As many of you Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul fans know, before Vince Gilligan became a demi-God of modern television in the late aughts, he was learning the ropes under the hands of Chris Carter, the father of The X-Files. Gilligan wrote or co-wrote 30 episodes of the classic sci-fi series, which undoubtedly played a key part in his success many years later. Carter gave Gilligan enough creative freedom that allowed him to play out the full scope of his ideas ranging from suspenseful to touchingly dramatic to campy and downright hilarious. As a result, he’s written some of the most gripping and beloved episodes in the show’s history.

Gilligan had great talent to begin with, but it was the versatility of The X-Files that permitted his creativity to flourish in numerous ways. Now, we’re here to highlight some of the finest work he’s done for the series through nine seasons.