Random X-Files Storylines That Never Aired (16 items)

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  (#14) A Supernatural Zack Morris Time Out

  Well, OK, maybe not. Zack Morris from Saved by the Bell was never slated to appear on X-Files, but a season 7 episode of the show nearly had a similar premise to Zack's famous Time Outs. Writer Chip Johannessen envisioned a story about a prison inmate with the ability to stop time. The idea proved problematic, as the story bore too much resemblance to the episode "Beyond The Sea." After much workshopping and tweaking, the idea became the episode "Orison." Better luck next time, Zach.
  
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  (#5) Ancient Aliens Nearly Crashed the X-Files Party

  The "Ancient Aliens" theory is worth big bucks these days, with the History Channel devoting an entire series to it. Back in the mid '90s, however, it was considered cuckoo crazy. That didn't stop cameraman DW Panone from submitting a script about it, entitled "The Song of the Sun." The idea had some legs; it was passed around by producers and writers of the show. In fact, the only reason it was turned down was budgetary concerns. It goes to show that there are no rewards for being ahead of your time.
  
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  (#9) Mulder Gets Abducted

  David Duchovny dreamed of writing and directing an episode in which Mulder is abducted, and seen trapped in an alien spaceship. The episode would explain Duchovny's absence from the show after he left. Unfortunately, he was on rocky ground with series creator Chris Carter after leaving, and Carter flatly told Duchovny he wasn't interested in such an episode because it didn't feature Dogget, the character who replaced Mulder. Ouch.
  
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  (#2) The Secret Origin of "Final Destination"

  Somewhere in the multiverse there exists an alternate reality in which the horror franchise "Final Destination" never happened, but was instead a single episode of The X-Files entitled "Flight 180." In 1994, screenwriter Jeffrey Reddick created a spec script for X-Files entitled "Flight 180." He wrote it for his agent, to show around as a sample, and because X-Files was his favorite show. Years later, Reddick reworked the episode, which was about a man (Scully's brother) who can foresee his own death, into what has become a bustling series of blockbuster thrillers. Never give up, kids.
  
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  (#16) The Aborted Supernatural Abortion

  Abortion is a touchy subject, and corporations don't like touchy subjects, because perception of taking a political stand might impact the bottom line. This is probably why Fox vetoed the idea to do a story based on abortion, sight unseen. It was a pitch from veteran writer James Wong, but the suits at Fox weren't even interested in the story.
  
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  (#11) The Tilt-A-Whirl Hostage

  This pitch never evolved past a basic idea from writer Vince Gilligan. For years, he tried to sell the other writers and producers on the concept of an episode in which a man holds a hostage on a Tilt-A-Whirl. It was a funny gag in theory, but ultimately it was decided there wasn't much of a mystery to build around it. Vince would later re-use some ideas from his pitches for the episode "Drive," featuring future Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston.
  

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