Xena: Warrior Princess

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Xena: Warrior Princess
Format	Supernatural, Fantasy, Drama
Created by	John Schulian Robert Tapert R. J. Stewart, developer
Starring	Lucy Lawless Renee O'Connor
Country of origin
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	134, plus 3 pilot installments collectively titled "The Xena Trilogy" (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Robert Tapert, Sam Raimi
Running time	41-44 min. (excluding commercials)
Broadcast
Original channel	Syndication
Picture format	NTSC 480i, 576i (SDTV)
Audio format	Stereo
Original run	September 4, 1995 – May 21, 2001
Chronology
Related shows	Hercules: The Legendary Journeys Hercules and Xena - The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus
Other websites
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Xena: Warrior Princess is an American television series program for Universal Television's Action Pack that was filmed in New Zealand. Produced by Pacific Renaissance Pictures Ltd (owned by Robert Tapert and Sam Raimi) in association with/distributed by Universal Studios^[1], Xena aired from 1995 to 2001^[2]. The series program was a spin-off from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys^[3], and many characters made appearances in both shows (including Kevin Sorbo in the episodes "Prometheus^[4]" and "God Fearing Child". In Hercules, Xena was initially portrayed as a ruthless warlord. However, her encounter with Hercules reformed her. At the start of the series, she embarks on a quest to seek redemption of her past sins, using her formidable fighting skills to help people. In the first episode, she meets Gabrielle, who becomes her greatest ally. Gabrielle's initial naivete helps to balance Xena and assists her in recognizing the "greater good."

The show is a historical fantasy set in ancient Greece, although with a flexible time setting, and also features heavy Oriental^[5], Egyptian^[6] and Medieval^[7] elements in various episodes. The series details the adventures of former Hercules villain Xena (Lucy Lawless), a reformed warlord on a quest to redeem her past sins. Xena is accompanied on her travels by Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor), a young woman who becomes her best friend and, eventually, most trusted ally.

The show freely borrows names and themes from various mythologies around the world, primarily the Greek, anachronistically adapting them to suit the demands of the storyline. Historical figures and events from a number of different historical eras and myths make numerous appearances, and the main characters are often credited with resolving important historical situations. These include an encounter with Homer, before he was famous, in which Gabrielle encourages his storytelling aspirations^[8]; the fall of Troy^[9]; and the capture of Caesar by pirates, with Xena cast as the pirate leader^[10]. This quirky mix of timelines and the amalgamation of historical and mythological elements fueled the rise of the show to cult status during the 1990s and early 2000s. It was one of the first shows to tap into its internet following, allowing for fans from all over the world to discuss and suggest things related to the show. The fandom continues to this day.

The show is a mixture of styles, ranging from high melodrama in one episode to slapstick comedy in another, from whimsical to all-out action and/or adventure in another. Although it is ostensibly set in ancient times, the themes of the show are essentially modern: taking responsibility for past misdeeds, the value of human life, personal liberty and sacrifice, and friendship. The flexible fantasy framework of the show accommodates a considerable range of styles, including an original musical episode, The Bitter Suite^[11]. Although the show often addresses ethical dilemmas such as the morality of pacifism, the storylines rarely seek to provide unequivocal solutions.

In addition to Xena and Gabrielle, the show also features a wide assortment of recurring characters, including adversaries Ares (Kevin Smith), Alti (Claire Stansfield) and Callisto (Hudson Leick), and trusted friends Salmoneus (Robert Trebor), Virgil (William Gregory Lee), Autolycus (Bruce Campbell), Eli (Tim Omundson) and Joxer (Ted Raimi).

