TV shows come and go like the weather. Every Fall/Spring a fresh handful of new shows take their chances at landing a permanent spot and breaking through to the audience in a way that keeps them coming back for more. While some succeed and go on to develop an expanding fan base, locking down long-term broadcasting deals on major networks… the majority of new shows fail. Fortunately for all the star gazing UFO fanatics out there like myself, hopeful for the day to come when we become better acquainted with our celestial neighbors – The X-Files was a hit. The X-Files is one of those rare breeds of television that comes at the perfect time in its conception to make a lasting impact on its audience. By capitalizing on, and really paving a way for, the growing genre of paranormal investigation, it has created a definitive cult following over the years. Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) have been on a sabbatical for quite some while now, and nearly 23 years since the show’s debut, they’ve come back for one more shot at finding something to believe in.

Season 10 of the The X-Files has officially rolled out and so far its not pulling any punches in the conspiracy theory department. The season’s main conflict takes aim at the American government’s unwillingness to provides its people with sensitive information regarding alien technology and potential multi-national schemes against the people of the world. To summarize it slightly, Mulder is called back into the field, after a long hiatus, by a wealthy man who claims to be a “believer” and offers Mulder the opportunity to get a sneak peek on the inside to take a stab at unveiling the truth about a matter. You soon find out of plan that includes a large multi-national covert operation being conducted under the noses of civilians by a secret conglomerate of elite individuals (some real Illuminati type stuff). Knowing that he can’t do it alone, he calls in long-time partner, and part-time lover, Dana Scully to help see if this guy is actually the real deal.

Though at it’s core the The X-Files is a work of fiction that’s been wetting the appetites of sci-fi fans for decades, fueling conspiracy theory debates over comic book store countertops, but this isn’t to say that there's nothing to gain from keeping an open mind to the unknown. Many are resistant to conversations that consider the possibilities of extraterrestrial interaction, yet I’ve always felt that when you consider the overwhelmingly vast nature of our galaxy, in itself, let alone the scope of the universe, it seems more likely than not that our odds of coming into contact with another intelligent species have gone up. Much like Mulder, all I want is to believe... but until that day comes where I can throw up the deuce and say “suh dude” to the little grey creature hovering next to me in his little floating energy ball… then I can settle for watching Fox and Scully uncover some juicy secrets under a blanket with all the lights off.