Not your ordinary do-gooder, there's an incredible depth to Xena (no last name given), the self-styled warrior princess. Through six seasons of her show (and a few episodes of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys), we've seen possibly the greatest fighter the Ancient World has ever seen change an evil psychopath to god-fearing pacifist (albeit one who feels that the odd murder in the name of peace is acceptable). But how did all this happen?

From what we know, anyone in Greece way-back-when could call themselves a princess. Unless there's something we don't know about Cyrene, Xena's mother, Xena isn't in any way royalty, merely a child from a small village called Amphipolis. She had a loving and happy childhood by all accounts, considering that there were frequent raids in the area from bandits and warlords and when she was old enough, she left home to join them. Presumably the kind of career move with major prospects in Ancient Greece (own horse, frequent opportunities for advancement - more if willing to do own dirty work - chance to travel and meet people). Xena was only too happy to call herself a princess, especially after she'd made off with the jewels of a few members of the royalty, and she was clearly a warrior.

Xena's first appearance

Her early life is still a little unclear. What we do know is that Xena spread much and varied wickedness across the world. She spent some time in China (then Chin), where she learnt about pressure points and how to use them on humans. With this technique, if an opponent comes too close, she is able to place them close to death by cutting off the flow of blood to the brain, an effective means of acquiring information. The process is also helpful for injuries, cutting off the pain until there is time to deal with a wound more completely. In amongst her travels, Xena also found time to catch the eye of Norse god Odin, who made her a valkyrie for some time. Having forsaken love and given in to hate, she stole the Norse rheingold, crafted a ring from it and intended to gain unlimited godlike power for herself until the ring was taken from her.

Motherhood beckons: Xena and her baby, Eve

The key facet of the early Xena was her ruthlessness, expanding her sphere of influence by taking over villages, cutting a swathe of destruction and murdering any men who tried to stop her. Living by her warrior's code, however, she would not kill any women or children, although she wasn't averse to hurting the occasional woman who posed a threat. For much of her early life she accompanied a warlord named Borias, with their two armies combining to provide a fighting force of unparalleled strength. The pair also had a child, named Solan, who was eventually left with a group of centaurs that Xena trusted to look after him and teach him how to defend himself but hopefully not follow in her footsteps.

Clash of the Titans

Xena, alwyas first into trouble...

As she worked her way across Greece, Xena eventually came up against Hercules.Using another of her strengths, her cunning and skilful planning ability, she used her sexual appeal to lure Iolaus, Hercules' best friend, into her clutches. Convincing Iolaus that Hercules was persecuting the wrong woman, Xena managed to force the two friends into open conflict while her scheme continued apace. When Hercules had rectified Iolaus's misconception, the pair teamed up once more to stop Xena's further military advances, but it wasn't to be their last encounter with her.

Xena and the God who loves her, Ares

The code that forbade her violence against the innocent became Xena's undoing, with this glimmering of compassion not acceptable to her troops. Her second-in-command, Darphus, forced Xena to run a gauntlet of her own army, leaving her bruised and battered but not broken. Unable to continue leading her army, she made an allegiance with Hercules in order to stop her unfaithful followers, eventually leading Darphus to his death and subsequent resurrection by Ares, the god of war, and following death again in the mouth of Ares' hell-hound, Graegis.

Thankfully, even after some hot half-god lurvin', Xena decided that she was too important to be Herc's babe of the week and went forth into her own series. It's of great credit to Lucy Lawless that after three performances as Xena led to a spinoff so soon after the start of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.

In six years of her own show, Xena's personality has been explored in-depth, but she still remains far from predictable. Opening episode Sins of the Past saw her make a ceremonial break with her old life by burying her weapons and armour, but she quickly learned that she would still require her fighting abilities as well as her other skills, cunning and intelligence to make a difference in the world, setting some of her past crimes right in the eyes of those she had wronged.

Undercover work in Adventures in the Sin Trade

Still fractious and very much a loner, Xena's first meeting with long-term sidekick-to-be Gabrielle in this episode is far from happy. Xena is standoffish, partly through her desire to not get an innocent entangled in her violent and deadly world and partly because she feels she must make amends on her own. Leaving the very young and schoolgirl-like woman behind, Xena sets off on her own path, not realizing that Gabrielle is following closely. It's good to see Gabrielle also being her own person here, leaving home, finding trouble in the shape of a cyclops, and still managing to escape using the kind of persuasive ability of which Xena would be proud. The pair are a perfect match, one with diplomatic skills and the other with the brute force to fall back on if things don't go to plan.

The Heart of the Show

In India, Xena stirs up some controversy

Throughout the series, it is impossible to examine Xena without examining Gabrielle, as their personalities are always somehow interlinked. Xena repeatedly credits Gabrielle with being her salvation, a light that guided her to a new path of love and understanding, a path she'd long been away from. All of the supporting cast become mirrors of Xena, often facets of her character that are suppressed and occasionally through the following of Xena's example.

Callisto, most obviously, is Xena's greatest enemy yet also possible the series' most tragic figure. Xena killed her parents by accident and, blaming the warrior princess for their deaths, Callisto seeks vengeance. In various episodes we see the full extent of Callisto's anger, such as when she kills Gabrielle's new husband, just to make Xena realize her mistake in continuing to let Callisto live...Yet we also see her attempts to set things right: to save her parents so that her hatred-fuelled self will never exist, even to be killed and put out of the despair and misery she feels deep inside. Her eventual redemption comes, bringing a new life into the world through reincarnation.

Xena and Boadicea

Joxer sets himself up as a mighty warrior like Xena, knowing full well that he'll never be a great fighter yet aspiring to do good however he can. It is Xena who notices the innocence within him, cultivating it as she does in Gabrielle and hoping that it will never be tainted by the world around. She also knows Joxer will come through when he needs to, his finest hour occurring in Sacrifice when Xena's outward annoyance with him turns out to be merely a front.

Love for a Princess

Xena and Gabrielle

Even Ares is changed by his encounters with Xena, as his warlike ways and obsessive thirst for power turn to more laudable attributes as he finds himself falling in love with her. Still a force to be reckoned with, he is the one who preserves Xena's life when she is close to death and eventually gives up his godhood for her sake.

For Xena, each battle is a new challenge. She has it within her to bring her former evil self to the fore when nocessary, as she has when taking on ruthless killers such as the Pomira, aka The Horde, where she believes it necessary to fight as ruthlessly as her foe if she is to prevail. When Gabrielle is missing - presumed dead, Xena goes to any lengths to find her and bring her back, knowing that without Gabrielle's counsel she will not be able to keep her bad side in check. She also knows when it is time to forgive and when it is time for revenge. Her return to Chin ends in the murder of a tyrant that Xena will not allow to live, despite Gabrielle trying to stop her.

Her strategic abilities are legendary, playing entire armies for fools and leading Julius Caesar exacily where she wants him, whether forcing him to execute his own second-in-command, or setting him up for a battle that will force him into a retreat.

Yet it is her relationship with Gabrielle that defines Xena best, with the pair moving towards each other, crossing over and heading back again. The more time Xena spends with Gabrielle, the more she wants to be a better person, embracing peace and love. Yet Gabrielle is also changing, seeing more violence and eventually taking a life herself, which sets in motion a chain of events that eventually lead to her death. Both women become mothers and both lose their children as a result of knowing each other, a supremely painful concept that threatens to split them apart. By realizing that they have moved too far from their respective paths, Xena and Gabrielle renew their bond of respect and love. Although we don't know just how far that love extends, the bond they share through offering each other support in trying times has succeeded in making them the closest possible friends, and maybe something more...

Paul Spragg

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