Contents 1 Production 1.1 Origins 1.2 Casting 1.3 Theme music 1.4 Opening Sequence 1.5 Crew 2 Setting and storylines 2.1 Geography and filming locations 2.2 Format 2.3 Inspirations and Bases 3 Plot Summary 3.1 Gabrielle's development 3.2 Xena's backstory 3.3 The Amazons 3.4 The Dahak arc & The Rift 3.5 Birth of Eve, Twilight of the Gods 4 Characters 4.1 Main 4.2 Supporting 5 Spin-offs 5.1 Movies 5.2 Books 5.3 List of Books 5.4 Comics 5.5 Video games 6 Series Information 6.1 Awards 6.2 DVDs releases 7 Reception 7.1 Fandom and fan films 7.2 U.S. Ratings 7.3 Astronomy 7.4 Influence on the lesbian community 7.5 Costume donation 7.6 Uberfic 8 References 9 See also 10 Other websites

[change] Production

[change] Origins

The series is a spin-off of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. In fact, the saga began with three appearances Xena's special character in episodes of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, entitled The Warrior Princess^[12], The Gauntlet^[13] and Unchained Heart^[14]. In the first episode, Xena is a killer, but in the third, she joins Hercules to defeat Darphus, who had taken his army. Aware that the character of Xena had been very successful among the public, producers Hercules: The Legendary Journeys decided to create a series exclusively on it, which harvested more successful than it comes.

[change] Casting

In Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena was played by New Zealand actress Lucy Lawless. For Eve, the first candidate was starring British actress Vanessa Angel, while for the role of Gabrielle thought in principle actress Sunny Doench. However, neither could travel to New Zealand, a country of shooting in the series so that, finally, Xena was played by Lucy Lawless and Gabrielle by the American actress Renee O'Connor^[15].

The American actor and writer Bruce Campbell interpreted to Autolycus, King of the alleged thieves, and appeared in eight episodes.Durante new characters, complementing increasingly sharing the series. After Lawless and O'Connor, Ted Raimi is the actor who plays Joxer, which has more appearances in the series: a total of 42. We continue to Kevin Tod Smith with 31 appearances, Hudson Leick and Karl Urban with 12 and Alexandra Tydings with 11. In each season new names were added. In the first and second began their appearances David Taylor, Scott Garrison, Alison Wall, Danielle Cormack and Jodie Dorday; in the third season were introduced Marton Csokas, Jacqueline Kim and Daniel Sing, in the fourth season, Claire Stansfield, David Franklin, Kathryn Morris, Timothy Omundson, Jennifer Sky and Meighan Desmond and, finally, in the fifth and sixth Charles Mesure, Marie Matiko, Musetta Vander, Paris Jefferson, Adrienne Wilkinson, Tsianina Joelson and Brittney Powell. In the last episode, the eastern star Michelle Ang participated in interpreting Akemi.

[change] Theme music

The theme music, composed by Joseph LoDuca, who also co-wrote the lyrics for the songs in "The Bitter Suite", was developed from the traditional Bulgarian folk song "Kaval Sviri", and was sung by Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares. In the Hercules: The Legendary Journeys episode, "Unchained Heart", in which Xena is introduced, the original "Kaval Sviri" is the music used to announce Xena racing into battle^[16].

[change] Opening Sequence

The opening of Xena had two models during the series, the first was presented during the first five seasons^[17], and the second model was presented only last season^[18]. The opening is composed of scenes from the series itself, there is background music to "Opening Sequence", combined with the voice of an announcer speaking a text that remained immutable.

“

In time of ancient Gods, Warlords and Kings, a land in turmoil cried for a hero, she was Xena, a mighty princess forged in the heat of battle, the power, the passion, the danger, her courage will change the world[19].

”

[change] Crew

Xena: Warrior Princess has many names in its credits, however, only the names of Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor appear in opening sequence. The series has all the 29 writers, including R. J. Stewart was the most active, with 34 written episodes^[20], the series has had 35 directors, of which Rick Jacobson was the most active, with 12 episodes directed^[21]. The creator and producer Robert Tapert also was involved in several incidents with other functions, as director and writer^[22]. The film editors also varied, the most active were Robert Field^[23] and Timothy Batt^[24], the songs were composed by Joseph LoDuca^[25], and the customs designated by Ngila Dickson^[26] and Jane Holland^[27].

