Pilot

“Pilot” is the first episode of The Lone Gunmen series. The pilot episode earned a CSC Award by the for Best Cinematography - TV Drama by Robert McLachlan.

Plot
The Lone Gunmen investigate the suspicious death of Byers' father, a top tier government agent, only to discover a top secret plan for a operation eerily similar to the real life event—colloquially known as.

Storyline

 * For a comprehensive storyline, See The X-Files Wiki, 

The Lone Gunmen attempt to steal the powerful Octium IV computer chip from E-Com-Con tech company's top security room. However, a professional thief called Yves Adele Harlow is watching them, waiting for the right time to use the Gunmen as a distraction to steal the chip for herself. While the Lone Gunmen are thwarted in their attempt to steal a computer chip, Byers receives news of his father's death - Bertram Byers, a top government agent, who has died in a car crash. After the touching funeral involving the launch of a rocket ship model, another government agent who knew Byers' father warns them that whatever happened to Bertram was no accident. After their thorough investigation and a plot twist, The Gunmen conclude that something is very wrong and try to hack into the government files to find what Byers' father was working on at the time of his "accident". The trio soon find themselves unraveling a government conspiracy concerning an attempt to fly a commercial aircraft into the, with increased arms sales for the United States as an intended result.

Trivia

 * “Pilot” aired 6 months before happened.
 * The Pilot episode had its premiere broadcast in Australia just thirteen days before the events of September 11 occurred.
 * The teaser of this episode includes visual references to the 1996 film Mission: Impossible, wherein the character of, like Frohike, infiltrates a high-security white room by hanging from the ceiling. This scene likely harkens back to a realization that the creators of The Lone Gunmen series had, early in their conception of the series – specifically, that it could essentially be "Mission: Impossible with three geeks."
 * At one point, Langly holds up an issue with the front page headline " = Mind Control".
 * In another scene, Frohike uses the phrase "truth, justice, and the American way," which is actually a quote from Superman.