Xena: Warrior Princess is a six season television show, a spin off from Hercules:The Legendary Journeys. It was conceived by Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert and ran from 4 September 1995 to 18 June 2001. In Hercules the character of Xena was originally written in for just three episodes in Season One. As an evil warlord she worked against Hercules, and seduced his best friend to break them apart. Hercules managed to convince her to fight for good. Xena opens at this point in her life with Xena burying her armour as a symbolic gesture of buying her past.

Within half a season of Hercules the spin off was underway, and the show's humourous approach coupled with the (then rare) female lead won many fans, both new and from Hercules. At its peak Xena had a UK viewing of over five million. The music was written by Joseph LoDuca.

The Characters

Xena, played by Lucy Lawless

Xena is the iconic tall, dark haired, leather clad warrior with a big sword and her chakram, a circle of sharpened metal that is used as a multipurpose throwing weapon¹. In permanent war with her inner dark side Xena is fighting for good in an effort to finally forgive herself for the terrible deeds she committed in her early life.

Xena has two doppelgangers; a princess called Diana, and a tramp called Meg².

Gabrielle, played by Renee O'Connor

The show may be named after Xena, but many would argue that it is really the story of Gabrielle that drives the show. Leaving her home to follow Xena, her idol, she grows from a naieve village girl to a seasoned, battle-weary warrior. Along the way she becomes an Amazon Queen, a mother, an experienced fighter, and a renowned bard. During their sorjourn in India she embraces pacificism as well as the new monotheistic religion of Eli³. She is almost always the voice of moral reason and Xena often relies on her views to judge what is right and what is wrong. Unfailingly optimistic (especially in the early seasons) she may be referred to as the 'irritating blonde', but she gains many friends with her open and loving nature.

Joxer, played by Ted Raimi

Dear old Joxer is almost always the comic relief of the show playing the bumbling, inept wannabe-warrior with the heart of a lion. He falls in love with Gabrielle soon after meeting her, but realises that the feelings will never be returned.

Joxer has two identical brothers; Jet, a slick, cool assassin, and Jace, a camp entertainer/singer.

The Olympian Gods

Ares, God of War, played by Kevin [Tod] Smith

Of the Olympian Gods Ares appears most regularly and is the most influential in Xena. He took a special interest in Xena in her early days and honed both her fighting skills and her ambition to rule to world. This relationship was very close and fraught with sexual tension. When Xena turns her back on her old ways Ares tries many times to get her back- both as a warlord and as a lover- sometimes by tricks, and sometimes simply by asking. This very human love that he holds for her becomes a crucial aspect of Seasons Five and Six.

Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, played by Alexandra Tydings

Aphrodite is a blonde, self-centred, vain 'valley girl' who wears lingerie and not a lot else. Despite her vanity she does have a heart, and her openness and caring nature means that she and Gabrielle get along well. She occasionally helps out Xena and Gabrielle in tight spots- when it pleases her.

Cupid, God of Romantic Love, played by Karl Urban

Cupid, the son of Aphrodite, only appears in a few episodes, but it is well worth seeing Karl Urban with blonde spiky hair, not many clothes and a pair of white angel wings.

Other Notables

Callisto, played by Hudson Leick

Callisto was just a child when the dark Xena and her army invaded her village and murdered her family in front of her. With her happy childhood cut short Callisto followed the way of Xena and became a fierce warrior, but with even fewer morals. She seeks out Xena to kill her as revenge for stealing her happy childhood.

Autolycus, played by Bruce Campbell

The king of 'B' movies, Bruce Campbell plays the King of Thieves as a smooth talking, loveable rogue who cannot help but do the right thing when asked by Xena. The fact that she could beat him in a fight blindfolded may influence this, however.

Livia/Eve, played by Adrienne Wilkinson

The daughter of Xena, she was named Eve at her birth but grew up as Livia as the adopted daughter of Octavius of Rome in Xena's absence. She is said to embody the characteristics of both Xena and Callisto⁴, and in the first twenty years of her life she became a cruel warrior, nicknamed 'The Bitch of Rome' and guided by Ares. When Xena discovers her and tries to persuade her to change for good Livia is unreceptive, but eventually repents and becomes a founding disciple of the religion of Eli.

Hope, played by Amy Morrison⁵

Hope is the daughter of Gabrielle and Dahok, an evil god intent on taking over the world. Hope was not conceived naturally and the gestation, birth and growth took only a few weeks. Hope resembles Gabrielle and can pretend to be an ordinary child if it suits her, but she is evil to the core and will stoop at nothing to bring about her father's intentions.

