Kill Switch (15 Feb. 1998)
"The X Files" Kill Switch (original title)

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... See full summary »

Director:

Rob Bowman

Writers:

Chris Carter (creator), William Gibson,

Stars:

David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Kristin Lehman

Cast

Episode 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 #1
Ted Cole	...	Paramedic #2
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Annette Reilly	...	Redneck Sister (as Annette Dreeshen)

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 Visigoth. 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:

running for your life | recreational vehicle | stake through the heart | trailer park | shot in the chest | 

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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:

20th Century Fox Television, Ten Thirteen Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

(at around 39 mins) Look at the images on the four computer screens. The images are duplicated diagonally, and if you were to join like with like with a line, it would make an 'X'.

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Goofs

When Mulder and Scully examine Charles Figgis' body at the crime scene, the boom mic briefly dips in and out of the shot.

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Quotes

Scully: Mulder, that's evidence.
[looking at a laptop Mulder has stolen from a crime scene]
Mulder: Gee, I hope so.

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Connections

Featured in Millennium: Human Essence (1998)

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Soundtracks

"Twilight Time"
Performed by The Platters

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.