Dana Scully: 25 Years of Inspiration

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By Keva Andersen

On March 28, 2018

"I'm alllll a tingle."

The first time I met Dana Scully, she sarcastically intoned this to Fox Mulder as they were driving towards Area 51. That was quickly followed by challenging an authority figure that was blocking her investigation. While guns were pointed at her, no less.

It was Sunday, November 29th, 1998. I was 17 years old that night, a senior in high school. The episode was Season 6's “Dreamland.” I'd never seen The X-Files before, though I'd seen the promos while watching Packers football on FOX, good Wisconsinite that I was. A friend had asked me to proofread a fanfic she'd written, to check for grammar and spelling. I did so and thought if the characters were as interesting on screen as they were in her story I'd probably like the show. That Sunday gave me the first opportunity to test that theory. I sat down to watch, and by the time the end credits ran, I was hooked. The FOX affiliate in my city ran two more episodes after that, and you know what the next one was? “Triangle.”

I watched Dana Scully move from one office to the next, challenging anyone who would stand in her way. She told a fellow agent, "I want you to do me a favor. It's not negotiable, either you do it, or I kill you, you understand?" She told her boss to "save your own ass, sir. You'll save your head along with it."

And I was enthralled.

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