Solen, played by David Taylor

Solen is the naturally conceived child of Xena and her then-partner, Borias during her early days. Xena decides that she is unfit to be a mother and leaves Solen to be brought up by the centaurs. They are reunited briefly during Season Three, where Solen asks to be taken with them when they leave, still unaware that Xena was his mother.

So Why Watch Xena?

Xena has been accused of many things, and a few of them are correct! It has, on occasion, mangled historical events and legends, been terribly cheesy, had some poor acting, and plots that stretch the boundaries of believability.

Xena does has some redeeming characteristics, however. Although the show values its comedy, it's not afraid to tackle moral conundrums or topical dilemmas. The reoccuring theme is that of forgiveness; just how much further does Xena have to go before she can be forgiven? Other idea that are tackled are issues like judging people on first appearances, single mothers, revenge, and just how far you'll go for love. Just because it's set in Ancient Greece doesn't mean it can't have relevance to our lives!

As one of the first shows with true character development spanning across the seasons, it is essential to watch it in sequence. Watching characters put through their emotional as well as physical paces gives the viewers an empathy that instils certain episodes, such as the musical episode 'The Bitter Suite' ⁶ with depth that isn't present on a one-off watching. Many of fans' favourite episodes aren't understood by those who haven't watched the show. Although this effect isn't found exclusively in Xena it was one of the first to do so and remains a show that, whilst it can be watched out of sequence, gains much gravity on a chronological viewing.

Speaking of firsts, let's talk about females. Specifically female lead characters. Try and name some. Any show, any time period. Okay. Take out the ones that are wet and annoying. Right. Now only include those that are able to physically take care of themselves in a fight. Now take out those that have a male character that backs them up. Finally, take out anybody who was created after 1995. Who have you got left? Odds on it's only Xena. Never before was there a mainstream female lead who, without losing her femininity, was able to physically control the situation around her. Couple that with a female sidekick and a personality that you could crack coconuts with and you have a pretty new concept.

Speaking of sidekicks, let's talk about Gabby and Xena for a while. For the first time we have two lead females, both of whom can take care of themselves and who have no need of a man in their lives⁷. That in itself is a novelty still, and what also remains a novelty is the close bond between the characters. Yes, it's time to introduce the:

Subtext

No discussion of Xena could be complete without some discussion of subtext. Even if you choose to belive that the characters are simply best friends, the phenomenon that it has sparked means that it's sometimes hard to talk about Xena without someone saying "...oh, that show with the lesbians?".

For those that haven't heard the term before, subtext - think 'under' 'word' - is the unspoken plot in a story. It could be the glances of boredom that two characters exchange. It could be the calm sounding words in an argument that give away the rage burning underneath.

In this context it is the unspoken insinuation that Xena and Gabrielle are long-term, sexual partners. Even as early as 'A Day In The Life', a comedic episode in Season Two, there are hints that these two aren't just close, they're close. In Season Six a camera crew⁸ are desperately trying to get them to tell the audience, but during the answer the camera conveniently loses sound and picture just as Xena goes to confirm or deny the accusation. The makers of the show consistantly refused to confirm or deny the rumours, saying that viewers could make up their own minds.

Fanfiction

Before the internet, people did write fiction based on pre-existing universes; the Star Trek universe (and in particular the Kirk/Spock relationship) is a good example. Now enter Xena and the birth of personal internet use. Now not only was there a show that had subtext that could be explored, but there was a medium through which viewers could communicate. For the first time they could exchange opinions and thoughts almost instantly. Admittedly there were bitter disagreements, and not just over the Xena/Gabrielle relationship. The ending of Season Three caused much disquiet among fans, so much so that the makers of the show heard the noise that they made, although they did not get involved directly. A more complete discussion can be found at Xena: Warrior Princess - The TV Series.

Although fanfiction was not a new idea, the internet allowed it to develop much quicker than before. People from all walks of life wrote stories within the Xena universe, some better than others. One was so good that she was invited to write three episodes for the show, two of which made it to production⁹.

These days less Xena fanfiction is written than when the show was being filmed and aired, but it has now become a part of the overall fanfiction movement that followed it. Star Trek, Stargate SG-1, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Lord of the Rings, works by Shakespeare, Final Fantasy games; you name it and it's probably got a fandom¹⁰ dedicated to writing fiction within it.

Conclusion

So, just what do we take away from watching Xena? Apart from eye candy from a very pretty lady in leather, we have a show that, ten years on, is still a recognised phenomenon, spawning a notion that girls can be both feminine and strong, and they don't have to be masculine to be taken seriously. We have a show that pushed lesbianism to enter the public consciousness in a positive light, and that isn't afraid to shy away from hard decisions and difficult endeavours. And, when it comes down to it, it can usually make us laugh at the same time. What more could we ask?

Further Reading

• What We Owe Xena.