[change] Setting and storylines

[change] Geography and filming locations

Main article: Geography of Xena: Warrior Princess

Xena Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys were filmed in New Zealand^[28]. Of course some places are confidential, but many scenes were recorded in places as spectacular in Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, part of the Auckland Regional parks often credited at the end of the episodes. Most leases are on the west coast, and is approximately 30-40 miles from the centre of Auckland.

[change] Format

Xena: Warrior Princess is considered a simple television series of adventures whose key ingredients are the two protagonists in the series and their psychological development, attractive exterior NZ and music composed by Joseph Loduca.^[29] Although the characters and stories in the series predate Christ, themes, emotions and relationships in the series are well connected with the world today. In addition, the series makes a particular interpretation of the ancient world. For example, represents the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite, as a girl silly and pampered^[30].

One of the criticisms that more has been done to the series is the inverosimilitud the scenes of combat, as they give the characters impossible cartwheels, walk the walls and even move objects with the mind. Such scenes are inspired by action movies of Hong Kong.Too criticises the series because very often consciously mixing times, facts and historical characters. Thus, it is possible to see both the Greek gods as characters in biblical, Roman, Scandinavian and Eastern Arabs as well as facts so distant in time as the confrontation between David and Goliath^[31], the birth of Jesus^[32], or the battle of Maraton^[33]. Finally, another widespread weakness in the series are multiple inconsistencies in their arguments.

The first season of the series was addressed without many pretensions, because producers do not gambled much for her.During this season abounded plots based on Greek myths and became interested in defining the personality of the two protagonists. In the second season were improved special effects, was consolidated the relationship between Xena and Gabrielle and increased the strength of the stories^[34]. As a negative note of the third season, it should be noted that preference was given to the functionality of certain episodes at the expense of stories and the essence of the characters^[35]. However, in the fourth season, the level of the series returned to the first two years in terms of quality. This season could be seen a transformation in the structure of the stories and treatment of the characters. It accentuated the spiritual dimension of the series and the Greek myths lost relevance in the hatch^[36]. The fifth season was a downturn in the quality of the series. This contributed pregnancy main actress, Lucy Lawless, forcing producers to introduce a precipitous turn argumentative. The fifth season also means the start of the references to Christianity in the series^[37]. Finally, in the sixth season, the level of the series again back: improved special effects and stories, which were accompanied by excellent music by Joseph LoDuca.^[38]

[change] Inspirations and Bases

Xena: Warrior Princess was influenced by many factors, as cultures and eras, one of the most widespread were the sources of action films from Hong Kong, the jumps, breathing fire and the sounds of weapons in the battles were some of the things that mirrored films. The scene of the lynching of Xena in The Gauntlet is almost identical to the film The Bride With White Hair. The fight on the stairs with Callisto on Callisto^[39] and the fight against Draco in head of villagers^[40] also has its roots in the genre, and the sequence The Debt^[41][42], which was almost completely influenced in the genus^[43].

[change] Plot Summary

Main article: List of Xena: Warrior Princess episodes

Through the early seasons the show's episodes were stand-alones, where the conflict of the week was usually resolved by the end of the episode; at most there was brief passing mention of previous events in subsequent episodes. Season 2 marked a gradual change in atmosphere when the show started adopting multi-part episodes and broader story arcs that span a season or more.

[change] Gabrielle's development

A story arc that can be considered to span the entire series is Gabrielle's transformation. In the first few episodes, she is an imaginative but naïve young peasant girl, seeing the wide world for the first time and unable to defend herself. This starts to change in episode Hooves & Harlots, in which she becomes an Amazon Princess and chooses the staff as her main weapon. This sets her on a long journey which is reflected in the majority of other story arcs of the series.

