Skidmore Students Visit X-Files Museum

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The truth is out there. It might also be on Route 50 in Saratoga Springs. A group of freshmen from Skidmore College went to find out.

Students from a seminar called “The Fantastic: Seduction of the Strange” toured the X-Files Preservation Collection in Saratoga as part of their course study.

The students “thought it was cool to see the original props,” said Assistant Professor Juliane Wuensch, who led the excursion. “They were very fascinated seeing these original things that were in the show.” 

The collection includes props of monsters, human corpses, and space aliens used in the hit series The X-Files, which was originally broadcast on the Fox network from 1993 to 2002. 

Given that the series aired before any of the Skidmore students were born, 90s-era technology was also a source of fascination for them.

“It was interesting to see their reactions to all these memorabilia from a time they can’t even really imagine anymore,” Wuensch said. Students were interested “to see the technical side. How was this made? How was it done before digital?” 

The freshmen were especially intrigued by X-Files creator Chris Carter’s laptop and floppy disk, which he used to write the first episode of the show.

“I think it’s piqued their interest as well for the show,” Wuensch said. She even heard a couple of her students saying, “I have to watch more of this show” and “let’s have a watch party.”

“The Fantastic: Seduction of the Strange” explores all forms of fantastical art, literature, and media. In addition to The X-Files, Skidmore students can study Edgar Allan Poe, Franz Kafka, The Twilight Zone, and German fairy tales.

The X-Files Preservation Collection opened last year and bills itself as “the world’s largest collection of screen-used props, costumes, and set dressings from The X-Files.” It’s located at 4284 NY-50 in Saratoga Springs.