Outer Space" had been developed by writer Darin Morgan long before the script was actually written. The writer was inspired both by works he had read on hypnosis, as well as the theory that UFOs are real ships that can manipulate space and time, but they are piloted not by aliens but by the U.S. military. The episode's unique narrative style was influenced by a casting session that Morgan had attended in which an actor had mimicked the vocal styling of Truman Capote. Morgan soon thereafter developed an idea about a writer, Jose Chung, covering an X-Files. Morgan wanted to cast Rip Taylor in the role, but he was unavailable, so the role ended up going to Charles Nelson Reilly. Jesse Ventura was cast as one of the men in black, while Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek played the other. (Morgan himself had wanted Johnny Cash for the role.) Lord Kinbote was played by series stuntman Tony Morelli. This episode would be Darin Morgan's last for the series before its revival in 2016. The writer claimed that he could not keep up with the frantic pace of the show, although he would later write the similarly themed "Jose Chung's Doomsday Defense" for the TV series Millennium. References The episode contains a number of references and in-jokes related to UFO culture. Klass County was named after noted skeptic Philip J. Klass, whose argument that most UFO sightings are really the planet Venus is directly invoked in the episode. The pilots dressed up as aliens were named after authors Robert Sheaffer and Jacques Vallee, who wrote often on the UFO phenomenon. Air Force Sergeant Hynek was named after UFO researcher Dr. J. Allen Hynek. The character of Roky Crikenson is named after musician Roky Erickson, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and was known as much for erratic behavior and fantastic claims. Chung gives Mulder the pseudonym Reynard, after the legendary fox of French folklore. The alien autopsy video, Dead Alien! Truth or Humbug?, referenced both Morgan's first episode for the series, "Humbug", as well as the real Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction video aired by Fox in 1995. Detective Manners was named after series director Kim Manners, and the character's tendency to swear was directly influenced by his real-life counterpart. Blaine is seen wearing a t-shirt printed with the logo for the television series Space: Above and Beyond. Lt. Schaefer absent-mindedly pushing