Xena: Warrior Princess

Xena: Warrior Princess is an Emmy Award-winning American cult television series. It was first shown from September 15, 1995 until June 18, 2001. The series was created in 1995  by writer-producers Robert Tapert under his production tag, Pacific Renaissance Pictures LTD. Later, there were co-executive producers. They were Sam Raimi and R. J. Stewart. The series is a spin-off from the TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys where Xena (Lucy Lawless) is a minor character. The series tells the story of Xena's quest to seek  for her past sins as a ruthless warlord. She uses her fighting skills to help people. Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) becomes Xena's greatest friend, her initial naïveté helps to balance Xena and helps her in seeing and fighting for the "greater good".

The series usually had between four and four million viewers on original airings. The series has positive reviews from many reviewers. It was ranked #10 on the list of TV Guides Top 25 Cult TV Shows of All Time. It was nominated for Emmy awards.

Xenas success has led to hundreds of tie-in products, including comics, and video games. The series has received attention in fandom (Uberfic), and has influenced the direction of other television series. The cult of the series (Fandom) remains active on the internet today.

 Production 
 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, The Gauntlet and Unchained Heart. In the first episode, Xena is a killer, but in the third, she joins Hercules to defeat Darphus, who had taken her army. Aware that the character of Xena had been very successful among the public, producers of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys decided to make a series exclusively for it.

 Casting 

In Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena was played by New Zealand actress Lucy Lawless. The first actress considered to play the part was British actress Vanessa Angel, while actress Sunny Doench was thought to play the role of Gabrielle. However, neither could travel to New Zealand, the country where the series was shot entirely on location. Finally, Lucy Lawless was cast as Xena and Gabrielle was played by the American actress Renee O'Connor.

The American actor and writer Bruce Campbell played Autolycus, King of the alleged thieves, and appeared in eight episodes. 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 the last episode, the eastern star Michelle Ang playing Akemi.

 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.

 Opening Sequence 

The opening of Xena had two models during the series, the first was used during the first five seasons, and the second model was used only in the last season. 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.

 Setting and storylines 
 Studios and filming locations 

Xena Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys were filmed in New Zealand. 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.

 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 in New Zealand and music composed by Joseph Loduca. 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.

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.The series was also criticized for 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, the birth of Jesus, or the battle of Maraton. Finally, another widespread weakness in the series are multiple inconsistencies in their arguments.

The first season of the series was addressed without many pretensions, as the producers did not want to gamble much. During this season abounded plots based on Greek myths and a focus on defining the personality of the two protagonists. In the second season were improved special effects, consolidation of the relationship between Xena and Gabrielle and increased the strength of the stories. As a negative note of the third season, preference was given to the functionality of certain episodes at the expense of stories and the essence of the characters. However, in the fourth season, the level of the series returned to the first two years in terms of quality. In this season there 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. The fifth season was a downturn in the quality of the series. This was contributed to by the pregnancy of 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. 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.

 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 movies from Hong Kong, the jumps, breathing fire and the sounds of weapons in the battles were some of the things that mirrored movies. The scene of the lynching of Xena in The Gauntlet is almost identical to the movie The Bride With White Hair. The fight on the stairs with Callisto on Callisto and the fight against Draco in head of villagers also has its roots in the genre, and the sequence The Debt, which was almost completely influenced in the genus.

 Plot Summary 

The show is a historical fantasy set in ancient Greece, although with a flexible time setting, and also features heavy Oriental, Egyptian and Medieval 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; the fall of Troy; and the capture of Caesar by pirates, with Xena cast as the pirate leader. 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 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. Although the show often addresses ethical dilemmas such as the morality of pacifism, the storylines rarely seek to provide unequivocal solutions.

