On March 4, 2001, the "Pilot" episode of "The Lone Gunmen" aired, about an attempt to fly an aircraft into the WTC.
Last edited Wed Sep 11, 2024, 11:21 AM - Edit history (1)
The Lone Gunmen (TV series)
The Lone Gunmen
Release: March 4 June 1, 2001
The Lone Gunmen is an American conspiracy fiction thriller drama television series created by Chris Carter, Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, and Frank Spotnitz. The program originally aired from March 4, 2001, to June 1, 2001, on Fox. It is a spin-off of Carter's science fiction television series
The X-Files and as such is part of
The X-Files franchise, starring several of the show's characters. Despite positive reviews, its ratings dropped, and the show was canceled after thirteen episodes. The last episode ended on a cliffhanger which was partially resolved in a ninth season episode of
The X-Files entitled "Jump the Shark".
The series revolves around the titular trio The Lone Gunmen: Melvin Frohike, John Fitzgerald Byers, and Richard Langly, private investigators who run a conspiracy theory magazine. They had often helped FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder on The X-Files.
{snip}
Similarities to 9/11 attacks in pilot storyline
In the pilot episode, which aired March 4, 2001 (exactly six months and one week prior to the September 11 attacks[5]), rogue members of the U.S. government remotely hijack an airliner flying to Boston, planning to crash it into the World Trade Center, and let anti-American terrorist groups take credit in order to gain public support for a new, profitable, anti-terrorist war following the Cold War. The heroes ultimately override the controls, foiling the plot.
{snip}
Season 1 (2001)
"Pilot"
While the Lone Gunmen are thwarted in their attempt to steal a computer chip by Yves Adele Harlow, Byers receives news of his father's death, and the trio soon find themselves unraveling a government conspiracy concerning an attempt to fly a commercial aircraft into the World Trade Center, with increased arms sales for the United States as an intended result.
{snip}
[5] "The Lone Gunmen Series Episode List".
https://web.archive.org/web/20140711003100/http://tvtango.com/series/lone_gunmen/episodes TV Tango. Archived from the original on July 11, 2014.
{snip}
The Lone Gunmen Wiki
in: The Lone Gunmen
Pre 9/11 controversy
In
The Lone Gunmens premiere episode, Pilot, which aired March 4, 2001, members of the U.S. government conspire to hijack an airliner, almost hitting the World Trade Center, and blame the act on terrorists to gain support for a new profit-making war. The episode aired six months prior to the September 11 attacks.
{snip}