[change] Xena's backstory

The season two episode, Orphan of War^[44] is the first in a series of episodes with flashbacks to Xena's past. Although her earliest history is established in the introductory Xena Trilogy on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, there is a gap of about a decade between the time that Xena initially leaves her village to form an army and the crucial moment when she crosses paths with Hercules and becomes good friends. The flashback episodes reveal various journeys or milestones in Xena's past that defines the woman that she is.

[change] The Amazons

The Amazons are an all-female tribe who make frequent appearances in the series. They are first depicted as a large nation that spreads throughout the land and then later as a number of tribes scattered throughout the world, segregated by an unknown cataclysm from their distant past. The Amazons trace their creation to the goddess Artemis^[45], and value an all-female society that strives for the uphold the same rights and freedoms for women as those of men. Each tribe is headed by a Queen, whose position may be either inherited, or passed on as a right of caste to any named successor. A Queen's authority may also be openly challenged by another royal Amazon and her title relinquished if she is defeated in single combat.

Although several tribes are known in different countries, Xena has dealt prominently with the Greek Amazons and the Northern Amazons of Siberia^[46]. With her fighting skills and advocacy for women's rights, Xena bears a striking resemblance to the Amazons. But she is careful to emphasize that she is not an Amazon, nor has she any wish to become one. She has turned down offers to join the tribes, preferring an independent, nomadic lifestyle to membership of a collective. The series reveals that some of the Amazons do not trust Xena because of atrocities she committed against them in her past, although most respect her abilities as a warrior.

Gabrielle, on the other hand, during her first encounter with the Greek Amazon tribe throws herself over an Amazon named Terreis to protect her from falling arrows.^[47] Although Terreis is already dying, she is impressed by Gabrielle's bravery and gives her her right of caste. Terreis was the next in line to rule, and by giving Gabrielle the right, Gabrielle becomes an Amazon Princess of the Greek tribe.

This chance encounter leads to Gabrielle's acceptance into the Amazons, and with it she carries her title's duties and expectations. Although Gabrielle decides to continue to follow Xena on her adventures, she is occasionally called by her Amazon sisters in times of need or to fulfill her duties as royalty. The tribes also value Xena as an experienced warrior, and occasionally request her assistance.

[change] The Dahak arc & The Rift

The first lengthy story arc in the show involved the evil god Dahak, a villain based loosely on the mythological Zahhak. In the Season 3 episode, The Deliverer, Gabrielle meets a group of religious disciples that worship "The One True God".^[48] Attracted by their apparent piety, Gabrielle follows them to their temple, but her curiosity leads to tragedy when she discovers that this god is Dahak and his religion is built on death and destruction. Gabrielle is lured there because of her innocence, and when she is tricked into murdering another, she completes a dark ritual that leads to her supernatural impregnation with the child of Dahak.

Gabrielle's ensuing pregnancy progresses with unnatural speed.^[49] She gives birth within a matter of days. Xena recognises the child for what it is and insists that it be killed as soon as it is born. Gabrielle, however, is overcome with motherly instincts and names the child Hope because she believes that is what her child represents. After giving birth, Gabrielle tricks Xena into believing that she dropped Hope off a cliff, when in fact she had placed Hope in a basket and set her down a river. This betrayal of trust starts what many fans call The Rift, a crucial period in Xena and Gabrielle's relationship where an emotional chasm starts to form between them.

Eventually Xena and Gabrielle cross paths again with Hope, though due to her supernatural genealogy, she's already grown into a pre-teen.^[50] Hope's manipulations cause Xena and Gabrielle to turn against each other, culminating in the death of Xena's son, Solan. Gabrielle eventually realizes Hope's true intentions and poisons her, but the damage has been done.

The Rift is resolved in the surreal musical installment The Bitter Suite, which features a number of main characters bursting into song and dance in a dream-like world.^[51] The Dahak arc, however, continues over the Season 3 finale^[52][53] to an early Season 4 episode where Hope finally meets her demise.^[54]

Although it is Xena and Gabrielle who trigger the start of the Dahak arc, the problem is only completely resolved in the show's parent series, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, where the main characters of that show have to face and defeat Dahak^[55].

