A lost fighter squadron. A submarine adrift. A downed UFO. All part of the greater government conspiracy to keep secret the existence of extraterrestrial life on planet Earth, at least according to this two-part episode in season three of The X-Files. This is the episode that really developed the idea of the "black oil" - an oil-like substance that carries a virus which, when infecting a human (or humanoid, as it is later implied other species can be infected as well) leaves them as virtual slaves, like a particularly controlling parasite and its host. The virus in effect carries alien consciousness, though it is eventually discovered (in the first X-Files movie) that the virus mutates, and a corporeal alien will form inside the human host. Piper Maru also has the return of Alex Krycek, and his eventual infection by the oil and stranding at a secret military installation housing a UFC - to which the oil/virus/substance within him returns in a particularly chilling scene. A little bit of trivia: the Piper Maru (submarine) was named after Gillian Anderson's daughter.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
