Biogenesis (The X-Files)
Encyclopedia
"Biogenesis" is the 139th episode and the twenty-second episode of the sixth season
of the science fiction
television series The X-Files
. The episode first aired in the United States and Canada on May 16, 1999 on the FOX Network
, and subsequently aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky1. It was written by executive producers Chris Carter
and Frank Spotnitz
, and directed by Rob Bowman. The episode is the first of a three-part episode and continues with the episodes "The Sixth Extinction
" and "The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati
".
"Biogenesis" tells the story of a bizarre rock inscribed with Navajo writing found in Côte d'Ivoire, and the death of the African scientist involved. While its appearance in Washington begins to affect Mulder’s mental health, leading him to turn to Agent Fowley for help; a disturbed Scully - determined to disprove the theory that life on Earth began with aliens - heads to New Mexico and finds a dying Albert Hosteen - who has discovered that the rock includes passages from the Bible, and a map of the human genome. While Mulder breaks down in a mental institution, Scully journeys unexpectedly to Africa. The episode was generally positively received by fans and critics alike.
, a metallic artifact with inscriptions is discovered by Solomon Merkmallen, an biology
professor. When he brings it to his office and pieces it together with a similar artifact, the two fuse with each other and fly across the room, becoming embedded in a Bible
. Merkmallen travels to the United States
to meet with Steven Sandoz, an American University
biologist who has a third artifact. However, he is murdered by a man posing as Sandoz; when the real Sandoz finds the body, he flees.
Assistant Director Skinner
assigns agents Fox Mulder
and Dana Scully
to investigate Sandoz's disappearance, giving them a rubbing of Merkmallen's artifact. Mulder tells Skinner that both Merkmallen and Sandoz espoused panspermia, a theory suggesting an extraterrestrial origin to life on Earth. Mulder begins suffering from a headache and is unable to hear Scully speak, a condition seemingly caused by the rubbing. At the university, the agents meet Dr. Barnes—the man who posed as Sandoz—who professes disbelief in Sandoz's theories. Mulder's condition worsens, but he refuses to go to the hospital and—due to seeming telepathic abilities—realizes that Barnes murdered Merkmallen. Later, in Mulder's office, Chuck Burks tells them that the symbols on the artifact are Navajo
.
In Sandoz's apartment, Mulder and Scully find a picture of him with Albert Hosteen; they also find Merkmallen's head in a trash bag. The agents report to Skinner, with Mulder believing that Sandoz is being framed and that the artifact emits radiation
. He also seems to know that someone else is involved on the case, but Skinner denies this. However, after the agents leave, Skinner provides a video tape of their conversation to Alex Krycek
, who later provides it to Barnes. Scully travels to New Mexico
and discovers that Hosteen is dying of cancer; Scully runs into Sandoz and confronts him. Sandoz claims that Albert was helping him translate the artifacts, which had included passages from the Bible. Meanwhile, Mulder goes to the university to tail Barnes, but is overcome by his headache and passes out in the stairwell.
Scully contacts Mulder, who is resting at home. Mulder believes that the artifact proves that humanity was created by aliens. Diana Fowley takes care of Mulder and contacts the Cigarette Smoking Man. A healing ceremony is held for Albert, but Scully is forced to leave when Skinner contacts her, telling her Mulder is in the hospital. Mulder is being held in a padded cell and is displaying abnormal brain activity. Scully, after learning that Skinner knows about their earlier conversation with Burks, calls him and Fowley liars and leaves. Scully is about to find a surveillance camera in the X-Files office when she is called by Sandoz telling her that the artifact contains information on human genetics. Sandoz is killed by Krycek shortly afterwards. Scully heads to the West African Coast where she discovers that the artifact is part of a large spacecraft partially buried in the ocean.
