Editing The X-Files (section)

=== Opening sequence ===
[[File:XFilesCreditsS1-7.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Shots from the show's original and current opening credit sequence]]
The opening sequence was made in 1993 for the first season, and remained unchanged until Duchovny left the show.<ref name="TheTruthBehindSeasonEight"/><ref name="TheTruthBehindSeasonOne"/> Carter sought to make the title an "impactful opening" with "supernatural images".{{sfn|Hurwitz|Knowles|2008|p=35}} These scenes notably include a split-screen image of a seed germinating and a "terror-filled, warped face".{{sfn|Hurwitz|Knowles|2008|p=35}} The latter was created when Carter found a video operator who was able to create the effect. The sequence was extremely popular and won the show its first Emmy Award, which was for Outstanding Graphic Design and Title Sequences. Producer [[Paul Rabwin]] was particularly pleased with the sequence, and felt that it was something that had "never [been] seen on television before".<ref name="TheTruthBehindSeasonOne"/> In 2017, James Charisma of ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]'' ranked the show's opening sequence #8 on a list of ''The 75 Best TV Title Sequences of All Time''.<ref name="Paste">{{cite magazine |title=The 75 Best TV Title Sequences of All Time |website=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]] |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/01/the-75-best-tv-title-sequences-of-all-time.html |author=Charisma, James |date=January 4, 2017 |access-date=January 16, 2017}}</ref>

The premiere episode of season eight, "Within", revealed the first major change to the opening credits. Along with Patrick, the sequence used new images and updated photos for Duchovny and Anderson, although Duchovny only appears in the opening credits when he appears in an episode. Carter and the production staff saw Duchovny's departure as a chance to change things. The replacement shows various pictures of Scully's pregnancy. According to executive producer [[Frank Spotnitz]], the sequence also features an "abstract" way of showing Mulder's absence in the eighth season: he falls into an eye.<ref name="TheTruthBehindSeasonEight">{{Cite AV media |people=[[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Carter, Chris]] |year=2002 |section=The Truth Behind Season 8 |medium=DVD |title=[[The X-Files season 8|The X-Files: The Complete Eighth Season]] |publisher=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox Home Entertainment]]|display-authors=etal}}</ref> Season nine featured an entirely new sequence. Since Anderson wanted to move on, the sequence featured Reyes and Skinner. Duchovny's return to the show for the ninth-season finale, "[[The Truth (The X-Files)|The Truth]]" marked the largest number of cast members to be featured in the opening credits, with five.<ref name="TheTruthBehindSeasonNine"/> The revival seasons use the series' original opening credits sequence.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mipcom-new-x-files-wows-829845 |title=MIPCOM: New 'X-Files' Wows at World Premiere |work=The Hollywood Reporter |first=Scott |last=Roxborough |date=October 6, 2015 |access-date=March 8, 2018}}</ref>

