Space

Season 1, Episode 9, Aired
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Episode Summary

Mulder and Scully are contacted by a communications specialist from NASA who shows them evidence of sabotage in the space programme. Mulder's youthful hero-worship is shaken by the apparent involvement of a high-ranking astronaut.
6.3
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EPISODE RATING: Fair
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Fan Episode Reviews (27)

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  • Not a Crowd Favourite

    7.0
    "Good"
    By KennyRogersLove, May 20, 2011 Report Abuse
    What can I say, Space, my least favorite episode of the X-Files. The Martian faced man/ghost was what turned me off in the episode. I don't know what CC and company were thinking when they created this MOTW. Maybe the limitations of technology for television shows is what to blame for the sad excuse of a Martian ghost. This episode reminded me alot of Apollo 13. If it could go wrong in this episode, it did. Multiple malfunctions of the shuttle, the entire episode was whether or not the crew would live or die.

    However, this episode did have two redeeming qualities. First, the Mulder-Belt relationship. If you want to divulge deep into a literary analysis of it, you could say they had a faux "father-son" relationship. Mulder idolized Belt from his childhood, Mulder learns of Belts treachery to that childhood dream, and Mulder sees Belt for what he is, a man. This \"rite of passage\" for Mulder could be interpreted as his first realization that he can't trust even those he thought he could. Second, the man vs. self concept. Belt is constantly struggling with the "Martian Ghost" throughout the episode. Is he really trying to fight his own inner demons; brought on by the knowledge of the defective equipment he himself ok for the mission?

    In conclusion, on the surface, Space royally sucked. The monster was terrible, the characters were out of place (a space mission in the middle of the X-Files), and I'm still confused regarding what exactly the storyline was in this episode. However, if you look just below the surface, there is some depth and reason to Chris Carter's madness in this episode. By using classic literary devices and struggles, Carter begins to mold his brilliant technique of story-telling. This episode was the foundation upon which the rest of the X-Files would flourish.

    Overall, I rate Space a 7moreless

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    3 0

  • Houston we have a problem...

    2.0
    "Terrible"
    By mrsKrycek, May 20, 2011 Report Abuse
    This eppisode is aruguably one of the worst i've ever seen. No offence to all you people who loved it but... it sucked. Anyway astronauts are about to send supplies to the space station. Someone from nasa informs mulder that some body sabotaged the shuttle. no one wants to do anything and the shuttle is launched. one of the mrn in charge at nasa is being 'haunted' (for lack of better word' by a mask like face he first saw in space. the man happens to be one of mulder's childhood heros. anyway...
    Houston we have a problem...we may crash and burn.moreless

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    2 2

  • A space shuttle mission is in danger and the man in charge at NASA, a chidhood hero of Fox, is being haunted by mysterious ghost-alien.

    4.5
    "Poor"
    By johndoe70, May 20, 2011 Report Abuse
    One of the worst episodes in the entire series run. The problems are, largely, due to script, which feels rushed and incomplete. The acting is all solid, with an interesting father-son dynamic with Fox and his childhood idol. It is also nice to see Scully given more screentime and allowed to be more assertive in a crisis. Their are many great ways that the X-Files could have dealt with the NASA space program, but this isn't it. Almost nothing about this episode, script-wise, is clear or even remotely convincing. The ghost-alien is not only a ackward idea, altough it could have worked, but looks horrible, even for early 1990's network television. It is said, "In space no one can hear you scream", but people may very well hear audiences across the globe sceaming in horror at the shabby writing in this episode.moreless

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    0 1

  • Definitely not the worst episode, as Mulder and Scully are nicely in character, but nowhere near good.

    5.0
    "Mediocre"
    By NeekBreek, Sep 16, 2008 Report Abuse
    This episode is often quoted as the worst X-Files episode, but I have to disagree. At least Mulder is his easily excited self, Scully provides the usual logical thinking and there's an odd scary moment.

    The use of the "face on Mars" in this episode is... interesting. It's left hanging what the space ghost actually is, but as far as monsters of the week go, it's creepy enough. Does it make sense? No. And the plot is a weary drudge, hardly managing to hold any suspense. But at least this episode doesn't make me feel embarrassed for the characters and actors, like some of the episodes in the last seasons.moreless

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    0 0

  • Not as bad as some fans say, but definitely not in the top echelon of episodes either.

    6.5
    "Fair"
    By AgentMuIder, Sep 16, 2008 Report Abuse
    I thought Mulder seeing a "cover-up" so to speak with the Colonel Belt lying to the press about the mishaps. Their reasoning seemed logical though, that failure could end NASA or funds for it in the future. I almost skipped this episode due to all the bad reviews, but am glad I did watch. I think what some maybe didnt realize is that Belt jumping out the window didnt end the "space ghost" entity. I think as they show the funeral, you see that the MC's husband looks a bit off, like he may be suffering a fate similiar to Colonel Belt, maybe not however since not of the crew went outside the ship during the mission.moreless

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    0 0
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • Principal setting: Houston, Texas. Edit
    • Mulder claims that Belt took the alien with him at the end of the episode. This is the same alien that floated off and wrecked Generoo's car and wandered up to the space shuttle. Why is Mulder so convinced that the ghostly creature didn't escape? Edit
    • Revealing Mistake: Look closely at the folders Mulder and Scully are examining. The three folders in front of Mulder have the numbers 10, 17, and 47 on them. These same folders appear on the shelves Scully is looking through. In addition, there doesn't seem to be any sense to the numbering at all. While it's hard enough to imagine the agents will find evidence of a saboteur in all the files in the first place, wouldn't this jumble make it even more difficult? Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • Susanna Thompson plays Michelle Generoo in this episode. Her most recent appearance was in the NCIS episode entitled Ex-File. Edit
    • BreaXfast, the premier Washington, DC X-files fan club, views Space as the all-time worst X-files episode ever. In a 2003 press release, Jon Lindsley, designated spokesperson for BreaXfast, is quoted as saying, "It sucked so much." It has been voted "The Worst Episode of All Time" every year since its air date in 1993. Edit
    • Writer and series creator Chris Carter admitted that he wasn't entirely happy with the special effects in this episode. Mat Beck, the visual effects supervisor on the show, had only 4 days to create all the special effects in this episode and wasn't able to complete them all. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Mulder: Hey, Scully, we send those men up into space to unlock the doors of the universe, and we don't even know what's behind them. Edit
    • Belt: You know what it means to be an astronaut, sir? You risk your life every time you get into your spacecraft for nothing more than the good progress of mankind. Mulder: You've got no argument from me, sir. You're true American heroes. Belt: Heroes? We used to make headlines when we did our job right. Now they bury them in the back of the paper. Name me two astronauts on the last shuttle mission. You make the front page today only if you screw up. They only know your name if you're the unlucky SOB sitting on 500 tons of dynamite. That's what they're really waiting for. Edit
    • Scully: What do you think? Mulder: I can't believe how much faith we put in machines. Edit

  • Allusions

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