Kim Newman's Guide to The X-Files

FOX MULDER (David Duchovny)

Obsessive seeker for truth, motivated by the unsolved disappearance of his sister (aliens took her), Mulder is ostracised in the bureau but more often proved right than not. Duchovny had previously played a transvestite FBI agent on Twin Peaks, and Chris Carter gave his hero some interesting kinks, including a subscription to Celebrity Skin magazine and a prophecy that he would die due to auto-erotic asphyxiation.

DANA SCULLY (Gillian Anderson)

Instinctive sceptic, but also a devout Catholic, Scully is given the X-Files gig initially in the hope of debunking Mulder’s crusade, and also to use her medical qualifications to help out with autopsies and other icky business. At first, Scully seemed modelled on Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, but then-unknown Anderson imprinted so strongly on the character that she became her own woman. A problem was that, after three or four episodes, Scully’s scepticism became hard to take — she saw a werewolf last week, so why is she doubting the human fluke this week? Later plots had her recover from terminal illness, and perhaps become immortal.

WALTER SKINNER (Mitch Pileggi)

Assistant Director of the FBI, and the traditional gruff but steadfast boss — like Alexander Waverley on The Man From UNCLE or the Chief on Get Smart. A porn star once listed the character as the sexiest bald man on television, which must have made up for all the frustrating cover-up and bawling-out scenes Pileggi had to play. At first a possible baddie, the character eventually became one of the show’s heroes and earned a few spotlight episodes. Aside from Duchovny and Anderson, he’s the only actor to have reprised his role in both X-Files films.

THE CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN (William S. Davis)

At first, just one of the Canadian bit-players retained to sit around darkened rooms looking sinister as cabals discussed thwarting Mulder, the CSM became the continuing villain of The X-Files, rewarded with a solo show (‘Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man’) and eventually revealed to have a name (C.G.B. Spender) and to be Mulder’s biological father (though, like all the other big reveals, this was probably provisional).

THE LONE GUNMEN (Tom Braidwood, Bruce Harwood & Dean Haglund)

A trio of ill-assorted conspiracy theorists, computer hackers and knowalls introduced in the episode ‘E.B.E.’ in the ‘Huggy Bear’ role of hero’s comedy informant — delivering helpful exposition and eccentric humour in one package. The geeks caught on with fans who perhaps saw the Lone Gunmen as more likely role models than the conventionally attractive heroes and became fixtures on the show, getting a showcase episode (‘Unusual Suspects’) and a short-lived spin-off series.

JOHN DOGGETT (Robert Patrick) & MONICA REYES (Annabeth Gish)

When Duchovny left the show and Anderson took a lessened role, Patrick and Gish were brought in as new agents assigned to the X-Files and shouldered the burden for the final seasons. Though seen as a sign of the series petering out, the new blood actually helped the show get over a hump — both actors were excellent, and the characters weren’t burdened by backstory the way Mulder and Scully became after six or seven seasons.

ALEX KRYCEK (Nicholas Lea) and JEFFREY SPENDER (Chris Owens)

Boo hiss. Both characters started out as FBI agents assigned to work with Mulder, but actually had their own evil agendas and popped up again as ambiguous villains. Krycek kept losing bits of himself and Spender might have been Mulder’s brother.

DEEP THROAT (Jerry Hardin), MR. X (Steven Williams) and MARIA COVARRUBIAS (Laurie Holden).
Mulder’s informants, who helpfully loitered in dark places passing on files, information, misinformation and plot spoilers for batches of episodes.