Xena: Warrior Princess

''This article is about the televison show. For the character, see Xena. For other uses, see Xena (Disambiguation)".''

"In a time of ancient gods, warlords and kings, a land in turmoil cried out 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."

- Series intro Xena: Warrior Princess was an Emmy Award-winnning television series which aired from September 4th, 1995 to June 18th, 2001. It was a spin-off from, and was created by the executives of Renaissance Pictures, Robert Tapert and Sam Raimi. They both became the Executive Producers, along with R. J. Stewart and John Schulian. It did, however, eventually outlive it's "parent" show, running for a year longer.

The series depicts Kiwi actress Lucy Lawless as Xena the Warrior Princess, an ex-warlord who realises the error of her ways and fights for the Greater Good. Accompanying her is Gabrielle (played by Texan actress Renee O'Connor), a bard and later Amazon Queen, who is Xena's best friend and soulmate. They mainly travel through Greece, although venture into ancient versions of Italy, China, England, Japan, Siberia, Norway and India.

The show is heavily influenced by religious, mythological and spiritual factors. Many episodes focus on religions such as Christianity and Hinduism, while others focus on mythological beliefs, mainly Greek and Roman mythology. It features many historical and mythological figures, such as Julius Caesar, Ares, Odin and his Valkyrie and Lucifer.

The crew that worked on the show were ever-changing. Some of the crew stayed from beginning to end, but others left mid-way through to work on The Lord of the Rings. There was no set director, writer or producer, although a few of the crew members from these fields did work on numerous episodes. The show has won 5 ASCAP Awards, an Emmy Award and have been nominated for many more; Joseph LoDuca has been nominated several times for his musical writing and composing.

Cast

 * Lucy Lawless as Xena
 * Renee O'Connor as Gabrielle

Supporting Cast

 * Kevin Smith as Ares (Season 1-6)
 * Ted Raimi as Joxer (Season 1-6)
 * Adrienne Wilkinson as Eve (Season 5-6)
 * Alexandra Tydings as Aphrodite (Season 2-6)
 * Hudson Leick as Callisto (Season 1-5)
 * Bruce Campbell as Autolycus (Season 1-4)

Crew

 * Executive Producers:
 * Sam Raimi
 * R.J. Stewart
 * Robert Tapert


 * Co-Executive Producers:
 * Liz Friedman
 * Eric Gruendemann
 * Alex Kurtzman
 * Roberto Orci
 * Steven L. Sears


 * Supervising Producers:
 * Bernadette Joyce
 * Emily Skopov


 * Line Producers:
 * Chloe Smith


 * Producers:
 * Michael MacDonald
 * Chris Manheim
 * Lanko Miyazaki

Season One

 * See main article: Season One (XWP).

After being reformed by Hercules, the skilled warrior Xena meets a young bard named Gabrielle, who, after much persuasion accompanies Xena as they travel around Greece in the name of the greater good. Before they know it, Gabrielle has become an amazon princess and Xena is being tempted by her old ally and mentor, Ares, God of War, to return to her evil ways, as he poses as her father and frames her for murder. But Xena's greatest foe is waiting around the corner - Callisto, a woman who witnessed the deaths of her parents at the hands of Xena's army wants revenge on the warrior princess, as she tries to kill her and revive her former reputation as a killer.

Xena and Gabrielle battle with the Titans, hunt for treasure thrown into the Trojan War and are even faced with Celesta, the Goddess of Death herself, as their journey is only just beginning...

Season Two

 * See main article: Season Two (XWP).

Xena and Gabrielle continue on their journey, as Xena is once again reminded of her past, only this time in the form of her son, Solan, fathered by her ex-lover and partner in crime, Borias. Xena is killed in a brutal fight, and she relives her time with Julius Caesar and former mentor M'Lila whilst laying on her deathbed. She is, however, given another chance at life by the spirit of M'Lila, and so Autolycus, Gabrielle and Ephiny retrieve Ambrosia and she is able to live once again. Xena is later forced to team up with Callisto (who is now immortal due to eating a Golden Apples) to defeat the former amazon queen turned God, Velasca.

There is also a look into the lives of the future descendants of Xena, Gabrielle and Joxer, Melinda Pappas, Janice Covington and Jack Kleinman respectively, as they search for Gabrielle's legendary scrolls that chronicled Xena's journeys throughout ancient Greece.

As the duo fight their way through Bacchus and his Bacchae, help the legendary Ulysses return home and defend themselves against Callisto, who manages to break out of prison and even swap bodies with Xena, they grow even more closer and continue to build an ever-growing friendship.