Oct 31, 2017
The X-Files and Star Trek.
Just like Kirk and Spock, Mulder and Scully have become pop-culture
icons, outgrowing the some 200 television episodes and two films in
which they appear. Although The X-Files has yet to achieve Star
Trek’s level of longevity, the property will soon mark its
twenty-fifth anniversary, and is returning next year for the
further adventures of the two indefatigable FBI agents—now both in
their fifties. In Star Trek terms, it has made it from “The Man
Trap” all the way through to The Undiscovered Country.
In this special Halloween episode of Primitive Culture, Tony returns from his long vacation on Risa to talk with Duncan about the only show he might love more than Star Trek. We discuss the thematic connections between these two science fiction behemoths, looking at their shared interest in UFO culture, preoccupation with the historical legacies of World War II, and the various ways in which the huge success of The X-Files in the 1990s might have shaped the Trek that followed—from the shady shenanigans of Section 31 in Deep Space Nine to the latest episodes of Discovery.
Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
Longevity and Nostalgia (00:03:40)
The Nineties’ Zeitgeist and Mistrust of Authority (00:17:19)
World War II Guilt and Conspiracy (00:22:35)
9/11 and the Restarting of History (00:48:14)
Closing (00:58:23)
Hosts
Tony Black and Duncan Barrett
Production
Tony Black (Editor) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew
Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman
C. Lao (Associate Producer) Amy Nelson (Associate Producer) Richard
Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon
Manager)