 Characters 
 Main 
 Xena, played by Lucy Lawless
 Gabrielle, played by Renee O'Connor

 Supporting 
 Alti, outcast evil Amazon shamaness, villain, killed several times by Xena, played by Claire Stansfield
 Amarice, young Amazon wanna-be, killed in battle with cannibals, played by Jennifer Sky
 Aphrodite, the goddess of love, played by Alexandra Tydings
 Ares, the god of war, villain became good, played by Kevin Smith
 Athena, the goddess of wisdom, villain, stabbed in stomach by Xena, played by Paris Jefferson
 Autolycus, the self-styled king of thieves, played by Bruce Campbell
 Borias, Xena's ex-lover and the father of Xena's son, Solan, killed in Battle of Corinth, played by Marton Csokas
 Brutus, right-hand man of Caesar, villain, stabbed by Gabrielle in battle, played by Grant Triplow and later by David Franklin
 Caesar, Roman leader, love/hate interest for Xena, villain, killed by Roman revolutioneers, played by Karl Urban
 Callisto, Xena's greatest nemesis, villain became good afterdeath, stabbed in heart by Xena and returned as an angel, played by Hudson Leick
 Cupid, Aphrodite's son, played by Karl Urban
 Cyrene, Xena's mother, Burnt in the stake from the villagers, played by Darien Takle
 Diana one of the various Xena look-alikes played by Lucy Lawless
 Discord, goddess of discord, villain, decapitated by Xena, played by Meighan Desmond
 Eli, healer, teacher and prophet of a new religion- he is later to be revealed playing the role Jesus in the series, stabbed by Ares, played by Tim Omundson
 Ephiny, queen regent of the Amazons, stabbed by Brutus in battle, played by Danielle Cormack
 Eve, Xena's pacifist daughter, villain became good, played by Adrienne Wilkinson, also called Livia from her dark warrior days.
 Hades, the god of the underworld, villain, set on fire and burnt to death by Xena, 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, villain, stabbed by her son the Destroyer, 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, stabbed by Eve, played by Ted Raimi, the producer's brother
 Lao Ma, Xena's mentor, executed by her son Ming-Tien, 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, villain, decapitated by Xena, played by Jeremy Callaghan
 Poseidon, god of the sea, villain, evaporated by a fireball deflected by Xena, voiced by Rick Jacobson (appearances 1-2) and Carl Seibert (appearance 3)
 Salmoneus, the ultimate merchant man with a lax conscience but good heart, played by Robert Trebor
 Virgil, poet-warrior, adopted son of Joxer and Meg, played by William Gregory Lee

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

 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. Actress Lucy Lawless has been quoted in several interviews as saying she would be interested in participating in a Xena movie as well.

 Books 
Books have been released as tie-ins, including Xena Warrior Princess: Complete Illustrated Companion. 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, allegedly written by Gabrielle, Bard of Poteidaia, and was "translated" by Josepha Sherman. 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 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.

 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.

 Video games 
 Electronic Arts published Xena: Warror 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: Warror 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: Warror Princess for the PS2 only released in Europe in 2007.

 Series Information 
 Awards and Nominations 

 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. Only Region 1 DVDs contain special features, Regions 2/3/4 do not have any bonus material on them. 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 small changes, such as headbutts and claps over the ears.

 Reception 

Xena: Warrior Princess has been referred to as a pop cultural phenomenon and feminist icon.Atara Stein, "XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS, THE LESBIAN GAZE, AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF A FEMINIST HEROINE " (1998). 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.

Xena and Gabrielle's relationship 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. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been nicknamed "Warrior Princess" by her staff.

 Fandom and fan movies 

The popularity of Xena: Warrior Princess has led to websites, online discussion forums, works of Xena fan fiction and several unofficial fan-made productions.

 U.S. Ratings 

 Astronomy 
In 2005, the team that discovered the dwarf planet  nicknamed it "Xena" in honor of the TV character. On October 1, 2005, the team announced that  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.

 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. A group called The Marching Xenas has participated in many gay and lesbian pride parades.

A subject of much interest and debate among viewers is the question of whether Xena and Gabrielle are lovers. 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. The issue of the true nature of the Xena/Gabrielle relationship caused intense debates in the fandom, which turned especially impassioned due to spillover from real-life debates about same-sex sexuality and gay rights.

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'." 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.

The Xena fandom also popularized the term Altfic (from "alternative fiction") to refer to same-sex romantic fan fiction. 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.

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

 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".

References

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 .

1995 American television series debuts
2001 American television series endings
1990s American television series
2000s American television series
Emmy Award winning programs
First run syndicated television programs
Television spin-offs
 
English-language television programs