'The X-Files' at NYCC: Our Spoileriffic Recap of the Premiere

The truth is finally out there: When The X-Files returns to the airwaves on Jan. 24, it’s going to be a genuine continuation, not a ground-up reboot. Taking the stage at New York Comic Con to introduce the premiere of the first new episode of The X-Files to air on network television since 2002, Silicon Valley star/X-Files superfan Kumail Nanjiani made it clear that we were watching the first installment of Season 10.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD. READ ON AT YOUR OWN RISK.

That continuity was reinforced in the opening credits, which preserves the same title sequence that fans remember from the early ‘90s, right down to Mark Snow’s spooky theme song, two decade-old photos of stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, and the classic “The Truth Is Out There" stinger. The episode that followed was filled with callbacks and references to past seasons, with appearances by Fox Mulder’s former boss, Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi), his former nemesis, the Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis), and even his old office — you know, the one with all the pencils in the ceiling.

But the Season 10 premiere also acknowledges that much time has passed and many things have changed for our favorite paranormal-obsessed duo. For one thing, neither Mulder nor Scully are currently employed by the FBI; their pet project, the X-Files, was shuttered a decade ago. Not only are they no longer professional colleagues, they’re also no longer personally involved… a fact that rankles Mulder a little more than it does Scully.

“One time, I was going under a bridge, and I saw a sign that read, 'Life has many bumps in the road,’” X-Files mastermind Chris Carter told the crowd after the episode screened. “I think Mulder and Scully have hit one of those.” He went on to add that while the first episode leans heavily on the show’s densely layered mythology, subsequent installments will be classic case-of-the-week hours. “Episodes 1 and 6 are with a mythology episodes, and then we’re going to do standalone episodes for the next four.” In another nod towards the show’s fanbase, those stories will be written by such beloved X-Files stalwarts as Glen Morgan and James Wong.

And if that’s all the advanced knowledge you want of The X-Files before its Jan. 24 return, best to move along, because we’re about to reveal a few more “truths” that you might not be ready for.

SERIOUSLY, EVEN MORE SPOILERS BELOW. WE MEAN IT.

Still here? Okay, so Season 10, Episode 1 opens with a lengthy expository sequence during which Mulder narrates his personal history with the X-Files, and then jumps even further back in time to outline the history of alien activity in America. After that, we head straight into a flashback to 1947, with a UFO crash-landing in the New Mexico desert. Via additional flashback sequences woven throughout the rest of the episode, we watch a young, yet-to-be-named doctor being escorted by military personnel to the crash site, where he observes troops raiding the craft for technology and even executing its extraterrestrial inhabitant.

Meanwhile, in the present day, Scully is gainfully employed as a surgeon in Washington D.C. while her former paramour (and, as we’re reminded, father of her child) Mulder is living like a hermit in a small house in the middle of nowhere. The two are still in touch, though, and Scully is given good reason to touch base with her ex.

Through Skinner, she’s been informed that a prominent talk show host/conspiracy nut, Tad O'Malley (Joel McHale), is eager to meet them. O'Malley, by the way, is kind of a cross between Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly, although, as he contemptuously tells Scully, “What O'Reilly knows about the truth could fill an eyedropper.” More importantly, he has a crush on Scully, and she appears happier about that than fans will be. He’s building a case to bring down a big-time conspiracy and hopes to draw upon Mulder and Scully’s particular areas of expertise.

Not surprisingly, Scully is skeptical while Mulder is non-committal, but their would-be benefactor has two key pieces of evidence to show them. The first is a woman (The Americans star Annet Mahendru) who claims to have been abducted multiple times by aliens and has the scars to prove it. The second is an actual alien ship that has been recovered by O'Malley’s team, a craft that runs on Zero-point energy rather than any fossil fuels, and also has the ability to turn itself invisible. Quickly, the gears in Mulder’s brain start to turn and he comes to a startling realization: There never has been an alien conspiracy. Instead, the conspiracy is all human-made, as shadowy figures at the highest levels of power used this recovered alien technology to pursue their sinister agenda.

Is your mind blown yet? Mulder’s certainly is, which is only natural considering that everything he’s believed up until this point now seems to be a smokescreen for a bigger earth-bound conspiracy. (In one scene, he shares his realization with an elderly informant, who is revealed to be the doctor from the flashback sequences.)

For his part, O'Malley is completely convinced that the conspirators’ endgame is nothing less than the takeover of America and the rest of the world, pointing to increased government surveillance and societal unrest (illustrated via a montage that uses news footage from real-world events like the Iraq War and Edward Snowden) as signs that they’ll finally be making their move, and soon. He plans to take to the airwaves and reveal their scheme to the world, but before he can, the men in the shadows prove they’re not to be toyed with. Very quickly, the UFO in O'Malley’s possession is destroyed, his alien abductee is discredited (and then removed more… well, permanently), and his show unexpectedly ceases broadcasting. The good news is that these events convince Skinner to re-open the X-Files and reactivate Mulder and Scully to get to the bottom of who is using this alien technology, and why.

Even though the audience had a lot to process watching the episode (and the large amount of exposition will likely be a big hurdle for non-fans), the mood in the room was electric as the screening drew to a close. After all, the NYCC audience was made up of true believers, and they made their appreciation know when Carter, Duchovny, and Pileggi took the stage.

It was the first time both actors had seen the episode, and Duchovny summed up his reaction succinctly: “Not that I didn’t expect it to be fantastic, but I think it looks really great. [Chris] did an amazing job.” For his part, Carter admitted to feeling “nervous” about how viewers will react to the first episode. But he also expressed excitement at what’s to come. “It’s a perfect time to be telling an X-Files story,” he mused. “[The real world] gave us a lot to write about.”

The X-Files premieres Jan. 24 at 9 p.m. on Fox