[change] Birth of Eve, Twilight of the Gods

An ongoing plot throughout the fifth season deals with Xena's pregnancy. After Xena and Gabrielle's return from the dead in the Season 5 opener Fallen Angel, the subsequent episodes revealed that Xena was mysteriously pregnant with a child who did not have a father.^[56] In episode Seeds of Faith it is revealed that the pregnancy is a gift from the redeemed Callisto, who is to be reborn in the world and chose Xena to be her mother.^[57]

It is later decreed that Xena's child would herald the end of the Olympian Gods. Subsequent episodes show various members of the divine pantheon forming pre-emptive strikes against the pregnant Xena, and though each fail they continue even after the child is born. Episode Looking Death in the Eye marks a significant change in the series when Xena and Gabrielle fake their deaths^[58] and the series timeline jumps to 25 years later when Xena's daughter, Eve, has grown up into a powerful warrior.^[59] The later episodes of the season deal with Xena and Gabrielle coping with the 25-year-gap, Eve accepting her purpose^[60] and the death of various major gods of the series.^[61]

[change] Characters

[change] Main

Main article: List of Hercules and Xena characters

• Xena, played by Lucy Lawless
• Gabrielle, played by Renée O'Connor

[change] Supporting

Main article: List of minor characters in Xena: Warrior Princess

• Alti, outcast Amazon shamaness, played by Claire Stansfield
• Amarice, young Amazon wanna-be, played by Jennifer Sky
• Aphrodite, the goddess of love, played by Alexandra Tydings
• Ares, the god of war, played by Kevin Smith
• Autolycus, the self-styled king of thieves, played by Bruce Campbell
• Borias Xena's ex-lover and the father of Xena's son, Solan, played by Marton Csokas
• Brutus, right hand man of Caesar, played by Grant Triplow and later, by David Franklin
• Caesar, Roman leader, love/hate interest for Xena, played by Karl Urban
• Callisto, Xena's greatest nemesis, played by Hudson Leick
• Cupid, Aphrodite's son, played by Karl Urban
• Cyrene, Xena's mother, played by Darien Takle
• Princess Diana, one of the various Xena look-alikes played by Lucy Lawless
• Eli, healer, teacher and prophet of a new religion- he is later to be revealed playing the role Jesus in the series, played by Tim Omundson
• Ephiny, queen regent of the Amazons, played by Danielle Cormack
• Eve, Xena's pacifist daughter, played by Adrienne Wilkinson, also called Livia from her dark warrior days.
• Hades, the god of the underworld, played by Erik Thomson (seasons 1-4); Stephen Lovatt (season 5)
• Hercules, the demigod credited with turning Xena from evil to good, played by Kevin Sorbo
• Hope, the demonic daughter of Gabrielle, played by Amy Morrison as a girl and by Renée O'Connor as a young woman
• Iolaus, Hercules' best friend, played by Michael Hurst
• Joxer, the warrior wanna-be, clown-like friend of Xena and Gabrielle, played by Ted Raimi, the producer's brother
• Lao Ma, Xena's mentor, played by Jacqueline Kim
• Meg, a tramp, one of the various Xena look-alikes, played by Lucy Lawless
• Pompey, the rival of Caesar to Roman Empire throne, played by Jeremy Callaghan
• Salmoneus, the ultimate merchant man with a lax conscience but good heart, played by Robert Trebor
• Virgil, poet-warrior, son of Joxer and Meg, played by William Gregory Lee

[change] Spin-offs

There have been numerous Xena spin-offs into various media including films, books, comics and video games.

[change] Movies

In August 1997 Hercules and Xena: The Battle For Mount Olympus a DTV animated movie was released, featuring the voices of a number of actors from both Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. The movie plot involves Hercules' mother being kidnapped by Zeus and the release of the Titans. Xena and Gabrielle have supporting roles in the movie, and at one point Xena even bursts into song.

