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Xena: Warrior Princess is an American television series that aired from September 15, 1995 until June 18, 2001. The series was produced by Pacific Renaissance Pictures Ltd (owned by Robert Tapert and Sam Raimi) in association with Universal Studios. It stars Lucy Lawless as Xena and Reneé O'Connor as her companion Gabrielle. The show chronicles Xena's quest to seek redemption for her past sins as a ruthless warlord by using her formidable fighting skills to help people.
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Quotations
Gabrielle:
(being lead down to the dungeon) It was really nice of you to walk me down her personally.
Gabrielle:
Hah!...It's not like your breasts aren't dangerous enough.
Gabrielle:
I dont suppose you want my breakfast order.
Gabrielle:
I just thought of something. Youre a warrior princess and Im an Amazon princess. That is going to make such a great story.
Shopkeeper:
(being pinned to the wall by Xena) By the Gods you're strong!
Ephiny:
Now I see why you ride the horse.
Encyclopedia
Xena: Warrior Princess is an American television series that aired from September 15, 1995 until June 18, 2001. The series was produced by Pacific Renaissance Pictures Ltd (owned by Robert Tapert and Sam Raimi) in association with Universal Studios. It stars Lucy Lawless as Xena and Reneé O'Connor as her companion Gabrielle. The show chronicles Xena's quest to seek redemption for her past sins as a ruthless warlord by using her formidable fighting skills to help people. Gabrielle becomes Xena's greatest ally; her initial naïveté helps to balance Xena and assists her in recognizing and pursuing the "greater good."
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 an outlaw, 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, the producers of the series decided to create a spin-off series based around her adventures.
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", the original "Kaval Sviri" is the music used to announce Xena racing into battle. Indeed, the musical track of Xena: Warrior Princess was very well composed, and gave an Emmy to Joseph LoDuca for the song With the Angels in 1999. The vast majority of songs were made available over the course of the series on CDs - 6 volumes in all. There were also 2 musical episodes in the series; one in the third season, and another in the fifth season, each with its own CD released.
Cast
Xena: Warrior Princess starred Lucy Lawless and Reneé O'Connor, in the roles of Xena and Gabrielle. The original choice to interpret Xena was the British actress Vanessa Angel, but an illness prevented her from travelling, so the role was offered to another four actresses before being given to Lucy. For Gabrielle, Sunny Doench was chosen, but she did not want to leave her boyfriend in the United States and Reneé was chosen. During the series, several names were being aggregated to cast, most of them natives of New Zealand. Actor Ted Raimi became an active actor in the second season onwards, in his role as Joxer. The late actor Kevin Tod Smith became popular in the cast from the third season as Ares. Other actors that were very popular among fans of the series was Hudson Leick in her role as Callisto (and occasionally Xena), Karl Urban as Caesar, and Alexandra Tydings as Aphrodite.
Setting
Xena Warrior Princess was filmed in New Zealand. Some places are confidential, but many scenes were recorded in places such as the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, part of the Auckland Regional parks often credited at the end of the episodes.
Plot summary
Xena is a historical fantasy set in ancient Greece, although it has a flexible time setting and occasionally features Oriental, Egyptian and Medieval elements. The flexible fantasy framework of the show accommodates a considerable range of theatrical styles, from high melodrama to slapstick comedy, from whimsical and musical to all-out action and adventure. While the show is typically set in ancient times, its themes are essentially modern and it investigates the ideas of taking responsibility for past misdeeds, the value of human life, personal liberty and sacrifice, and friendship. The show often addresses ethical dilemmas, such as the morality of pacifism; however, the storylines rarely seek to provide unequivocal solutions.
Xena 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 fans from all over the world to discuss and suggest things related to the show. The Xena fandom is still an active community today.
In addition to Xena and Gabrielle, the show also features a wide assortment of recurring characters, including adversaries Ares (Kevin Tod 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).
Characters
Spin-offs
There have been numerous Xena spin-offs into various media including films, 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 saying she would be interested in participating in a Xena film 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 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 trivia about the show.
There are also some fictional books: The Empty Throne, The Huntress and The Sphinx, The Thief Of Hermes, and Prophecy of Darkness.
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.
- I Have Many Skills: Additional Papers on Xena: Warrior Princess (2008) by Wim Tigges. Critical papers on various aspects 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.
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
- Simutronics Corporation created a MMORPG under license called Hercules & Xena: Alliance of Heroes, based on both Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. In subsequent years Simutronics relinquished the license, removed trademarked material and rebranded the game, which still exists, as Alliance of Heroes.
- Electronic Arts published Xena: Warrior Princess for the PS1 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.
Series information
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 | | New Zealand Film and TV Awards: | | Best Contribution to Design | Won |
DVD 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.
| Season | Release Date |
|---|
| Australia | Canada/US | The Netherlands | Norway/Sweden | UK/Ireland | New Zealand | France | Germany | |
|---|
| 1 | October 12, 2005 | April 23, 2003 | July 24, 2007 | April 27, 2005 | June 6, 2005 | June 23, 2005 | July 22, 2008 | August 01, 2006 | | 2 | October 12, 2005 | September 2, 2003 | June 16, 2005 | August 31, 2005 | August 1, 2005 | August 24, 2005 | February 24, 2009 | October 30, 2008 | | 3 | December 10, 2005 | February 10, 2004 | September 22, 2005 | October 26, 2005 | October 3, 2005 | September 22, 2005 | ???? | February 26, 2009 | | 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 | |
Reception
Xena: Warrior Princess has been referred to as a pop cultural phenomenon and feminist icon. 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 (see Influence on the lesbian community) has been cited as one of the reasons for the series' enduring popularity, along with the ambiguity of that relationship while the series was running. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been nicknamed "Warrior Princess" by her staff.
U.S. ratings
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 shipping 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 fandom. This sort of story was used by the series itself, beginning with the second season episode "The Xena Scrolls".
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