for the series questioning the origin of human life. Chris Carter
claimed to be interested in the subject for a while, citing the possibility of extraterrestrial involvement
in great extinctions that had happened millions of years ago. Carter claimed that early in the show he had met with a man who was one of the people responsible for leading the project of mapping the human genome and that he was interested enough in the subject to tie it into the show's alien mythology. The scientific basis for extraterrestrials pursued the writers to help Fox Mulder
(David Duchovny
) and Dana Scully
's (Gillian Anderson
) beliefs come together, which was furthered in the later seasons of the show. Frank Spotnitz
claimed that the ideas used in this episode had been discussed between him and Carter for a few years, and had become easier to bring up after clearing away elements of the conspiracy in the episodes "Two Fathers
" and "One Son
". Carter developed the script in Vancouver, Canada while working on the pilot for his series Harsh Realm
, providing pages to the production crew via the fax machine.
Professor Solomon Merkmallen was portrayed by Michael Chinyamurinidi, whom had moved to the U.S. ten years earlier and had previously tried out for the episode "Teliko" in season four
. A number of Los Angeles, California
based African immigrants were used for the fishermen on the African coast. Duchovny expressed anxiety during filming due to the imminent birth of his first child, who was born two days after filming concluded.
The University scenes were shot at UCLA. The African coastline was filmed at Leo Carillo State Beach. Conditions meant that the crew only had approximately 45 minutes per day for filming there. The spacecraft was created digitally and the effect ended up costing approximately $150,000. The extraterrestrial writing on the artifacts was based on the Kecksburg Incident
, where an extraterrestrial object appeared in a small town in December 1965. Hosteen Etsity, who previously assisted with the episode "The Blessing Way
" oversaw the Navajo symbols and religious ceremonies in the episode.
of 9.4, with a 14 share. It was viewed by 15.86 million viewers in the United States
.
The X-Files (season 6)
The sixth season of the science fiction television series The X-Files commenced airing on the Fox Broadcasting Network in the United States on November 8, 1998, concluding on the same channel on May 16, 1999, and contained 22 episodes. The series was developed by Chris Carter, who also serves as...
of the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
. The episode first aired in the United States and Canada on May 16, 1999 on the FOX Network
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
, and subsequently aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky1. It was written by executive producers Chris Carter
Chris Carter (screenwriter)
Christopher Carl Carter is an American screenwriter, film director and producer. He is the creator of The X-Files and Millennium.- Ten Thirteen Productions :...
and Frank Spotnitz
Frank Spotnitz
Frank Spotnitz is an award-winning American television writer and producer, best known for his work on The X-Files television series.-Biography:...
, and directed by Rob Bowman. The episode is the first of a three-part episode and continues with the episodes "The Sixth Extinction
The Sixth Extinction
"The Sixth Extinction" is the first episode of the seventh season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. In "The Sixth Extinction" Assistant Director Skinner tries to discover what is wrong with Mulder while Scully investigates the mysterious alien artifact on the African coastline.-...
" and "The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati
The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati
"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati" is the second episode of the seventh season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. "The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati" concludes a trilogy of episodes featuring Mulder's severe reaction to the appearance of an alien artifact...
".
"Biogenesis" tells the story of a bizarre rock inscribed with Navajo writing found in Côte d'Ivoire, and the death of the African scientist involved. While its appearance in Washington begins to affect Mulder’s mental health, leading him to turn to Agent Fowley for help; a disturbed Scully - determined to disprove the theory that life on Earth began with aliens - heads to New Mexico and finds a dying Albert Hosteen - who has discovered that the rock includes passages from the Bible, and a map of the human genome. While Mulder breaks down in a mental institution, Scully journeys unexpectedly to Africa. The episode was generally positively received by fans and critics alike.
Plot summary
On a beach in Côte d'IvoireCôte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
, a metallic artifact with inscriptions is discovered by Solomon Merkmallen, an biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
professor. When he brings it to his office and pieces it together with a similar artifact, the two fuse with each other and fly across the room, becoming embedded in a Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. Merkmallen travels to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to meet with Steven Sandoz, an American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
biologist who has a third artifact. However, he is murdered by a man posing as Sandoz; when the real Sandoz finds the body, he flees.