Since the end of the series rumors have circulated that a feature length movie was in the works. In 2003 Screenwriter Katherine Fugate was approached for the project, and was quoted saying that she expects the start of production to be three to five years away, which suggests a release sometime between 2006 and 2009.^[62] Actress Lucy Lawless has been quoted in several interviews as saying she would be interested in participating in a Xena film as well.^[63]

[change] Books

Books have been released as tie-ins, including Xena Warrior Princess: Complete Illustrated Companion.^[64] There have also been a number of novelizations by authors like Martin H. Greenberg.

A book was also released in 1998, XENA: All I Need to Know I Learned From the Warrior Princess,^[65] allegedly written by Gabrielle, Bard of Poteidaia, and was "translated" by Josepha Sherman^[66]. It contains Gabrielle's viewpoint on many of the adventures she and Xena embarked on, and also includes eight pages of black-and-white photographs from the show. The book is basically Gabrielle talking about her view of the world on many different subjects. For example, in one of the chapters, "Anything can be a weapon- Anything!", she instructs the reader on fighting without traditional weapons, such as a sword or a staff, and in another, "Nobody likes a winer", she laments on the perils of alcohol.

It also launched the The Official Guide to the Xenaverse, by Robert Weisbrot, with photographs in color and black and white, a complete and detailed episode guide to the first two seasons, a look behind the scenes, the intriguing story of the origin of Xena: Warrior Princess, biographies of cast and crew and trivias about the show.

There is also the fictional books, how The Empty Throne, The Huntress and The Sphinx, The Thief Of Hermes, and Prophecy of Darkness. A recent academic monograph on the series is Wim Tigges' Her Courage Will Change the World": An Appraisal of Xena: Warrior Princess, which was self-published through lulu.com.

[change] List of Books

Informational

• The Official Guide to the Xenaverse (1998) by Robert Weisbrot. General information on the series, biographies of the cast and staff, and photos and guides to the 48 episodes of the first 2 seasons.
• Battle On!: An Unauthorized, Irreverent Look at Xena: Warrior Princess (1998) by Greg Cox. A reference guide to the first three seasons.
• Xena: Warrior Princess: The Complete Illustrated Companion (2003) by K. Stoddard Hayes. A reference guide to the complete series.
• Her Courage Will Change the World: An Appraisal of Xena: Warrior Princess (2007) by Wim Tigges. A critical appraisal and partial analysis of the series.

Fiction

• The Empty Throne, in a remote village, Xena and Gabrielle make a remarkable discovery: all men in the city have disappeared without trace. Meanwhile, armed gangs are running in the streets.
• The Huntress and The Sphinx, Xena and Gabrielle team up with Atalanta to rescue some kidnapped children.
• The Thief Of Hermes, a thief claiming to be a son of Hermes blames Xena and Gabrielle for a crime they did not commit.
• Prophecy of Darkness, Xena and Gabrielle help a prophet stop a spell that frees several monsters of hell.
• Go Quest, Young Man, an adventure starring Joxer.
• Questward, Ho!, Book released January, 1999.

Figures and images

• Princess in profile, based on the book episode The Path Not Taken.
• Queen of Amazons, based on the episode Hooves and Harlots.
• Xena and the Magic Arrow of Myx, book by Hunter Kennedy.

[change] Comics

There have been a number of comic adaptations. The earliest ones were released by Dark Horse Comics and written by Ian Edginton and John Wagner. More recently the license has moved to Dynamite Entertainment.^[67]

[change] Video games

• Electronic Arts published Xena: Warrior Princess for the PSone in 1999. Played from a third-person perspective, the game play involves slashing, jumping, and kicking through a variety of primitive 3D environments. Xena can also find and use power-ups and her trademark chakram. Once thrown, the chakram becomes a first-person weapon to guide toward enemies.
• Saffire published Xena: Warrior Princess: The Talisman of Fate for the Nintendo 64 console in 1999.

