The X-Files

End Game (2) - S2-E17

Factual error: In the opening sequence, we see a nuclear attack submarine beneath the ice in the Arctic Ocean. When the captain orders the ship to surface, one of the crewmen mutters, "Surface to what? We're under 32 feet of glacial ice!" Except that they're not under "glacial ice," they're under Arctic sea ice, which ranges from about 6 feet thick in the summer to about 15 feet thick in the winter.

Charles Austin Miller

Tempus Fugit (1) - S4-E17

Factual error: In the background the full moon is visible and it's early morning (approx. 6:00 AM). However, at the start of the episode we see the full moon at night (approx. 19:50). Due to the fact that these are consecutive days, this situation is impossible from an astronomic point of view. (00:14:35)

Chop Luftmysza

Terma (2) - S4-E9

Factual error: The last number on the truck's license plate is "77." On Russian plates the last two/three digits stand for a registration place. "77" is a number for Moscow, but the Gulag is located in Krasnoyarsk region, so the number should be different. Besides, the format of the plate (LDDDDL|DD) is incorrect - the correct one is LDDDLL|DD (L - letter, D - digit). (00:11:05)

Chop Luftmysza

Tunguska (1) - S4-E8

Factual error: This is probably the first time in history of civilized mankind that a person with a diplomatic visa is full-body-cavity searched, not to mention the illegal opening of the diplomatic bag. (00:04:05)

Chop Luftmysza

Paper Clip (3) - S3-E2

Factual error: Mulder tells Scully that he is trying 27828 and it is not working. It is not surprising that it is not working, because the Napier constant is not 27828, it is 271828. Plus they somehow they know how many digits from this constant should be entered on the keyboards. (00:15:55)

Chop Luftmysza

731 (2) - S3-E10

Factual error: In the opening scene it says it takes place in West Virginia, as the Army unit executes the hybrids, you can see their unit patch on their left shoulder. The patch is a diamond shape with a sunburst in the middle, this is the patch of the 40th Infantry Division of the California Army National Guard.

Unruhe - S4-E4

Factual error: The episode is supposed to take place in Traverse City, Michigan, United States. Mountains are visible in the sequence when Mulder is chasing after the killer on foot. The show was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia.

manthabeat

Unusual Suspects - S5-E3

Factual error: When Byers asks Langly to try under active cases to find Holly Modeski in the FBI database, Langly only presses two or three keys on a keyboard, which is obviously not enough to enter "Holly Modesky" to the search engine. (00:19:40)

Chop Luftmysza

Unusual Suspects - S5-E3

Factual error: When two unidentified men who approached Susanne Modeski in the warehouse take out their handguns, they have regular pistols. However, when they start to shoot, continuous fire is heard that could only be produced by an automatic weapon. (00:28:40)

Chop Luftmysza

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: Fully automatic pistols exist, such as the Glock 18.

Nothing Important Happened Today II (2) - S9-E2

Factual error: Deputy Director Alvin Kersh tells Agent Doggett a story about King George III, who, on July 4th, 1776, the same day the American colonies declared their independence, allegedly made an entry in his diary: "Nothing important happened today." However, according to Arnold Hunt, curator at the British Library, King George III never kept a diary. (00:37:15)

Chop Luftmysza

Triangle - S6-E3

Factual error: When Mulder is walking out of the cabin in Spender's uniform, the soldiers try to stop him. This is impossible since he is an officer (a lieutenant judging from the shoulder-straps) and they are privates, so they cannot give him orders. The only thing they can do in this situation is to salute him. (00:08:40)

Chop Luftmysza

The X-Files mistake picture

The Sixth Extinction (2) - S7-E1

Factual error: When Skinner is at Kritschgau's apartment building, the time stamp onscreen says it's 5:05 AM, but when Kritschgau answers his door, he says it's 6:00 in the morning. Plus it is shown to be broad daylight outside. The sun is never up that early in Washington, D.C. (00:15:55)

Phaneron

Never Again - S4-E13

Factual error: The first time we see Ed's tattoo, it is supposed to have been freshly done and he even removes the new bandage. However, there is no blood or excess ink on his arm, no redness around the lines, no swelling at all; no way at all that it could be a fresh tattoo.

Bad Blood - S5-E12

Visible crew/equipment: I don't know if this is visible in all formats, but on the newest UK release on DVD, watching in widescreen, it's amazingly obvious. When Mulder recovers from the vampire attack, he gets up from the floor and breaks up a chair to make a stake. There is a shot of his feet as he smashes the legs off and bends to pick up a piece. In the bottom left hand corner of the screen, you can see a crew member's hand carefully and quickly placing a piece of wood on top of the pile for Mulder to pick up.

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Show generally

Question: In a vast majority of the episodes, whenever Mulder and Scully investigate some mysterious or paranormal phenomenon, Mulder believes that some unknown force is responsible but Scully always has a rational explanation for what is happening. In other episodes, when Scully herself is caught up in something mysterious, she is the believer but Mulder is the skeptic. In those episodes, why would Mulder be skeptical about an unexplained phenomenon considering that he a was witness to his own sisters abduction and he saw many strange things that defied explanation while working for the F.B.I.?

Answer: As he stated many times throughout the series, Mulder needed Scully to be sober and skeptical. Whenever Scully's skepticism wavered and she started questioning her own rationality, Mulder would try to restore her sense of skepticism, because he needed her to be clear-thinking.

Charles Austin Miller

Answer: A variety of reasons. Just because Scully saw something unusual does not mean that it was. Mulder always needs concrete proof before he'll believe there's some otherworldly explanation for unexplained phenomena. He's too experienced to take a novice's explanation as fact. It is also a plot by device by the writers to switch the tables on the characters to make it more interesting and to let viewers see another side of their relationship.

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