CLICK & DOUBLE CLICK: IS THE TRUTH OUT THERE? INTERNET SPREADS X-FILE CONSPIRACY THEORIES (COLUMN 92)

Are you an X-Philer? If so, you probably know that the new X-Files movie, "Fight the Future," opens Friday. Little is known about the plot, other than it promises to shed light on a long-standing hidden conspiracy.

Since the beginning of the series, X-Files and the Internet have bonded. For one thing, Mulder and Scully, are two of the most wired main characters in television history. The Net practically plays a supporting role in the show.

It makes sense when you consider how many conspiracy theories run rampant on the Web.

Reportedly, when the show faltered in 1993, creator Chris Carter received a lot of support from Internet fans. He has been quoted saying that he reads newsgroup posts and fan Web sites to get ideas for story lines and plot developments.

Joni: OK. I admit it. I don't know that much about the X-Files. I like it. I try to watch it, but I have small children and sometimes it pushes the edge of the envelope for blood and gore.

Peggy: As with many popular TV shows, I'm getting hooked on X-Files in reruns. Reruns air later. It's hard to catch up, though. Let's see if we can learn more at the official site.

www.thex-files.com

Joni: If you are behind in the story line, don't expect to find everything laid out for you. That's not the show's style.

Peggy: The X-Files operate in a shadowy world, and these related Web sites have the same sort of feel -- dark and brooding.

Joni: On this Fox site, you can find which episodes will be rerun over the summer. This Sunday you can watch "The Red and The Black." Scully undergoes hypnosis in an effort to remember what happened at the mass burning site.

Peggy: The X-Files have a lot of recurring themes through the series. But not everything will play a role later. It can be confusing.

Joni: All the characters have interesting names. In this episode, you can watch The Well-Manicured Man and The Cigarette-Smoking Man.

Peggy: If you want to catch up on the past five seasons, you can read through all the past episodes from the beginning.

Joni: Maybe I'll try to do that before the movie, well at least some of them. In the first episode, Scully, a medical doctor, was assigned to debunk the X-Files. She is directed to contact Mulder, who has become obsessed with investigating X-Files. It aired Sept. 10, 1993.

Peggy: You can also find all the bios on the actors and the characters. Are they eerily familiar?

Joni: The bio tells us that Fox Mulder was convinced through hypnotic regression that his sister was abducted by some unknown power when they were children.

Peggy: You can also join fan forums, message boards and chat on this site. They always say the truth is out there.

Joni: But don't look for the truth on the official movie site. It provides lots of mystery, but very little substance. I think the only thing I learned from this site is the movie opens Friday.

www.fightthefuture.com

Peggy: You see the Lone Gunmen and hear old-fashioned typing as they spell out their names. Here you'll find movie trailers, TV spots and posters for download. Warning: the trailers are big.

Joni: You can also look at the movie's "homepages," again teasers. All the while, you can hear some static and faint voices in the background. We can't make it out. Very weird.

Peggy: Perhaps we can learn more from an unofficial fan X-Files site. One of the best is the FBI Database at

ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Neil_Grant/x-files.htm

Joni: This page is pretty cool. It seems that you are logging onto the FBI database during its slick opening. You can read the rumors for the next season. They say the sixth season will feature fewer "monsters of the week."Peggy: You can find a little more real information here. And you can test your skills on the X-Files quiz. Your standings are posted on a leaderboard. If you don't know anything, you'll end up at the bottom of the list.

Joni: I'm not sure we should take this quiz. Each quiz is based on an episode, and it's tough. Even an affirmed X-Phile in the office didn't know many of the answers.

Peggy: We didn't take it. You can look at lots of photos, in case you need a Gillian Anderson fix.

Joni: There aren't nearly as many pictures of David Duchovny. The creator of this site must be a Gillian fan. It's a pretty neat site though.

Peggy: You can check out something called Fun, which is a list of goofy Top 10 lists. You can also get sound files from the characters.

Joni: Here it says every number in the X-Files is of great importance, and there is a story behind each one's use. People's birthdays and stuff show up as house numbers, phone numbers or autopsy times.

Peggy: Someone has spent a lot of time studying these numbers. You can also read about actors and actresses who have appeared more than once on the series, but as different characters. Unfortunately, they don't show pictures.

Joni: It is said that there are more X-File related Web sites than almost anything else. Just type in the name in a popular search engine. The number of matches are staggering. Another good site we found was from the United Kingdom.

www.wavenet.co.uk/users/xfilesPeggy: The Java quiz is a little unusual to take. Pay attention because you have to type in your answers. We got two of 10 right. Maybe you'll do better.

Joni: You can find lots of good X-File news at this site. Make sure to scroll and not be confused by the frames format. There's an extensive archive of photographs here as well. What's your favorite X-Files site? Trust no-one. Simply e-mail us directly at click@semissourian.com

The truth is out there.

~Peggy Scott and Joni Adams are members of the Southeast Missourian online staff.