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The Lone Gunmen are a trio of fictional characters in The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen television series. They are government conspiracy theorists and skilled computer hackers who frequently assist special agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.

Consisting of members Melvin Frohike, John Fitzgerald Byers and Richard Langly, the Lone Gunmen were the publishers of a magazine called "The Lone Gunman" (originally titled "The Magic Bullet").

The trio originally took their name and the title of their publication from X, who, in May 1989, remarked, "I heard it was a lone gunman", in reference to the Kennedy assassination.

History[]

While separately attending the same convention, the three initially worked together, after Susanne Modeski asked Byers for help with finding her daughter. Byers then recruited Frohike and Langly in the search. Together, they discovered that they were being used by Modeski to uncover information of a government conspiracy. It was this event that led to their and Mulder's distrust of the government. — (Unusual Suspects)

After deciding to work together, they also remained close associates of Mulder and often provided him with information and technical assistance, after he discovered the X-Files. — (E.B.E.)

In 2000, the trio reluctantly allowed Jimmy Bond to begin working with them, in exchange for him funding their endeavors, as he believed that they were "fighting the good fight". (TLG: "Bond, Jimmy Bond")

The Lone Gunmen died in 2002, sacrificing themselves to stop a bio-terrorist. They were subsequently buried at Arlington National Cemetery, where their coffins were visited by Jimmy Bond, Yves Adele Harlow, Monica Reyes, John Doggett, Dana Scully and Walter Skinner. — (Jump the Shark)

The Gunmen briefly reappeared several months later, as ghosts with whom Mulder seemed to be able to communicate. The trio appeared to him alone, at the side of a road on the Texas-New Mexico border at approximately 5:07 a.m., while Mulder was urinating, having stopped off on the way to New Mexico. Apparently, the apparitions of the Lone Gunmen tried to dissuade Mulder from proceeding to New Mexico with Scully and continuing to search for the truth of colonization once there, but Mulder ignored their warnings and continued on his way. — (The Truth)

Although it is widely accepted that there were only ever three Lone Gunmen, they themselves referred to at least one other - "the newest Lone Gunman", known as The Thinker.

- (One Breath)

Appearances[]

The X-Files[]

# in season Title Original Air Date Notes
Season 1
17 E.B.E. February 18, 1994
Season 2
3 Blood September 30, 1994
8 One Breath November 11, 1994
18 Fearful Symmetry February 24, 1995
25 Anasazi May 19, 1995
Season 3
1 The Blessing Way September 22, 1995
2 Paper Clip September 29, 1995
9 Nisei November 24, 1995
16 Apocrypha February 16, 1996
23 Wetwired May 10, 1996
Season 4
7 Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man November 17, 1996
14 Memento Mori February 9, 1997
Season 5
1 Redux November 2, 1997
2 Redux II November 9, 1997
3 Unusual Suspects November 16, 1997
7 Emily December 14, 1997
11 Kill Switch February 15, 1998
20 The End May 17, 1998
Feature Film
- The X-Files: Fight The Future June 19, 1998 Feature film
Season 6
3 Triangle November 22, 1998
5 Dreamland II December 6, 1998
12 One Son February 14, 1999
20 Three of a Kind May 2, 1999
21 Field Trip May 9, 1999
Season 7
13 First Person Shooter February 27, 2000
15 En Ami March 19, 2000
22 Requiem May 21, 2000
Season 8
1 Within November 5, 2000
7 Via Negativa December 17, 2000
11 The Gift February 4, 2001
15 Deadalive April 1, 2001
16 Three Words April 8, 2001
21 Existence May 20, 2001
Season 9
1 Nothing Important Happened Today November 11, 2001
2 Nothing Important Happened Today II November 18, 2001
9 Provenance March 3, 2002
10 Providence March 10, 2002
15 Jump the Shark April 21, 2002 Crossover episode
19
20
The Truth May 19, 2002
Season 10
5 Babylon February 15, 2016
Season 11
2 This January 10, 2018

The Lone Gunmen[]

# in season Title Original Air Date Notes
Season 1
1 Pilot March 4, 2001
2 Bond, Jimmy Bond March 11, 2001
3 Eine Kleine Frohike March 16, 2001
4 Like Water for Octane March 18, 2001
5 Three Men and a Smoking Diaper March 23, 2001
6 Madam, I'm Adam March 30, 2001
7 Planet of the Frohikes April 6, 2001
8 Maximum Byers April 13, 2001
9 Diagnosis: Jimmy April 20, 2001
10 Tango de los Pistoleros April 27, 2001
11 The Lying Game May 4, 2001
12 The Cap'n Toby Show June 1, 2001
13 All About Yves May 11, 2001

Misc[]

Apocrypha[]

In the Topps Comics series of The X-Files comics, The Lone Gunmen appear in "A Little Dream of Me" (the third issue) and "One Player Only" (the thirteenth issue). They also appear in a one-off comic based on The Lone Gunmen (TV series) television series and published by Dark Horse Comics.

The Lone Gunmen also appear in the novel "Ruins" written by Kevin J. Anderson which is set three years into The X-Files. In the story, Mulder makes a brief visit at their headquarters to get their insights about the case before he and Scully fly off to Mexico.

In the comic book series The X-Files Season 10—which takes place after the events of The X-Files: I Want to Believe—it is revealed that the Lone Gunmen are alive and well, having faked their deaths during the events of "Jump the Shark". The group was aided by the FBI and have since been working underground, aiding the US government; for instance, Langly mentions that he was responsible for the Stuxnet virus in 2010. This retcon could possibly contradict the events of "The Truth", as they supposedly appeared as ghosts to Mulder, unless it was actually a manifestation of his mind. The comic book series The X-Files Season 11 (a continuation of Season 10) would end with Mulder and Scully's memories being erased up to a certain point, presumably including the knowledge of The Lone Gunmen's survival after the events of the original series.

The episode "This" from the Season 11 revival of the series would yet provide another possible point of contradiction for the Season 10 and Season 11 comic, as it reveals that Richard Langley's digital consciousness came to life once the original version perished. Although this may be explained as the NSA's program to be believing Langley to be dead.

External Links[]

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