Amazons and warrior princesses on screen – the legacy of Xena 20 years on
For six seasons, Lucy Lawless’s portrayal of the warrior princess Xena enthralled viewers all around the world with her high kicks, sword prowess, and unmistakable war cry. The show followed her as she battled through armies, monsters, and gods with Gabrielle (Renee O’Connor), her soul mate and moral compass.
From ancient Greece to Rome, Egypt, Britain, China, India, Scandinavia, and eventually to Japan, where it all came to an end on June 18, 2001, Xena took us on a journey across time and space.
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Xena first appeared as Hercules’ adversary in three episodes of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, but she quickly gained popularity and got her spin-off series, which ran from 1995 to 2001. Since it introduced a strong female action heroine and was the only widely watched adventure, action, science fiction, or fantasy program to have female leads without male counterparts, Xena: Warrior Princess was hailed as groundbreaking at the time.
On the 20th anniversary of the show’s conclusion, it is worthwhile to look back on this outstanding program and consider why it was so beloved by such a diverse group of viewers, including LGBTQ people and sci-fi lovers in addition to young girls attracted by the show’s strong female role model.
Xena and the Amazons
Xena, a former warlord from ancient Greece, was an ally to the tribes of female warriors but was not an Amazon. The Amazons were depicted in ancient Greek literature as inhuman barbarians who battled and conducted themselves like men. Since then, they have gained popularity as admirable female role models who reject misogynistic notions of what it means to be a woman. As warriors and intellectuals, they live in a world where women are in charge. A subset of feminism that encourages female physical strength as a means of achieving gender equality is now referred to as “Amazon feminism.”
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The Amazons first appeared in the 1970s Wonder Woman series before Xena. These women, who weren’t quite the feminist role models we anticipate today, lived peacefully without men in Paradise while donning pastel-colored negligees.
While the Amazons in Xena may have also worn skimpy fur and skin garments, their separatist civilization celebrates both martial and intellectual prowess. The Amazon world, an Amazon explains to Gabrielle, is built on “truth and a woman’s strength as an individual.”
Greek mythology’s Amazons battled male heroes like Hercules, Theseus, and Achilles valiantly while living separately from men at the edge of the known world. The Amazons are strong fighters who can compete with men in Xena and also live in a matriarchal civilization.
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One may consider the Amazons in the 2017 film Wonder Woman to be Xena’s ancestors. In the 2018 BBC miniseries Troy: Fall of a City, Penthesilea (Nina Milner) displays Xena-like fighting skills and attire. Xena can also be considered an inspiration for the leadership skills of the immortal Amazon Andy (Charlize Theron) in the Netflix movie The Old Guard.
The Old Guard and Troy: Fall of a City are movies geared toward older viewers, although Xena was well-liked by people of all ages. For instance, Channel Five’s Milkshake in the UK aired Xena episodes! Saturday morning period for youthful audiences throughout the 1990s and the early 2000s. Many young girls adopted Xena as their role model as a result of this.
The Xena subtext
Gay and lesbian viewers adored Xena as well. Openly gay partnerships were largely absent from well-known US television series in the 1990s. But more than being friends and lovers, Xena and Gabrielle’s connection was seen as that of a hero and a sidekick. When Xena and Gabrielle were paired up in a steamy bath in the season two fan-favorite episode A Day in the Life, the show’s creators started to experiment with this idea, and for many viewers, the subtext ended up taking center stage.
Even though Xena’s death in the final episode shocked many viewers, they were nonetheless treated to a lengthy goodbye kiss between Gabrielle and Xena’s ghost. Producers of the show never explicitly portrayed Xena and Gabrielle as a lesbian pair. However, LGBTQ+ supporters supported their union, which is seen to have paved the road for openly gay partnerships we now see in television shows.
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When Xena is compared to dark fantasy sci-fi fantasies like Game of Thrones, its humor stands out as one of the pleasures of looking back on it 20 years later. It has some incredibly strong female characters and occasionally delivers a meaningful message about feminism and female solidarity, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously. A fresh generation of young female viewers can still find inspiration in the characters of Xena and Gabrielle even though some of the special effects now look obsolete.
