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

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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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  (#7) XFilesX / Self Defense

  • Musical Album

  While David Duchovny was taking a few weeks off from The X-Files to film Playing God, the writers thought it would be funny to sidestep his absence by making an episode devoted to Scully. Since the air date for the episode in question was in December, why not an X-Files version of A Christmas Carol? Ever the skeptic, Scully played the part of Scrooge. The idea was abandoned completely after a few rocky rewrites.
  
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  (#15) Two Episodes That Went to the Dogs

  The only thing cooler than an episode of X-Files where Mulder and Scully face down a feral, supernatural dog would be TWO EPISODES where Mulder and Scully face down a feral, supernatural dog. At least that's what Jeffery Bell thought when he pitched two separate stories: one about dogs in a kennel with psychic links to the Ids of children, and one about a terrifying, vengeful canine who follows a family across the country. The ideas were condensed into the now-classic episode "Alpha."
  
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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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  (#13) The Bad Water That Should've Been a Gold Mine

  Imagine Mulder and Scully chasing a monster through a labyrinthine underground gold mine. Sounds like a million dollar idea, right? That's what writer David Amann thought. But series executive producer Frank Spotnitz thought a gold mine was a bit trite, so the location was changed to a hurricane-flooded, monster-infested building, and the episode became "Agua Mala."
  
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  (#3) A Tribute to "Night of the Living Dead"

  Imagine if Stephen King wrote a modern update of the classic Night of the Living Dead starring Mulder and Scully, and it was directed by zombie creator George A Romero. It could have been legendary, but the idea fell just short of becoming reality. Romero, King, and X-Files executive producers were on board for the episode, talks were underway, the wheels were in motion - but eventually it all fell apart, as Hollywood dream teams usually do.
  

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