As March is Women’s History Month in the U.S., I decided I should watch things that made history, starting with the first season of Xena: Warrior Princess.

“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.”

If you’ve ever seen the show, I’m sure you heard the opening credit voice in your head as you read the summary. The back of the box summary is a little more detailed. “Xena is a smart, tough, and fearless fighter who travels the dangerous roads of Ancient Greece defending the innocent from the forces of darkness and seeking redemption for her cruel misdeeds of the past. Along for the adventures is her devoted friend Gabrielle, a compassionate girl who hopes to be a warrior one day, and other legendary figures, including the formidable Hercules. Combining impressive displays of mythology, fantasy, and martial arts, it’s the iconic show that set the bar for all female action heroes.”

The character of Xena was first seen in the 1995 Hercules: the Legendary Journeys episode “The Warrior Princess” and then she became a fan-favorite and got her own show.

This season introduces the main characters, specifically Xena and Gabrielle, and shows the very beginning of their friendship. And there’s a LOT of fun in this early season, like in “Dreamworker”, the episode where Morpheus is attempting to get Gabrielle to spill her blood innocence and her first instinct is to ask what Morpheus finds unattractive because she has many faults.

The first season introduces us to a number of Greek and historical people including Ares, Hades, Titans, Prometheus, Amazons, Centaurs, Virgil, and many others, plus guest appearances by characters from Hercule: the Legendary Journeys such as Hercules, Iolus, Salmoneus, and Autolycus, and some series specific characters like Joxer and Callisto, who become reoccurring characters throughout the show.

I think one of the best parts about this show is how absolutely irreverent to everything. One of the episodes has Salmoneus selling a “fizzy drink” and another has a vendor attempting to sell Gabrielle fake Mount Vulcan souvenirs. There’s no possibility of a consistent timeline, nor feasibility for most of the stunts. Somehow, Xena and Gabrielle are both able to be there for the fall of Troy and the attempted sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham. There’s also no real concept of how much time passes between adventures, making the show timeless.

All of this contributes to making this show absolutely fantastic!

Though, I don’t think this show would be able to be made today because fanbases get really obsessive about tiny details and a show like this would drive toxic fandoms into being even worse than they really can be sometimes. And most of those toxic fandoms center around those who would not like even the idea of a woman capable of taking care of herself and disrupting their fragile worldview. This show also used practical effects, which made it more authentic, instead of using something like CGI.

And not every episode was focused just on action or making the plot move forward. There were plenty of “filler” episodes and times where they really just had fun, though most of the episodes of the first season focused on Gabrielle helping Xena figure out how to redeem her actions from her warlord days. We see a lot of Xena being tricked into actions to set her back on her search for atonement and Gabrielle is there to make sure Xena remembers the path she’s on towards doing good.

Overall, this continues to be one of the most influential shows of my younger days and I’m enjoying the rewatch. I’d rate this first season as a solid three on my rating scale. I’m glad I own it and it’s good to rewatch it again from time to time.

Xena: Warrior Princess. Produced by R.J. Stewart, Liz Friedman, performances by Lucy Lawless, Renee O’Connor, Renaissance Pictures, Ltd, 1995.