The sequence ends with the tagline "The Truth Is Out There", which is used for the majority of the episodes.{{sfn|Hurwitz|Knowles|2008|p=35}} For certain episodes, the tagline was changed to be more thematically-relevant; a list of the episodes that received alternate taglines is as follows:
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" 
! Episode
! Tagline
! Source
|-
|"[[The Erlenmeyer Flask]]"
|"Trust No One"
|{{sfn|Lowry|1995|p=156}}
|-
|"[[Ascension (The X-Files)|Ascension]]"
|"Deny Everything"
|{{sfn|Lovece|1996|p=120}}
|-
|"[[Anasazi (The X-Files)|Anasazi]]"
|"{{lang|nv|'éí 'aaníígÓÓ 'áhoot'é'}}"<br>("The truth is far from here" in [[Navajo language|Navajo]])
|{{sfn|Lovece|1996|p=176}}
|-
|"[[731 (The X-Files)|731]]"
|"Apology is Policy"
|<ref>{{cite episode |title=731 |series=The X-Files |network=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox.]] |date=December 1, 1995}}</ref>
|-
|"[[Herrenvolk (The X-Files)|Herrenvolk]]"
|"Everything Dies"
|{{sfn|Meisler|1998|p=27}}
|-
|"[[Teliko]]"
|"Deceive Inveigle Obfuscate"
|<ref>{{cite episode |title=Teliko |series=The X-Files |network=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox.]] |date=October 18, 1996}}</ref>
|-
|"[[Terma (The X-Files)|Terma]]"
|"{{lang|it|E pur si muove}}"<br>("And still it moves" in [[Italian language|Italian]], a quote attributed to Galileo)
|<ref>{{cite episode |title=Terma |series=The X-Files |network=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox.]] |date=December 1, 1996}}</ref>{{sfn|Meisler|1998|p=102}}
|-
|"[[Gethsemane (The X-Files)|Gethsemane]]"
|"Believe the Lie"
|<ref>{{cite episode |title=Gethsemane |series=The X-Files |network=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox.]] |date=May 18, 1997}}</ref>
|-
|"[[Redux (The X-Files)|Redux]]"
|"All Lies Lead to the Truth"
|<ref>{{cite episode |title=Redux |series=The X-Files |network=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox.]] |date=November 2, 1997}}</ref>
|-
|"[[The Red and the Black (The X-Files)|The Red and the Black]]"
|"Resist or Serve"
|<ref>{{cite episode |title=The Red and the Black |series=The X-Files |network=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox.]] |date=March 8, 1998}}</ref>
|-
|"[[The End (The X-Files)|The End]]"
|"The End"
|<ref>{{cite episode |title=The End |series=The X-Files |network=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox.]] |date=May 17, 1998}}</ref>
|-
|"[[Triangle (The X-Files)|Triangle]]"
|"{{lang|de|Die Wahrheit ist irgendwo da draußen}}"<br>("The truth is out there somewhere" in [[German language|German]])
|<ref>{{cite episode |title=Triangle |series=The X-Files |network=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox.]] |date=November 22, 1998}}</ref>{{sfn|Meisler|2000|p=41}}
|-
|"[[The Unnatural (The X-Files)|The Unnatural]]"
|"In the Big Inning"
|<ref>{{cite episode |title=The Unnatural |series=The X-Files |network=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox.]] |date=April 25, 1999}}</ref>
|-
|"[[The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati]]"
|"{{lang|la|Amor Fati}}"<br>("Love of fate" in [[Latin language|Latin]])
|<ref>{{cite episode |title=The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati |series=The X-Files |network=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox.]] |date=November 14, 1999}}</ref>{{sfn|Donaldson|2007|pp=8–9}}
|-
|"[[Closure (The X-Files)|Closure]]"
|"Believe to Understand"
|{{sfn|Shapiro|2001|p=139}}
|-
|"[[Nothing Important Happened Today|Nothing Important Happened Today II]]"
|"Nothing Important Happened Today"
|<ref>{{cite episode |title=Nothing Important Happened Today II |series=The X-Files |network=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox.]] |date=November 18, 2001}}</ref>
|-
|"[[4-D (The X-Files)|4-D]]"
|"erehT tuO si hturT ehT"<br>("The Truth is Out There", backwards)
|<ref>{{cite episode |title=4-D |series=The X-Files |network=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox.]] |date=December 9, 2001}}</ref>
|-
|"[[Trust No 1]]"
|"They're Watching"
|<ref>{{cite episode |credits=Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz (writers); Tony Wharmby (director) |title=Trust No 1 |series=The X-Files |season=9 |number=6 |airdate=January 6, 2002 |network=Fox}}</ref>
|-
|"[[Improbable (The X-Files)|Improbable]]"
|"{{lang|it|Dio ti ama}}"<br>("God loves you" in Italian)
|<ref>{{cite episode |title=Improbable |series=The X-Files |network=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox.]] |date=April 7, 2002}}</ref>
|-
|"[[My Struggle II]]"
|"This Is the End"
|<ref>{{cite web |title=Review: 'The X-Files' Season 10 Episode 6, 'My Struggle II' Brings Us a Bitter End |url=https://www.indiewire.com/article/review-the-x-files-season-10-episode-6-my-struggle-ii-brings-us-a-bitter-end-20160223 |website=Indiewire |first=Liz Shannon |last=Miller |date=February 23, 2016 |access-date=March 10, 2016}}</ref>
|-
|"[[My Struggle III]]"
|"I Want to Believe/I Want to Lie"
|<ref>{{cite episode |title=My Struggle III |series=The X-Files |network=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox.]] |date=January 3, 2018}}</ref>
|-
|"[[This (The X-Files)|This]]"
|"Accuse Your Enemies of that Which You are Guilty"
|<ref>{{cite episode |title=This |series=The X-Files |network=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox.]] |date=January 10, 2018}}</ref>
|-
|"[[Ghouli]]"
|"You See What I Want You to See"
|<ref>{{cite episode |title=Ghouli |series=The X-Files |network=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox.]] |date=January 31, 2018}}</ref>
|-
|"[[Kitten (The X-Files)|Kitten]]"
|"A War is Never Over"
|<ref>{{cite episode |title=Kitten |series=The X-Files |network=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox.]] |date=February 7, 2018}}</ref>
|-
|"[[Rm9sbG93ZXJz]]"
|"VGhlIFRydXRoIGlzIE91dCBUaGVyZQ="<br>("The Truth is Out There" in [[Base64]])
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/02/x-files-season-11-episode-7-rm9sbg93zxjz-review-no-dialogue-followers-base64-spoilers-1201934001/ |title='The X-Files' Review: 'Rm9sbG93ZXJz' Keeps It Simple and Silent for a Creatively Daring Episode |website=IndieWire |first=Liz Shannon |last=Miller |date=February 28, 2018 |access-date=March 8, 2018}}</ref>
|-
|"[[Nothing Lasts Forever (The X-Files)|Nothing Lasts Forever]]"
|"I Want to be Beautiful"
|<ref>{{cite episode |title=Kitten |series=The X-Files |network=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox.]] |date=March 14, 2018}}</ref>
|-
|"[[My Struggle IV]]"
|"{{lang|la|Salvator Mundi}}"<br>("Savior of the World" in Latin)
|<ref>{{cite episode |title=My Struggle IV |series=The X-Files |network=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox.]] |date=March 21, 2018}}</ref>
|}