Before becoming the acclaimed creator of The X-Files, 37-year-old Chris Carter worked as a screenwriter pitching new series ideas to big studios. This is how it works: first you submit a pilot script; if it’s interesting, they’ll give you a small budget and a team; if the bosses like the first episode, it will get on the screen; if the audience likes the pilot, they’ll order the first season of 20 episodes; if the season does well, they’ll order a second season; and so on. Carter wasn’t a big sci-fi fan, didn’t watch films about aliens and intergalactic trips, but he liked it when what happened on the screen changed the viewer’s perception and made them question their views.