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David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Robert Patrick Annabeth Gish, Mitch Pileggi

Of all the themed sets for “The X-Files” “Super Soldiers” is probably the least essential of the set although it does have the conclusion of the series “The Truth” as part of the set. “The X-Files” peaked with the fifth season of the series going into a slow decline from seasons six through seven. Knowing that David Duchovny was going to be limiting his time on the show during seasons seven, eight and nine. Creator Chris Carter knew that if the show went on to a 10th year, he would need a crossover storyline with the alien invasion mythology already established and a way to ease Duchovny and Gillian Anderson out of the picture (she was only going to stay through the 9th season). Carter and his writer/producers came up with the Super Soldier storyline to tie up elements of the mythology and begin a new storyarc that could stand independent of the original story elements if necessary. Although Carter elected not to do a 10th season (a wise move), he and his writer/producers still needed to tie everything up in season 9 (which they did—sort of—with the episode entitled “The Truth”). ***

The “Super Soldiers” aren’t quite human. They have combined alien and human DNA and they may have been created by the military or they might be part of the original alien invasion force. Things aren’t spelled out (and honestly I was confused and I followed the show for some time) until “The Truth” (hence it’s inclusion here). Scully (Anderson) her new partner Agent Dogget (Robert Patrick) and Agent Reyes (Annabeth Gish) try and sort through the truth to discover who’s beyond the plot, what they want with Scully’s baby and where agent Mulder (Duchovny) is being kept. ---

Sporting the same transfers as the boxed sets from a couple of years ago, these letterboxed episodes look much better than the first three seasons did. There are some digital artifacts in the form of blocking and edge enhancement. Image detail and quality is fine although in some of the darker scenes it can occasionally be an issue. The soundtrack comes across with nice presence.

The only new thing here is the fourth part of a documentary that discusses the “Threads of the Mythology” episodes. Producer/writer Frank Spotnitz , creator/writer/producer Chris Carter and others discuss how they crafted the storyline arc and the challenges they faced not knowing if the show would be going into a 10th season. Actor Robert Patrick also appears in interview archive footage originally shot for the 8th and 9th season boxed sets from a couple of years ago. ---

These themed sets work out particularly well for fans of the mythology episodes. While it’s missing some of the best stand alone episodes, the fourth and final set in the themed set provides closure for fans of the series with the conclusion two hour episode “The Truth”.