X-Files’ Most Cyberpunk Episode Is Still 1 Of Its Best

Different episodes of The X-Files adopted distinct sci-fi subgenres. Interestingly, only one episode seemed truly cyberpunk, and, after all these years, it is hard not to see how it was one of the best installments in the entire series. Since The X-Files lasted for eleven whole seasons, it is hard to pinpoint one of its episodes as its absolute best. Still, a few episodes, like the one in question, were far better than others.

Titled “Kill Switch,” The X-Files‘ most cyberpunk episode was featured in season 5. What made the episode a truly unique addition to the sci-fi series was that it went all-out with its portrayal of everything from rogue AI to gritty dystopian techno-paranoia.

Unlike most takes on the cyberpunk genre on both the big and small screens, the episode not only stayed true to the aesthetics of the subgenre but also adopted the themes that define it. Interestingly, The X-Files episode seemingly got so much right about cyberpunk because it was written by one of the greatest sci-fi authors of all time.

X-Files’ Kill Switch Was Co-Written By Legendary Cyberpunk Author William Gibson

William Gibson is best known for sci-fi short stories and books and is even touted as the “Father of Cyberpunk” because of how influential his first novel, Neuromancer, has been. However, the author even stepped in to co-write one of the most memorable episodes of The X-Files, “Kill Switch,” which perfectly captures his mastery of cyberpunk storytelling.

Written by William Gibson and Tom Maddox, the episode introduces everything from sentient AI to the destructive consequences of developing digital consciousness. It seems to have all the hallmarks of cyberpunk storytelling and also does not shy away from portraying tough, punk-coded characters and bizarre futuristic technology.

In more ways than, The X-Files‘ “Kill Switch” almost comes off as a chapter of William Gibson’s Neuromancer, especially when it focuses on how its central sentient AI tries to evade control. Getting cyberpunk right in the audiovisual storytelling medium is never an easy feat and several Gibson adaptations like Johnny Mnemonic have also struggled to leave their mark.

The X-Files episode, however, defies the norm and delivers one of the best takes on the genre. William Gibson and Tom Maddox even teamed up as co-writers for another The X-Files episode, titled “First Person Shooter” (season 7, episode 13). Unfortunately, this episode has gone down in history as one of the worst installments of the entire series.

Considering how The X-Files‘ “Kill Switch” is a rare portrayal of cyberpunk on the small screen that actually works, it should be the perfect blueprint for Apple TV’s upcoming adaptation of William Gibson’s Neuromancer.

Kill Switch Is The Perfect Blueprint For How Apple TV’s Neuromancer

From a visual standpoint alone, The X-Files “Kill Switch” episode seemed ahead of its time. Considering how the production of nearly every Apple TV sci-fi show has been top-notch so far, its take on Neuromancer can be expected to be visually spectacular. Apart from that, though, the show should ensure that it perfectly captures the “high-tech, low life” contrast from Gibson’s stories.

Similar to “Kill Switch,” it must be riddled with the industrial grit and futuristic rust that defined Gibson’s works. Instead of making its portrayal of science fiction look too clean, the Apple TV show should highlight how, despite making leaps in technological developments, humanity is being held together by nothing by duct tape and corroding cables.

Invisigoth in The X-Files episode seemed like the perfect modern interpretation of Gibson’s iconic Razorgirl trope. Instead of leaning heavily into the visual aspects of the trope, the episode focuses on how she embodies the same anarchic, system-disrupting energy. Since the archetype works so well in The X-Files episode, Apple TV’s Neuromancer should draw from it to portray its own original Razorgirl, Molly Millions.