Ghost in the Machine (The X-Files)
An AI computer system kills to protect itself.
The episode features a malevolent artificial intelligence that kills people at a technology company in Alexandria, Virginia.[1] On October 29, 1993, the Fox network first broadcast "Ghost in the Machine".[2]
Quick Facts
- Season
- 1
- Episode
- 7
- Series
- The X-Files
- Writer
- Alex Gansa; Howard Gordon
- Director
- Jerrold Freedman
- Production
- 1X06
- Length
- 45 minutes
- Air date
- 29 October 1993
Facts from the source article.
Making and release
The COS and its actions are an homage to HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey.[3] Gordon ranked the episode as the worst of the first season, calling it "one of my biggest disappointments".[4] James Wong said the episode "had some neat stuff at the end" but found the ending visually unsatisfying.[5] Once the crew had set up their equipment, the actors had very little space to work in at that location.[6]
A script change made at the last moment replaced a planned elevator shaft scene (which was too costly) with Scully shooting a fan in the air shaft.[6] Arthur Koestler's book The Ghost in the Machine provided the episode's title.[6] Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, the writers, acknowledged that their lack of computer literacy harmed their writing for the episode.[4]
What the cited sources add
Phipps described the episode as "all about technophobia born of not knowing all that much about how technology really works".[7] Haigh praised Mark Snow's score as "extremely atmospheric".[8] The plot was adapted as a young adult novel in 1997 by Les Martin, published by HarperEntertainment.[9][8] A B− grade was given to the episode by a reviewer for The A.V. Club, who observed that the episode's debt to HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey is not concealed.[7]
A negative review from Matt Haigh at Den of Geek described the plot as "formulaic" and stated the episode has "not stood the test of time".[8]
References
- "Mulder and Scully at San Diego Comic-Con: the 13 best X-Files episodes ever", The Guardian, July 18, 2013. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com
- Wikipedia, "Ghost in the Machine (The X-Files)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mandel, "The X-Files: The Complete First Season", 20th Century Fox, 1993–1994 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ghost in the Machine (The X-Files)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Kill Switch" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ghost in the Machine (The X-Files)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lovece (1996), p. 63.; Lowry (1995), p. 115.; Edwards (1996), p. 47. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ghost in the Machine (The X-Files)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Edwards (1996), pp. 47–48. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ghost in the Machine (The X-Files)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gradnitzer & Pittson (1999), p. 37.; Lowry (1995), p. 115. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Phipps, ""Ghost In The Machine" / "Ice" / "Space" The X-Files/Millennium TV Club", The A.V. Club, July 5, 2008. facts only, no text reused. avclub.com
- Wikipedia, "Ghost in the Machine (The X-Files)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Phipps, ""Ghost In The Machine" / "Ice" / "Space" The X-Files/Millennium TV Club", The A.V. Club, July 5, 2008; Haigh, "Revisiting The X-Files: Season 1 Episode 7", Den of Geek, October 16, 2008; Haigh, "Revisiting The X-Files: Season 1 Episode 7", Den of Geek, October 16, 2008; Martin, "Ghost in the Machine", HarperTrophy, 1997; "Ghost in the machine: a novel (Book, 1997)", WorldCat (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Open Library record, ISBN 0064406784 ("Ghost in the Machine"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Ghost in the Machine (The X-Files) (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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