The iconic science fiction television series The X-Files premiered in September of 1993, and ran for nine years before going off the air in 2002. Created by screenwriter Chris Carter, The X-Files owns a cult-like status as one of the most popular science fiction/horror/mystery shows of our generation.

The show chronicles the investigations of FBI agents Fox Mulder, played by David Duchovny, and Dana Scully, played by Gillian Anderson, as they investigate what the government has labeled the “X-Files.” These are unsolved cases that involve paranormal phenomena, otherwise known as the supernatural.

The X-Files purposely played on the public’s mistrust of the government and strongly embraced and cultivated the conspiracy theories of the government covering up the existence of extraterrestrial life.

The show’s slogans such as “Trust No One” and the “The Truth Is Out There” appeared on the fronts of t-shirts all across the country throughout the 1990s.

As far as the characters, Mulder is a true believer in the existence of aliens and the paranormal. In fact, he garnered the name “Spooky” Mulder  from his FBI collegeaus.  One of the central themes of the series is Mulder’s belief that his sister, Samantha Mulder, was abducted by aliens as a child.

Scully, on the other hand, is a true skeptic who depends on science to develop explanations for the bizarre circumstances that surround all of their cases. The two created a perfect formula that excellently balanced out the show.

Throughout the series the two partners tangle with a mysterious group of men comprising an unnamed, secret division within the U.S. government, known as the “The Syndicate.”  The agents eventually learn that this covert agency is the muscle behind all the conspiracy and government cover-ups.

Probably one of the most iconic villains in science fiction lore is the front man for The Syndicate.  He got the unofficial name, the Cigarette Smoking Man, or the Cancer Man, and was played by William B. Davis. For much of the show this character stayed at the heart of almost every cover-up or conspiracy that spun out of the X-Files.

By its final season of original episodes the show had become the longest running science fiction series in U.S. television history. However, that record was later broken by the Syfy Channel’s Stargate SG-1. Still, nothing will ever take the place of The X-Files as the most original science fiction series ever.