• Xena: Warrior Princess for the Game Boy Color was developed and released by Titus Software in 2000.
• Xena: Warrior Princess: Death In Chains, a multi-path video game for the PC adapted from and expanding upon the television episode of the same name, although none of the original actors provide their voices.
• Xena: Warrior Princess: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, another multi-path video game for the PC, again adapted from and expanding upon the television episode of the same name, again without the original voice actors.
• Xena: Warrior Princess for the PS2 only released in Europe.

[change] Series Information

[change] Awards

Awards	Outcome
Emmy Awards:
Outstanding Music Composition for a Series	Won
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards:
Top TV Series	Won
Top TV Series	Won
Top TV Series	Won
Top TV Series	Won
Top TV Series	Won
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films:
Best Genre TV Actress (Lucy Lawless)	Won[68]
New Zealand Film and TV Awards:
Best Contribution to Design	Won[69]

[change] DVDs releases

Anchor Bay Entertainment has released all 6 Seasons as well as the 10th Anniversary Collection of Xena: Warrior Princess on DVD in Region 1 for the first time. The series has also been released on DVD in Region 2 & Region 4.

Note: Only Region 1 DVDs contain special features, Regions 2/3/4 do not have any bonus material on them.

Season	Release Date
	Australia	Canada/US	The Netherlands	Norway/Sweden	UK/Ireland	New Zealand
1	October 12, 2005	April 23, 2003	July 24, 2007	April 27, 2005	June 6, 2005	June 23, 2005
2	October 12, 2005	September 2, 2003	June 16, 2005	August 31, 2005	August 1, 2005	August 24, 2005
3	December 10, 2005	February 10, 2004	September 22, 2005	October 26, 2005	October 3, 2005	September 22, 2005
4	December 10, 2005	June 15, 2004	November 24, 2005	January 11, 2006	November 21, 2005	November 17, 2005
5	December 10, 2005	October 19, 2004	February 23, 2006	March 22, 2006	TBA	TBA
6	December 10, 2005	March 8, 2005	April 6, 2006	May 25, 2006	April 3, 2006	April/May/June?, 2006
10th Anniversary Collection	June 6 2007	July 26, 2005	TBA	TBA	June 5, 2006	TBA

Note: The Region 2 releases of Season 1 contain the episodes out of order, creating a number of continuity problems when watching them in the order in which they are presented. The order on these DVDs is episode 1, then episodes 10 through 19, then episode 2, then episodes 21 through 24, and finally episodes 3 through 9. There are also several minor edits, such as headbutts and claps over the ears.

[change] Reception

See also: Xena: Warrior Princess in popular culture

Xena: Warrior Princess has been referred to as a pop cultural phenomenon and feminist icon.^[70][71][72] The television series, which employed pop culture references as a frequent humorous device, has itself become a frequent pop culture reference in video games, comics and television shows, and has been frequently parodied and spoofed.

Xena: Warrior Princess has been credited by many, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon, with blazing the trail for a new generation of female action heroes such as Buffy, Max of Dark Angel, Sydney Bristow of Alias, and the Bride in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill.^[73]

Xena and Gabrielle's relationship (see Influence on the lesbian community) has been cited as one of the reasons why the series has been so popular, coupled with the denials of her character's lesbianism from Lawless while the series was running.^[74] U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been nicknamed "Warrior Princess" by her staff.^[75]

[change] Fandom and fan films

The popularity of Xena has led to websites, online discussion forums, works of Xena fan fiction and several unofficial fan-made productions^[73].

[change] U.S. Ratings

Season		Highest U.S. ratings	Network	Rank
1	1995-1996	6.1 million	Syndication	#12
2	1996–1997	7.8 million	Syndication	#7
3	1997–1998	6.6 million	Syndication	#9
4	1998–1999	4.9 million	Syndication	#13
5	1999–2000	4.1 million	Syndication	#2
6	2000–2001	3.9 million	Syndication	#2[76].