Assistant Director Skinner
Walter Skinner
FBI Assistant Director Walter Sergei Skinner is a fictional character in the American FOX television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence...
assigns agents Fox Mulder
Fox Mulder
FBI Special Agent Fox William Mulder is a fictional character and protagonist in the American Fox television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence. Mulder's peers consider his theories on...
and Dana Scully
Dana Scully
FBI Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully, M.D. is a fictional character and protagonist on the Fox television series The X-Files , played by Gillian Anderson. She also appeared in two theatrical films based on the series...
to investigate Sandoz's disappearance, giving them a rubbing of Merkmallen's artifact. Mulder tells Skinner that both Merkmallen and Sandoz espoused panspermia, a theory suggesting an extraterrestrial origin to life on Earth. Mulder begins suffering from a headache and is unable to hear Scully speak, a condition seemingly caused by the rubbing. At the university, the agents meet Dr. Barnes—the man who posed as Sandoz—who professes disbelief in Sandoz's theories. Mulder's condition worsens, but he refuses to go to the hospital and—due to seeming telepathic abilities—realizes that Barnes murdered Merkmallen. Later, in Mulder's office, Chuck Burks tells them that the symbols on the artifact are Navajo
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
.
In Sandoz's apartment, Mulder and Scully find a picture of him with Albert Hosteen; they also find Merkmallen's head in a trash bag. The agents report to Skinner, with Mulder believing that Sandoz is being framed and that the artifact emits radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
. He also seems to know that someone else is involved on the case, but Skinner denies this. However, after the agents leave, Skinner provides a video tape of their conversation to Alex Krycek
Alex Krycek
Alex Krycek is a fictional character in the long-running American science fiction show, The X-Files portrayed by Nicholas Lea. Initially introduced in the second season as a partner for main character Fox Mulder in the absence of his previous partner, Dana Scully, Krycek grew to become one of the...
, who later provides it to Barnes. Scully travels to New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and discovers that Hosteen is dying of cancer; Scully runs into Sandoz and confronts him. Sandoz claims that Albert was helping him translate the artifacts, which had included passages from the Bible. Meanwhile, Mulder goes to the university to tail Barnes, but is overcome by his headache and passes out in the stairwell.
Scully contacts Mulder, who is resting at home. Mulder believes that the artifact proves that humanity was created by aliens. Diana Fowley takes care of Mulder and contacts the Cigarette Smoking Man. A healing ceremony is held for Albert, but Scully is forced to leave when Skinner contacts her, telling her Mulder is in the hospital. Mulder is being held in a padded cell and is displaying abnormal brain activity. Scully, after learning that Skinner knows about their earlier conversation with Burks, calls him and Fowley liars and leaves. Scully is about to find a surveillance camera in the X-Files office when she is called by Sandoz telling her that the artifact contains information on human genetics. Sandoz is killed by Krycek shortly afterwards. Scully heads to the West African Coast where she discovers that the artifact is part of a large spacecraft partially buried in the ocean.
Production
The episode started a new mythologyMythology of The X-Files
The mythology of The X-Files, sometimes referred to as its mytharc by the show's staff and fans, follows the quest of FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder , a believer in supernatural phenomena, and Dana Scully , his skeptical partner. Their boss, FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner was also often...
for the series questioning the origin of human life. Chris Carter
Chris Carter (screenwriter)
Christopher Carl Carter is an American screenwriter, film director and producer. He is the creator of The X-Files and Millennium.- Ten Thirteen Productions :...
claimed to be interested in the subject for a while, citing the possibility of extraterrestrial involvement
Colonist (The X-Files)
The Colonists are an extraterrestrial species in the science fiction television show, The X-Files, as well as the first X-Files feature film. The mystery revolving around their identity and purpose is revealed across the course of the series...
in great extinctions that had happened millions of years ago. Carter claimed that early in the show he had met with a man who was one of the people responsible for leading the project of mapping the human genome and that he was interested enough in the subject to tie it into the show's alien mythology. The scientific basis for extraterrestrials pursued the writers to help Fox Mulder
Fox Mulder
FBI Special Agent Fox William Mulder is a fictional character and protagonist in the American Fox television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence. Mulder's peers consider his theories on...
