The X-Files is the American science fiction series created by Chris Carter that premiered in 1993, following FBI agents Fox Mulder, the believer in the paranormal, and Dana Scully, the skeptic. Its shadowy tone and Mark Snow's haunting theme made the show a nineties cultural landmark. Short clips tied to Mulder now circulate on soundboards and in edits as instant shorthand for aliens, cover-ups and mysteries, because even viewers who never watched the series recognize the mood it signals.