[change] Astronomy

In 2005, the team that discovered the dwarf planet 2003 UB₃₁₃ nicknamed it "Xena" in honor of the TV character. On October 1, 2005, the team announced that 2003 UB₃₁₃ had a moon, which they had nicknamed "Gabrielle". The objects were officially named Eris and Dysnomia by the International Astronomical Union on September 13, 2006. Although the official names have legitimate roots in Greek mythology, Dysnomia is also Greek for "lawlessness", perpetuating the link with Lucy Lawless.

[change] Influence on the lesbian community

Xena has enjoyed a particular cult status in the lesbian community. Some of the lesbian fan base sees Xena and Gabrielle as a couple and has embraced them as role models and lesbian icons.^[77] A group called The Marching Xenas has participated in many gay and lesbian pride parades.^[78]

A subject of much interest and debate among viewers is the question of whether Xena and Gabrielle are lovers.^[79][80] The issue is left deliberately ambiguous by the show's writers. Jokes, innuendo, and other subtle evidence of a romantic relationship between Xena and Gabrielle is referred to as "lesbian subtext" or simply "subtext" by fans.^[79] The issue of the true nature of the Xena/Gabrielle relationship caused intense shipping debates in the fandom, which turned especially impassioned due to spillover from real-life debates about same-sex sexuality and gay rights.^[81]

Some fans felt that the sexual nature of Xena and Gabrielle's relationship was cemented by an interview given by Lucy Lawless to Lesbian News magazine in 2003. Lawless stated that after the series finale, where Gabrielle revives Xena with a mouth-to-mouth water transfer filmed to look like a full kiss, she had come to believe that Xena and Gabrielle's relationship was "definitely gay... there was always a 'well, she might be or she might not be' but when there was that drip of water passing between their lips in the very final scene, that cemented it for me. Now it wasn't just that Xena was bisexual and kinda liked her gal pal and they kind of fooled around sometimes, it was 'Nope, they're married, man'."^[82] However, in the interviews and commentaries on the DVD sets released in 2003-2005, the actors, writers and producers continued to stress the ambiguity of the relationship, and Ares was also considered at least as a potential love interest for Xena.^[80]

The Xena fandom also popularized the term Altfic (from "alternative fiction") to refer to same-sex romantic fan fiction.^[83] Many fans felt the term slash fiction carried the connotation of being about male/male couples only and was not a good description for romantic fan fiction about Xena and Gabrielle.

[change] Costume donation

In 2006, Lucy Lawless donated her personal Xena costume to the Museum of American History.^[84] In an interview the same year with Smithsonian magazine, she was asked the question "Was the Warrior Princess outfit comfortable?" and she responded:

Not at first, because they would put boning in the corset. It would cover up those little floating ribs that are so important for breathing, so I'd feel like I was having panic attacks. But it just became a second skin after a while. It was very functional, once I got over the modesty factor. I admit to being a little bit embarrassed the first couple weeks because I'd never worn anything so short.

—Lucy Lawless, Smithsonian, November 2006, page 44

[change] Uberfic

See also: Uberfic

Uberfic is a kind of alternative universe fan fiction in which characters or events are portrayed somewhat closely to original canon but usually in a different time period, many times featuring the ancestors, descendants or reincarnations of canon characters. The term originated in Xena: Warrior Princess fandom. This sort of story was used by the series itself, beginning with the second season episode "The Xena Scrolls".^[85] Some consider the first uberfic in the XWP fandom to be the X-files crossover Warrior's Heart by Darkone that first appeared in February 1997.

[change] References

[change] See also

• List of Hercules and Xena characters
• Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
• West End Games published a Hercules & Xena role playing game.
• Norse mythology in popular culture

[change] Other websites

• List of Xena: Warrior Princess episodes at Internet Movie Database.
• Xena: Warrior Princess at TV.Com.
• Screencaps of Xena: Warrior Princess at Mikes-Images.