(David Duchovny
David Duchovny
David William Duchovny is an American actor, writer and director. He has won Golden Globe awards for his work as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder on The X-Files and as Hank Moody on Californication.-Early life:...
) and Dana Scully
Dana Scully
FBI Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully, M.D. is a fictional character and protagonist on the Fox television series The X-Files , played by Gillian Anderson. She also appeared in two theatrical films based on the series...
's (Gillian Anderson
Gillian Anderson
Gillian Leigh Anderson is an American actress.After beginning her career in theatre, Anderson achieved international recognition for her role as Special Agent Dana Scully on the American television series The X-Files. During the show's nine seasons, Anderson won Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen...
) beliefs come together, which was furthered in the later seasons of the show. Frank Spotnitz
Frank Spotnitz
Frank Spotnitz is an award-winning American television writer and producer, best known for his work on The X-Files television series.-Biography:...
claimed that the ideas used in this episode had been discussed between him and Carter for a few years, and had become easier to bring up after clearing away elements of the conspiracy in the episodes "Two Fathers
Two Fathers
"Two Fathers" is the 128th episode of the series, and the eleventh episode of the sixth season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States and Canada on February 7, 1999, on the Fox Network and subsequently aired in the United Kingdom on Sky1...
" and "One Son
One Son
"One Son" is the 129th episode of the science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States and Canada on February 14, 1999 on the Fox Network, and subsequently aired in the United Kingdom on Sky1...
". Carter developed the script in Vancouver, Canada while working on the pilot for his series Harsh Realm
Harsh Realm
Harsh Realm is a science fiction television series about humans trapped inside a virtual reality simulation. It was developed by Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files and Millennium, and began airing on the Fox Network on October 8, 1999. The series fared poorly in the ratings and was removed from...
, providing pages to the production crew via the fax machine.
Professor Solomon Merkmallen was portrayed by Michael Chinyamurinidi, whom had moved to the U.S. ten years earlier and had previously tried out for the episode "Teliko" in season four
The X-Files (season 4)
-Episodes:Episodes marked with an asterisk are broadly part of the series' mytharc. Episodes with a double asterisk are primary episodes in the series' Alien Mythology arc....
. A number of Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
based African immigrants were used for the fishermen on the African coast. Duchovny expressed anxiety during filming due to the imminent birth of his first child, who was born two days after filming concluded.
The University scenes were shot at UCLA. The African coastline was filmed at Leo Carillo State Beach. Conditions meant that the crew only had approximately 45 minutes per day for filming there. The spacecraft was created digitally and the effect ended up costing approximately $150,000. The extraterrestrial writing on the artifacts was based on the Kecksburg Incident
Kecksburg UFO incident
The Kecksburg UFO incident occurred on December 9, 1965 at Kecksburg, Pennsylvania, USA. A large, brilliant fireball was seen by thousands in at least six U.S. states and Ontario, Canada...
, where an extraterrestrial object appeared in a small town in December 1965. Hosteen Etsity, who previously assisted with the episode "The Blessing Way
The Blessing Way (The X-Files)
"The Blessing Way" is a 1995 episode of The X-Files television series. It was the first episode broadcast in the show's third season. The Blessing Way continues from the previous season's finale and surrounds Mulder's apparent death and the conspiracy's pursuit of a digital cassette containing the...
" oversaw the Navajo symbols and religious ceremonies in the episode.
Reception
The episode earned a Nielsen household ratingNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
of 9.4, with a 14 share. It was viewed by 15.86 million viewers in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.