Kill Switch 

The brutal murder of a renowned computer programmer leads Mulder and Scully to investigate an artificial intelligence program loose on the Internet that has begun evolving on its own.

Director:

Rob Bowman

Writers:

Chris Carter (created by), William Gibson

Stars:

David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Kristin Lehman

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
David Duchovny	...	Fox Mulder
Gillian Anderson	...	Dana Scully
Kristin Lehman	...	Esther Nairn / Invisigoth
Kate Luyben	...	Nurse Nancy
Tom Braidwood	...	Melvin Frohike
Dean Haglund	...	Richard 'Ringo' Langly
Bruce Harwood	...	John Fitzgerald Byers
Peter Williams	...	Jackson
Rob Daprocida	...	Bunny
Patrick Keating	...	Donald Gelman
Jerry Schram	...	Boyce
Steve Griffith	...	Paramedic
Ted Cole	...	2nd Paramedic

Storyline

Mulder and Scully's investigation into a mass shooting in a coffee shop leads them to believe that the targets were not the low level drug dealers and wholesalers who were killed but rather Donald Geldman who had been sitting at a table working on his laptop computer. The Lone Gunmen tell Mulder and Scully that Geldman was one of the original computer geniuses who disappeared years before. His laptop leads the agents to a hacker, Esther Nairn, who goes by the name Invisigoth. She tells them of a vast government conspiracy involving artificial intelligence that allows them to see everything and take action against all enemies.

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Plot Keywords:

mind uploading | artificial intelligence | hacker | the lone gunman | rv | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 February 1998 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Stage 2, North Shore Studios, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ten Thirteen Productions, 20th Century Fox Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Massachusetts metal-core band Killswitch Engage took its name from this episode.

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Goofs

In the diner, supposedly active and open, not a single wait person comes in to serve the multiple customers who have entered. Nor are they injured in the ensuing massive gun battle.

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Quotes

[meeting The Lone Gunmen]
Esther Nairn: Are these the brain donors that nearly got us incinerated?
Mulder: Don't let their looks fool you.

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Connections

Referenced in The Matrix (1999)

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Soundtracks

The X-Files
Written by Mark Snow
Performed by John Beal

User Reviews

And you thought C.O.S. was nasty.

Kill Switch re-visits the idea of artificial intelligence(AI) gone rogue, a concept first explored in season one's "Ghost in the Machine". Computer stuff always fascinates me, so it's easy for me to like episodes with this subject matter. It's interesting, that right after the teaser, Mulder and Scully come upon Donald Gelman's laptop which still has command on the screen to hit "enter" to initiate program. If only Mulder had known, a big mess could have been avoided, if he had pressed that button. It's funny to see Scully's complete disbelief in AI. Her skepticism is to the extreme in this episode. The Lone Gunmen are featured in Kill Switch, which is always a bonus. Mulder's "virtual" experience is quite entertaining, especially when we get to see "Kung-Fu Scully". She kicks some nurse butt. A little nitpick with a continuity error: Scully and Esther are walking through the woods and you can see snow falling behind them. Two seconds later, they come up to the camper and there is no snow anywhere and not even falling. It's not a negative thing, just a cool nitpick. I actually find some of the AI stuff harder to believe than the paranormal happenings that the agents normally investigate. Kill Switch is a cool, fun, and interesting episode that shouldn't be missed.