I watched the X-Files for the first time in ages last night, and I’m a bit bewildered. I have a feeling the show would make a lot more sense if I’d been paying more attention. Can anyone explain the whole background plot that seems to revolve around Roswell /alien hybrids / abductions / trains / Spender / Krycek / cigar bloke / green gunk / rebels / The Syndicate and so on?
Are you kidding? I’m just trying to figure out how Scully got pregnant, being as how all of her ova were stolen a few seasons back and as far as I know, she hasn’t gotten laid in about three years.
I haven’t been watching much either. Last season, the writing and plot lines weren’t so hot, and now I’m working nights, so I don’t get to see the show much anymore.
It would probably be easier for me to give you a summary of the Old Testament, but I’ll try. Keep in mind that some of the info revealed on the show contradicts earlier information (probably deliberately).
The Roswell incident really happened. We were visited by aliens who’s technology is far superior to ours. They wanted to take over our world. To stop this, the group that included Cancer Man surrendered to the aliens, and offered help to create alien/human hybrids. These hybrids would be the next step in evolution, and would make it easier for the aliens to take over.
Meanwhile, a group of shapeshifting alien rebels have been trying to undermine the work of the greyskin aliens and the Conglomerate. Both sides of course conduct their work in a super-secret fashion.
Thanks, Guy. So are the alien rebels “good guys” or not?
mattk– Goodness. You’re asking for eight television seasons’ and one movie’s worth of background information. I’ll give it a shot. Keep in mind that it’s 4am where I am, so I may not get everything nor all of it right. 
Aliens plan to recolonize Earth. They were the first life forms on this planet. For some reason I can’t remember, they split.
The syndicate is a part of the government (exactly how they’re a part, I dunno, but they’re connected to the DOD somehow) and the cigarette man (aka Cancer Man) is a member. (Krycek is a minion hired by Cancer Man; Agent Spender is Cancer Man’s son. Young Spender was not a bad guy.) The syndicate’s raison d’etre is to scheme up a way to fight the impending alien recolonization.
Their plan so far consists of creating human-alien hybrids, which would (in theory) be resistant to whatever means of extermination the aliens might have planned. They got some alien DNA samples from Roswell, when an alien really did crash on Earth.
The abductions were to test whether a human female could carry a alien-human hybrid fetus to term… the trains aren’t really significant, except an alien autopsy video was shot there, and they’re occasionally used to cart the black goo (think liquid alien) around. Them rebels know about the syndicate’s plot to make a hybrid, and are trying to stop the effort. The green gunk is nasty.
Ummm… that’s all I can think of. I’m sure others will be in here soon to correct my errors and plug the holes in my explanation, but that’s basically it.
My guess is that you’ll find a better, more satisfying explanation to things at a fansite or bulletin board. The X-Files official site has links to fansites and its own BB.
Cheers, Audrey. I guess a little more research is in order by yours truly.
As to whether the rebels are good or bad, they’re neither. They’ve got their own agenda that doesn’t really align itself perfectly with either the humans’ agenda nor the aliens’ agenda. If I’ve got it straight that they’re trying to prevent hybridization, then they’re effectively dooming humans by killing those involved in the hybridization project. (Assuming, of course, that hybridization would help humans resist the recolonizers.) In that sense, they’re on the aliens’ side. But then again, IIRC they’ve killed some of the gray aliens (the ones trying to recolonize), so they’re definitely no friends of theirs. A casualty here and there would help dent the gray aliens’ efforts at least a little, right? Make them think twice about recolonizing Earth or something…
Consider the rebels a shared enemy, I guess.