about what they believe. Even from their first scene, they don’t pretend to be someone they’re not, and they trust and respect each other. Along with the Oregon case, which is as alarming as some of the darkest X-Files episodes, the pilot has some hilarious moments. Mulder jokes that he’s “Steven Spielberg” when Scully asks who is knocking on her hotel room door, and viewers learn about his “Spooky Mulder” nickname. But, most of all, this important episode of The X-Files focuses on character development, including Mulder’s belief that aliens stole his sister Samantha when they were children. She’s the reason why he’s so engaged and committed, even though other characters think he should move on.

Why ‘The X-Files’ Pilot Episode Is Still the Best in the Sci-Fi Genre

Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) in the pilot of The X-Files

Sure, other sci-fi series touch on subjects that people still think and talk about today. Black Mirror has several episodes about AI, and Person of Interest explores some truly unsettling technology. But as for the absolute best sci-fi TV pilot, The X-Files still wins, thanks to its perfectly balanced tone, gripping monster story, and memorable Scully/Mulder scenes.

The X-Files pilot manages to tell a compelling story about aliens that is both funny and alarming. The flashes of light in the forest, along with the red marks found on several teenagers’ bodies, are genuinely creepy. However, it’s the scene when Mulder believes they “lost nine minutes” that is the most memorable. Although Scully notes that “time can’t just disappear,” she admits that something strange is happening, and her fear makes us want to keep watching.

On a lesser quality series, Scully and Mulder would be unlikable. She would be a know-it-all who never listens to him, and he would go on rants and share wild theories without respecting her beliefs as well. Thankfully, that’s not the dynamic here. Along with introducing likable characters (or, in some cases, unlikable characters who are fun to watch), a great TV pilot introduces a premise that can stay fresh for countless seasons. The X-Files does that perfectly. By the end of the episode, you can’t help but think, “I could watch Scully and Mulder solve cases and talk about aliens for 11 seasons… or even more.”

In some instances, it’s tough to sit down and watch a pilot again after having seen the entire series. A lot of the time, a TV show’s final season looks almost nothing like that very first episode. While The X-Files features some big narrative shifts across 11 seasons, including a revival that most don’t love, it’s possible to say that most episodes resemble the pilot. The show is often as scary and unnerving as it is funny, and fans always want to watch Scully and Mulder joke around, work together, and explore their feelings for one another.

The core of The X-Files never changes, and it all starts with the pilot episode. While these smart characters might not have chosen each other as partners, they’re determined to make it work, and their future romance is even hinted at in one brief but moving scene. After Scully goes to Mulder’s hotel room and asks him to examine the red marks that have shown up on her body, he reassures her that they’re mosquito bites, not signs of an alien presence, and they hug. It may be a small moment, but it’s proof that they can be vulnerable to each other.

The X-Files inspired other TV shows with monster-of-the-week episodes, and it doesn’t get much better than The X-Files pilot. Teenagers are being abducted by aliens in the woods. The government is aware of what’s going on. Mulder believes that he can figure this all out, no matter what. It’s all exciting, mysterious, and entertaining, and it’s the perfect start to one of the most beloved sci-fi TV shows.