Xena Is Gay in ‘Warrior Princess’ Reboot

Longtime fans have speculated for years, but a producer of the upcoming Xena: Warrior Princess reboot has confirmed: Xena is gay in the new series.  In a post on Tumblr, the reboot’s screenwriter and executive producer Javier Grillo-Marxuach confirmed that Xena (played in the ’90s by Lucy Lawless) would finally fully explore the not-so-subtle lesbian relationship she had with her sidekick Gabrielle (played in the original series by Renee O’Connor). [1]  For many of us, Xena and Gabrielle – her poet sidekick, best friend and soulmate – represented the first time we saw a same sex relationship played out on TV. Although the show veered away from labels and both characters had relationships and children with men, even the writers admitted that Xena and Gabrielle were the love of each other’s life. Over the course of six seasons, many lesbian viewers finally found themselves with role models and the show gained a massive LGBT fan base.  Twenty years after it aired, representation has improved and just like every other 90s hit show, Xena is getting a reboot – but this time the lesbian relationship is official. [2]  According to Javier, there will be no question if Xena and Gabrielle are fucking.

I am a very different person with a very different world view than my employer on The 100 – and my work on The 100 was to use my skills to bring that vision to life. Xena will be a very different show made for very different reasons. There is no reason to bring back Xena if it is not there for the purpose of fully exploring a relationship that could only be shown subtextually in first-run syndication in the 1990s. [4]

The relationship to which he is alluding is the leather-studded “companionship” between Xena (played, much to the delight of New Zealanders everywhere, by Lucy Lawless) and Gabrielle (played by Renee O’Connor). It might have taken over 20 years to get there, but the girls are finally ready to make it official. This, explained Grillo-Marxauch, is because the show “will also express my view of the world – which is only further informed by what is happening right now – and is not too difficult to know what that is if you do some digging”. Unlike in 1995, gay marriage is now on the statute books or at least high on the news agenda in most countries where Xena will be syndicated. [3]  The original series, which ran for six seasons between 1995 and 2001, featured plenty of tender moments between its two female co-leads.  [1] That being said, NBC’s Xena reboot won’t just be an excuse for some girl warrior-on-girl warrior action. This afternoon Javier Tweeted that his Xena will also be about “courage, redemption, ass-kicking, ancient Greece, scrolls, quarterstaffs, and the greater good.” [4]