She was designed to be the perfect soldier. A human weapon.

Er, nope, that's not it.

In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness.

No, that's not it either!

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.

That's the ticket!

(I do have a point to this, ya know. I'm not just throwing prologues at you for the fun of it.)

Y'see, Xena, as a character, can be applied to both Dark Angel's prologue, as well as Buffy's. Xena, as a show, can also be compared to Buffy's spin-off, Angel: a series about redemption, and fighting the good fight, no matter what the odds are; as well as the most whimsy of magical series, such as Charmed.

The fact is, without Xena, these shows may have never existed. Xena: Warrior Princess didn't just break barriers, it hacked, slashed and somersaulted over them. It was the first proper series to have (non-bionically-enhanced) women not only work alongside the boys, but do better than them. It was the first series to have a woman with such a bloody past fight hard for her redemption, take on gods, go to Hades and back, mourn the loss of many, and suffer for her crimes. Like Angel, Xena became a darker spin-off, taking elements from its brother-series, Hercules, and exploring a more sinister path.

Of course, this show wasn't exactly in danger of becoming too dark: it takes quite a few seasons for the show to truly find its stride, but in the meanwhile, manages to find a perfect balance of eye-popping action and offbeat slapstick (with hilarious sound-effects); and at the heart of the show, it developed a relationship between two entirely different women, who would go on to accomplish great things, and form such a strong bond that there was no need for a male companion in their lives. True soul-mates, Xena's relationship with Gabrielle, an innocent bard with a thirst for knowledge and adventure is still considered one of the greatest television love stories ever told.

  -- Mark Ritchie

TV