Leia vs. Xena

A student wandered into my office today asking for information on how to get advised for Graduation.  It's a student that has wandered in before.  He has a full shaggy mane of blonde curls, blue eyes & a fabulous mustache.  Think Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday but more full & blond.

He's always pretty hyper, but I can't lie, I adore him.  He always brings good conversation with him.

Today it was "Who would win in a fight if it was Xena vs. Leia?"

Wow.

 

Now, I almost instantly said Xena, but then I stopped.  I remembered that article I read about Leia a couple days ago.  I realized just because Xena has a sword & a Chakram & happens to have killed thousands of people doesn't make her a clear winner.  Leia has the Force.  Xena has the possible demi-god thing.  Both are smart.  Leia also has some awesome friends.  Xena doesn't really have friends other than Gabrielle & the bumbling idiot Joxer.  Occasionally the jerk Hercules shows up, but this fight ain't between them & their friends.  It's just between these two ladies.  Xena does have superior charisma.  She can turn on the sex charm & get anyone, male & female, to pretty much do anything.  Leia has more of the cute charm. One that doesn't work so well on her own sex. Both are great at strategy.     

Leia has more to lose.  Xena feels like she has a debt to pay.  Leia is awesome with a blaster.  Xena is more than human in her skill with the Chakram.  Xena has accepted herself for who she is.  Leia is always iffy about being a real Jedi.  (I haven't read ALL the novels in the SWU yet)  Sheesh, this is tough.  I'm not sure I can answer this question.  

What do you fanboys & fangirls think?

Okay, I admit it, I'm re-obsessed.

Alright, you are all going to have to bear with me a while. I have become completely obsessed with Xena all over again, so everything is going to relate to Xena. Everything I see, hear & do will be in some form or another tied in with Xena. It's an Aspie thing. Okay and a fanatic thing. I will still mention Star Wars, Action Figures, art & stuff, but Xena is going to take the reins for a while.



Now, speaking of Xena, LOL, I mentioned the FaceBook page for the Xena movie in my last post. I have to admit at first I was a little pessimistic. I've changed my tune. Social Media has changed the world. Betty White got a spot on Saturday Night Live because enough people clicked like on a FaceBook page. There is no reason that a Xena movie can't happen if enough people LIKE a Facebook page. Crazy as it sounds, it's true. Execs like numbers. It's how they work. Each click represents a possible $10 to $20 movie ticket sale or a $14.95 DVD purchase. If you have enough clicks or LIKES or adds to show them a profit, they don't care what it is, they will greenlight it & it will be made.



Another important thing to have is a script. T has tackled this with me. She is getting her Masters in Screenwriting. It's finished as of now & is even up for a BEA award. How awesome is that? Lucy has said repeatedly all that is needed is a script & a budget. Well, the script is done. Now, for a budget.



Let's talk about what you & I can do to make this happen. If a Xena Movie is something that even slightly interests you, the first thing you need to do is log-in to Facebook and go LIKE the Xena 2011 Movie Campaign. Go on, do it now. I'll wait.



Also, it wouldn't hurt to embed this video. Go to any page that might remotely have anyone interested in Xena & leave a link to the Xena 2011 Movie Campaign. Conan the Barbarian blogs, sites, videos, forums, BSG blogs, sites, videos, forums, Spartacus, blogs...etc. etc. You get my point.

Now, there are a handful of pessimists that keep bringing up our two main actors ages. Look, no one cares how old they are really. That's what Photoshop & make-up are for. They are not too old...yet. That's why we have to get ON this. Lucy Lawless said just last year that she wants to play the character again. That's huge.



She told Out.com, "I love that character. I would do it if it was a movie. I doubt I would do it as a TV series. I can't see how you would make it fresh.
"By the time somebody does come up with that I'm just going to be too old. And I'm really sad about that. I feel like it's a completely wasted franchise."

She also said "I would have them sailing off into the sunset together. That way, people could dream about what adventures they would embark on next, as opposed to separating them forever. That was the most hurtful thing about 'Xena.' It’s a cool story if you think about it. In 'Spartacus' people are killed in the worst way all the time. It’s part of the show. However, it wasn’t right for 'Xena.' It’s such a shame to look back because it really hurt fans. People related to those characters in a unique way, creating a different kind of fandom. The 'Xena' fans are an incredible bunch."



So c'mon, let's live up to our title & get the numbers up & connect to everything everywhere. If you had any anger or resentment or hurt about the way it ended, let it go. We are going to fix it. Right here, right now. Let's do something no other fan base has ever done. Bring a lead character back from the dead & have the original Actors portray them on the big screen to have it end the way it should have in the first place.



Battle on!

Xena Warrior Princess

Many of you know how much I love Xena. I love it equally to Star Wars, which means it is extremely important. When it ended in 2001, I was pretty devastated. The ending was not what I had hoped for. I grieved for a long time. Sure it was just a TV show, but these characters had been part of my life for 6 years. Not only that, but the show led me to my partner of 15 years (15 yrs. in November 2011). We met in #Xenafan on IRC. I had a personalized license tag on my car that read "Xena" until I sold my car last October. We spent $250.00 on a Xena prop (The Amazon Epinon's belt) which at the time was more than our rent.



Xena had become part of my weekly joy.

After the show ended, I couldn't watch Xena anymore. It was just too painful. I cried for weeks. Seriously. I cried at work. I just couldn't understand why it had to end the way it did. I logged onto the MCA/Universal sponsored Xena Netforum & quickly realized I wasn't alone. There was a whole lot of anger, confusion & frustration, but mostly there was grief. This show had been empowering. It had been a show that many seem to identify with, especially when it came to the Xena & Gabrielle relationship. *SPOILERS* (Don't read the next line if you haven't seen the series ending) The ending seemed to ignore everything we had learned about revenge, vengeance & finding redemption. Xena sacrifices herself to avenge souls she had accidently caused to die & leaves her soulmate & best friend alone. She never forgave herself, finding the true peace I felt she deserved. Basically, she killed herself due to her guilt. It didn't feel like an empowering ending. It felt like a greek tragedy, which maybe that was the point. Moreover, though, it felt like a friend had died for no good reason.



Recently, my partner went on a family vacation for two weeks. I no longer had television, but I did have Netflix. I also have a couple 8 x 10's of Xena & Gabrielle in the living room & I started thinking about T & I & how we met & I wondered if I could watch Xena again. As the gods would have it, Netflix was streaming it. So, I watched one. I forgot how much I really loved Xena. I also forgot how great the writing in this silly little show was. The writing, the direction, and the acting. It is a remarkable little piece of television history. There was never anything like it, and there will never be anything like it again. It came about in a unique time & place & for me the right time & place.



T & I decided to go back & watch the whole series again from beginning to end. This time the director's cut ending. Maybe that will help. We just finished the first season last night, so we have a ways to go.

****Update******

The Director's Cut of Friend In Need is indeed much better.  When you get to the end, watch it rather than what they showed on TV.  Still, I feel like Xena felt she didn't deserve happiness.  She didn't deserve to be able to have a life free from guilt.  Only in death could she be freed.  Such a sad ending.  And to leave Gabrielle so utterly alone.  Ugh.

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If you were ever on the MCA/Universal Netforums from 1996 (?) to 2001, go check out the FB page Xena Netforum. Hopefully it can serve as a sort of reunion page for all of us old timers who used to frequent the place so often.

If you have never watched Xena, don't write it off as just a silly little fantasy show. There's some really good stuff in there. Give it a shot while it's streaming on Netflix. It's way worth the journey.