Yeah, definitely, I agree.
Total Sci-Fi just put "sci-fi" in the title, but in the opening text of the piece they say heroines of "science fiction and fantasy", so that includes characters like Xena and Buffy.
^^^
Yeah, for most of its run it was #2 amongst first-run syndicated dramas behind DS9, and it even started beating DS9 towards the end of the 90s (although that was more because DS9's ratings dropped each year rather than because of any big increase for Xena).
Yeah, for most of its run it was #2 amongst first-run syndicated dramas behind DS9, and it even started beating DS9 towards the end of the 90s (although that was more because DS9's ratings dropped each year rather than because of any big increase for Xena).
XENA also scored tons of mainstream media coverage, including a cover story in Ms. magazine, countless magazine articles, "Xena" nights at gay bars, merchandise, academic articles, comics, novels, etc.
It was a big deal in its time, although it seems to have been eclipsed by BUFFY in people's memory. (Possibly because the reruns ended up languishing on Oxygen for years, out of sight and mind as far as fandom was concerned.)
True, I'm afraid. I don't think most BUFFY fans are aware that XENA had a musical episode and that it aired before "Once More With Feeling."
Heck, XENA had TWO musical episodes (although the second one was pretty forgettable.)
Xena has fared a bit better in Europe in terms of its ongoing profile than in the US. At least the DVD box sets are still available in Europe, whereas I believe they're not currently being manufactured in the US.
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess were very popular in the 90s, but both have faded in the collective mind of fandom, and when they come up I often see people scoff at them, which is a pity as they were fun shows.
Xena definitely belongs on a list of the Top 25 heroines of SF&F. In fact Gabrielle is a stronger contender to be on the list than Megan Fox's Transformers character in my opinion.
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess were very popular in the 90s, but both have faded in the collective mind of fandom, and when they come up I often see people scoff at them, which is a pity as they were fun shows.
Xena definitely belongs on a list of the Top 25 heroines of SF&F. In fact Gabrielle is a stronger contender to be on the list than Megan Fox's Transformers character in my opinion.
Good to see that someone has sense around here. "Great character" doesn't mean "nice person" or "role model". I wonder how many male characters from the lists of best characters of all time would fit that description? "Best TV characters of all time" lists usually include Homer Simpson at the top, with characters like Tony Soprano placed high.
Which is the lamest possible reason for including her, and it made me roll my eyes while reading the list - having seen the episode and knowing the context (a kiss forced by telekinesis against the characters' will); and also that Plato's Stepchidren was one of the worst written episodes for Uhura's character ("Captain, I'm frightened" - oh come on
). It's obvious that they included her for "cultural significance", but the whole thing has nothing to do with her as a character. Uhura was actually quite a cool character in some episodes in which she got lines and was a bit better written (Mirror Mirror, The Naked Time, The Man Trap...), certainly better than most TOS female characters (most of them were really lame and stereotypical) and Nichelle Nichols had talent and presence, but it was wasted because she was rarely allowed to do anything. I always liked her, but she certainly doesn't belong to this list because she was totally underwritten, underused and underdeveloped.La Femme Nikita was much better and I definitely prefered Nikita herself to Sydney, Peta Wilson always made me feel for her while Jennifer Garner leaves me indifferent. But I bet the editors who compliled the list haven't seen the show, maybe they haven't even heard of it.A bunch of editors produced this list? I would have expected wiser choices from them. For example, there would have been no Alias at all if JJ Abrams hadn't been such a big fan of La Femme Nikita. And yet Sydney Bristow made the list but Nikita didn't.