Nisei (The X-Files)

"Nisei"
The X-Files episode
The alien corpse from Mulder's alien autopsy video being removed by black-ops troops.
Episode no.	Season 3 Episode 9
Directed by	David Nutter
Written by	Chris Carter Frank Spotnitz Howard Gordon
Production code	3X09
Original air date	November 24, 1995
Running time	44 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner Raymond J. Barry as Richard Matheson Tom Braidwood as Melvin Frohike Dean Haglund as Richard Langly Bruce Harwood as John Fitzgerald Byers Steven Williams as X Stephen McHattie as Red Haired Man Robert Ito as Dr. Takio Ishimaru/Shiro Zama Gillian Barber as Penny Northern Corrine Koslo as Lottie Holloway Brendan Beiser as Pendrell Lori Triolo as Diane Paul McLean as Coast Guard Officer Yasuo Sakurai as Kazuo Sakurai
Episode chronology
← Previous "Oubliette" Next → "731"
List of season 3 episodes List of The X-Files episodes

"Nisei" is the ninth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on November 24, 1995. It was directed by David Nutter, and written by Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz and Howard Gordon. "Nisei" featured guest appearances by Steven Williams, Raymond J. Barry and Stephen McHattie. The episode helped explore the series' overarching mythology. "Nisei" earned a Nielsen household rating of 9.8, being watched by 16.36 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received largely positive reviews from critics.

The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In this episode, Mulder and Scully investigate the origins of an alien autopsy Mulder believes is real. The investigation uncovers Japanese involvement and sees Mulder smuggle himself onto a secret cargo train to find out more. "Nisei" is a two-part episode, with the plot continuing in the next episode, "731".

Inspired by the atrocities committed by Unit 731, a Japanese research program during World War II, "Nisei" was originally intended to be a stand-alone mythology episode, but was lengthened into two separate parts. The episode featured several scenes that required stunt work, which David Duchovny performed himself. The episode's title refers to the term nisei, meaning the son or daughter of an Issei couple born outside Japan.