00:00The X-Files has come to an end. Or has it? The Hollywood Reporter spoke to series
00:11creator Chris Carter about Wednesday's season and possibly series finale and where the beloved
00:16franchise goes from here. So we all know what that means. Spoilers ahead for Wednesday night's
00:21episode. So if you haven't, go and watch it right now and then come back here immediately.
00:24Are we all ready? Great. Wednesday night brought us to a bloody conclusion with the
00:29dastardly cigarette-smoking man bent on unleashing a global contagion and everyone looking for
00:34Scully's son, William. The most devastating apparent deaths were those of longtime allies
00:39turned compromise agents Monica Reyes and assistant director Skinner. Meanwhile, William was shot by
00:44his real father, CSM, before the smoking man was finally, maybe we think, put down by an enraged
00:50molder. And that's when Scully dropped the bombshell. She's pregnant. Oh, and William had
00:55one more trick up his sleeve, popping up out of the water, still alive. So is that the end
01:00for real this time? Not so fast, according to the series creator. I can't imagine the show
01:05won't come back in some shape or form, Carter tells THR. He insists that he's viewing
01:09Wednesday's episode as a season finale, not a series ender. But what does that mean for
01:14Scully, given that Gillian Anderson has been very clear publicly that she's finished with
01:18The X-Files after season 11? According to Carter, if Gillian is certain about not coming back,
01:24it would be the last time we see her on screen as Dana Scully. It poses certain larger questions
01:29going forward. And if this is the last we see of her, Carter emphasizes what he views as the
01:33takeaway on her arc. It was no different than what I always wanted to leave fans with.
01:37She has an enduring love for Mulder. The journey he's taken her on has been worthwhile.
01:42That she is certain her belief in science can explain everything. She believes now that we know
01:47as much as we don't know. When it comes to the pregnancy twist, fans can at least
01:51console themselves that this time Mulder is definitely the biological father of Scully's
01:56child. I will confirm it is their child, Carter says before cryptically adding, but I will
02:01also confirm Scully has alien DNA. With or without Scully, Carter notes that the future of
02:07The X-Files is out of his hands for the moment, saying, I have to wait for a lot of things
02:11that have nothing to do with storytelling and they have to do with a corporate story now
02:15being told. Carter is referring to Fox's sale to Disney, which is awaiting regulatory
02:20hurdles. If that sale goes through, The X-Files, owned by 20th Century Fox Television,
02:24would become a Disney property. Even as its future remains in doubt, Carter does point to
02:29multiple directions a property could take. You look at any long-lived franchise and there are
02:33endless possibilities. There are prequels. There are other ways to approach a series like
02:38The X-Files. That the television series would come back 13 to 14 years later tells you there are
02:43stories. And I know this is true because I have stories to tell. There are more files in those
02:48drawers. So what did you think of the season finale? And do you want the series to return
02:52in some form? Is there even an X-Files without Dana Scully? Let us know all your thoughts in
02:57the comments. For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Lindsay Rodriguez.
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