Piper Maru

"Piper Maru"
The X-Files episode
A man is possessed by the black oil. First introduced in "Piper Maru", the black oil would later go on to play a much larger role in the series, including playing a pivotal role in the 1998 X-Files movie.
Episode no.	Season 3 Episode 15
Directed by	Rob Bowman
Written by	Frank Spotnitz Chris Carter
Production code	3X15
Original air date	February 9, 1996
Running time	44 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner Nicholas Lea as Alex Krycek Robert Clothier as Christopher Johansen Ari Solomon as Gauthier Kimberly Unger as Joan Gauthier Jo Bates as Jeraldine Kallenchuk Morris Panych as Gray-Haired Man Lenno Britos as Luis Cardinal Stephen E. Miller as Wayne Morgan Paul Batten as Dr. Seizer Rochelle Greenwood as Waitress Joel Silverstone as Engineer #1 David Neale as Navy Base Guard Tom Scholte as Young Johansen Robert F. Maier as World War II Pilot Tegan Moss as Young Dana Scully
Episode chronology
← Previous "Grotesque" Next → "Apocrypha"
List of season 3 episodes List of The X-Files episodes

"Piper Maru" is episode 15 of season 3 of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on February 9, 1996. The episode was written by executive producer Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, and directed by Rob Bowman. "Piper Maru" is one of those which helped to explore the series' overarching mythology. Its introduction of the black oil became a storyline milestone for the series. The black oil would later go on to play a much larger role in the series, including playing a pivotal role in the 1998 X-Files movie. "Piper Maru" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.6, being watched by 16.44 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received mostly 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, a French salvage ship sends a diving crew to recover a mysterious wreckage from World War II, but the crew falls prey to a bizarre illness forcing FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) to investigate the source. Their investigation brings them face-to-face with Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea).