The X-files
Space
Episode: 1X08
First aired: 11/12/93
Written by: Chris Carter
Directed by: William Graham
Lt. Col.
Belt is a supervisor of a shuttle program at
NASA's Mission Control in
Houston,
Texas. He has flashbacks to 1977 seeing a
ghostly face looking at him when he was in space.
Mulder and
Scully are approached by Michelle Generoo, the communications
commander, who says that a piece of
equipment had been
sabotaged resulting in the cancelation of a recent liftoff. She fears the next attempt at a lift off because her fiance is on the next mission.
They speak to Belt, who was a childhood
hero to Mulder, who tells them there isn't anything wrong and the mission lifts off. Soon, however, the communication with the spacecraft is lost. Generoo's car crashes when she sees the same ghostly image.
Even though the ship is
crippled, Belt tells the crew to deliver their
payload so that the
millions of dollars would not be lost. Mulder is hurt by this lack of concern for the lives of the
crewmen, especially from his old hero.
At his apartment, Belt experiences another
flashback and
screams as the ghostly appearance lifts from his body and heads out towards space. Soon after, the crew feels a thump and the astronauts yell that there was some kind of ghost outside the
ship.
Mulder and Scully meanwhile examine records and find that Belt knew about the equipment flaw from before.
Belt collapses at his office and at his urging they alter the shuttle's
trajectory, preventing the spacecraft from burning up on
reentry. Belt, wrestling with the ghostly presence, leaps to his death.
Important quotes:
Mulder -- "You never wanted to be an
astronaut when you were a kid, Scully?"
Scully -- "Guess I missed that phase."
Mulder -- "I have to admit, that fulfilled one of my
boyhood fantasies."
Scully -- "Yeah, it ranks right up there with getting a
pony and learning how to
braid my own hair."
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