By Amari Leiva-Urzua
From government and supernatural conspiracies to the birth of Wiki fandoms and the term “shipping,” the X-Files have defined what it means to be a sci-fi TV show fan.
For communications director Lauren Krattiger and TV producer Carly Blake the X-Files has shaped their childhoods, friendship, and careers. As two fans-turned-filmmakers, they have produced a YouTube channel, The X-Files Fan Retrospective, featuring over 90 interviews with the show’s cast and crew.
Reflecting on the legacy of the X-Files, both Krattiger and Blake agree that the show has had widespread social and cultural impacts.
First airing in 1993, the X-Files reflected a 90s American society rife with social turbulence following the Vietnam War and Watergate controversy. Unlike other shows, it brought to life the social fears of conspiracies, technology and surveillance, and government corruption.
“The X-Files forecasted the mistrust that people had and have today in the government,” said Krattiger.
Featuring the first intellectual female protagonist, Diana Scully, the X-Files saw a wave of young women begin to pursue careers in STEM fields. It was this social marvel that was referred to as the “Scully Effect”.
Blake herself was inspired by Scully, as a 10-year-old girl watching the character and realising “wow, she’s strong, she’s tough.” She even credits the character of Scully as being one of her inspirations for “entering the, at the time, male-dominated field of TV production.”
Beyond the social sphere, the X-Files aired alongside the internet boom, with AOL chatrooms becoming the early Wiki fandoms for the show.
Krattiger reflects on the significance of the fandom, saying that its value cannot be overstated.
“We have met so many people that have met their spouse, their best friends, any kind of relationship that is significant to them because of the fandom,” she said.
It is the commitment of the fans to the show, 31 years on, that has propelled Krattiger and Blakes’ YouTube channel.
“Carly and I set out to create the documentary that us, as lifelong fans want to see,” Krattiiger said.
Describing their channel as a “love letter” to the show, it has succeeded in its aims to “preserve and eternalise” its memories.
They have managed to interview not only from the director and principal cast but “the producers, editors, writers, people whose story isn’t told despite them being creators of the show,” Blake explains.
The channel perfectly illustrates how the X-Files was a show created by the people and for the people, channelling socio-cultural fears, political controversies, and the rise of technology.
Featured image: X-Files Fan Retrospective producers Lauren Krattiger and Carly Blake. Photos: Amari Leiva-Urzua/Pilar F/CC/Flickr
