33 Years Ago, A Sci-Fi Masterpiece Triggered An Unexpected Real-World Movement
While some sci-fi shows are purely meant for entertainment and escapism, others end up triggering real changes in the world. Falling in the latter category, one of the iconic shows of the genre from the 1990s ended up paving the way for a massive movement in the real world. The show in question, The X-Files, continues to influence the sci-fi genre in more ways than one.
However, its real world impact on science is what makes its legacy even more fascinating.
Drawing inspiration from many incredible classic sci-fi shows like The Twilight Zone, Twin Peaks, and Tales from the Dark Side, The X-Files proved to be a massive hit when it first premiered. Although the show eventually lost some momentum and received a more divisive reception towards the end, it is still considered one of the best things that happened to the sci-fi genre.
Beyond garnering multiple awards and nominations throughout its runtime and prompting many viewers to embrace conspiracy theories and spirituality, The X-Files also set the stage for a phenomenon called "The Scully Effect." Named after one of the two main characters, Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), of the series, the phenomenon highlights how good storytelling has the ability transcend its original medium and change the world for the better.
The X-Files Triggered "The Scully Effect"
Gillian Anderson's Dana Scully is such a well-written and well-played character in The X-Files that she single-handedly inspired many young girls and women to pursue degrees and careers in STEM. This phenomenon is referred to as the Scully Effect. It is a well-documented phenomenon based on a study conducted by the Gina Davis Institute.
Almost two-thirds of the women who participated in the study and worked in STEM agreed Dana Scully was a role model. Over 90% of the women who knew about The X-Files called Dana Scully a strong female lead and perfect role model for young girls and women.
The study also revealed that the women who frequently watched The X-Files were 50% more likely to work in STEM than the ones who watched it less or did not watch the show at all.
For someone who has seen The X-Files, these findings should actually not be surprising at all. Instead of portraying a scientist as a heavily coded eccentric man who remains socially isolated, The X-Files introduced Scully as a competent and multi-layered woman who used logic and concrete evidence to get to the bottom of mysteries.
Her growing popularity in pop culture also seemingly played a crucial role in paving the way for other strong small-screen female leads, like Temperance "Bones" Brennan from Bones, Samantha Carter from Stargate SG-1, and Abby Sciuto from NCIS.
The X-Files' Wide Influence Lingers After 3 Decades
In hindsight, it is hard not to see how The X-Files not only brought talented actors like Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny to the limelight but also served as an incubator for creative powerhouses like Vince Gilligan, Howard Gordon, and Alex Gansa. Vince Gilligan is now best known for his crime dramas like Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
However, long before these acclaimed shows, Gilligan got a major writing break from The X-Files. After all these years, Gilligan is now leveraging his sci-fi roots from The X-Files in Apple TV's hit series, Pluribus.
Even the term "shipping," which refers to fans rooting for two characters to get romantically involved, was popularized by The X-Files fandom when they grew increasingly interested in seeing Mulder and Scully's romantic developments.
Modern fandom practices, like fan-fiction archives and message board speculations, also found their origins when The X-Files prompted viewers to heavily discuss its mysteries and conspiracies.
Even from a thematic standpoint, The X-Files was among the first few TV shows to truly popularize themes surrounding institutional distrust and surveillance states. These later defined some of the greatest modern sci-fi dramas, like Mr. Robot, Person of Interest, and Severance.