The Colonists

Lore & Background

The date for recolonization was set for 2012; the Smoking Man later tells Mulder it is December 22, 2012. The Colonists pretended that mass infection by the black oil would make humanity a controlled slave race, but in reality the oil would give birth to new alien beings within the human hosts. Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully spent years exposing and disrupting parts of this conspiracy, uncovering cloning facilities and secret meetings between government officials and alien representatives. However, the Syndicate was largely destroyed by the alien rebels and the Colonists themselves, and the invasion's timeline was delayed primarily by the alien rebels and the destruction of the Syndicate, not solely by the agents' actions.

Reader's Guide

At the heart of the series' mythology lies a secret war between humanity and an extraterrestrial species intent on claiming Earth. They were present on Earth in the early stages of human evolution, abandoned the planet during the last ice age because extreme cold deactivates their viral form, and returned in 1947 when one of their ships crashed in New Mexico. Their primary objective was not merely exploration, but colonization through biological assimilation.

To achieve this, they collaborated with a shadowy human faction known as The Syndicate. In exchange for the Syndicate's cooperation, the Colonists handed over alien embryos as genetic material for the hybrid experiments and allowed limited military use of their technology and resources, such as the Alien Bounty Hunters. Recolonization was set for 2012, with the black oil virus as the means of infection. Agents Mulder and Scully uncovered these plans over several seasons, revealing that the conspiracy extended deep into government institutions.

This arc defined the show's core mystery, blending science fiction with political thriller elements to question trust in authority.

Did You Know?

• The alien pathogen used for colonization is often depicted as a black oil substance capable of controlling hosts.
• Human collaborators within The Syndicate believed they would be spared during the invasion due to their cooperation.