Athena why didn’t they use her from season 1 she would have fit in with the stories good actress.

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AvocadoPizzaCat@reddit

truthfully they did athena dirty in xena. She as a concept character from lore would have had so many story chances, but when we did get to see her or people to represent her it was the glitter warriors. You would not have known that athena was the goddess of wisdom from her showing. It would have been more interesting if Ares and Athena would bicker over Xena like they do from time to time about warriors. Hell, for the fact that the xena scrolls ended up so well preserved it could have been from her power as she loves knowledge.

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Fuzzy_Ability8284@reddit

I really hated her henchwomen, their makeup was bleh and the silver pleather was an eyesore. In terms of ridiculous enemies imo they were 2nd to the fish people in India.

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Agent8699@reddit

What about the egg men in Prometheus? And those weird things in God Fearing Child?

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Fuzzy_Ability8284@reddit

Yeah but they were fun campy, Athena's goons were just tacky imo.

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Agent8699@reddit

Ilainus takes great offense! I’d watch out for her arrows 🏹

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Fuzzy_Ability8284@reddit

That's another thing that annoyed me about them, WHY ARE THEY ARCHERS?!? Archery is Artemis' thing not Athena's. Ontop of that they're archers who where the brightest most reflective "armor" imaginable, its just so dumb.

I feel the need to clarify my beef isn't really with Athena, I do kinda agree with OP it would've been fun if she appeared earlier in the series. My issue is with her glambots.

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Agent8699@reddit

Everyone knows tinfoil armour is the strongest armour in the entire Xenaverse! ✨

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AvocadoPizzaCat@reddit

think they took artemis and athena fused them together with a bond girl for the representation of athena and her warriors. I mean she was the guild for Odysseus, Heracles, Perseus, and Diomedes. Instead of going with her showing up with her rivalary with ares over warriors she shows up to fight xena while her minions look like bond girl wannabes

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Imissxena@reddit

I kinda agree! Maybe not the whole series.. but like.. why wait so long!!! I felt like several Gods shoulda been utilized through the series. Athena made sense as a “high stakes” sorta story arc, but I could have seen them using her from a distance for several key moments. Watching and supporting from afar. Never see her, but maybe a few moments where she interferes. I’d have loved that.

Kinda wanted her to survive season 5. A turn around of sorts. I dunno. Maybe I just like who ultimately played her.

We never even became privy to an actual Apollo!

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godsibi@reddit

At least Athena got an arc! Poor Artemis (Goddess of the Amazons in this universe) was just a one shot kill having only a couple of scenes and no lines whatsoever. 🤦‍♂️

She was challenged by Velasca She was avenged by Bellerophon She was often mentioned by Ares and Aphrodite

But she was never properly in the show.

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TaniksHasNoCorn@reddit

Yeah it is interesting. From memory she briefly pops up in HTLJ "The Apple" in a throwaway role alongside Athena. Aphrodite was the centerpiece here as it was her introduction to the Xena HTLJ universe.

Artemis was done better in Young Hercules though.

Another weird bit is that they had Ares be tied to the Hind in HTLJ, but then they did the Hind thing in Young Hercules with Angela Dotchin (played multiple roles in Xena, HTLJ, YH) playing the Huntress as the Hind protector.

I think folks are kind of right in that they just had Ares and Aphrodite be the most prominent of the Gods featured until the latter couple seasons of both shows.

Hermes and Artemis were the least used/prominent Olympian characters in both HTLJ and Xena. The former really being used only for comedic effect.

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godsibi@reddit

Oh there were a few Olympians that were underused. I think the prize for less appearances goes to Hestia (praise her 😅). Dionysus I don't remember seeing anywhere either tbh (unless he was merged with Bacchus in this universe). Then Demeter I only remember in a Hercules episode.

It's weird, cause then you have some "smaller" gods being much more involved in important storylines ( Strife, Discord, Nemesis etc)

That's why I often theorise about a potential continuation where Gabrielle comes back to Greece from Jappa and finds out that the remaining Olympians are still active with Demeter (the mother) as Queen of Olympus and Persephone (the daughter) as Queen of the Underworld - with whom Gabrielle strikes a deal to bring back Xena eventually.

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TaniksHasNoCorn@reddit

I only remember Dionysus being mentioned with his ceremony in "The Festival of Dionysus" which also had featured Ares in the form of his shrine and voicework.

It is kind of funny that Xena had Kevin Smith as Ares twice and Hercules didn't actually have Ares appear directly until Season 3 as part of the hind trilogy of episodes. He did appear as Iphacles.

It is weird how they never covered what happened to the vast number of Olympians. I don't think Xena killed Hermes if memory serves nor Dionysus or Apollo. Man I hated that they killed all the olympians

Demeter never wanted Persephone in the Underworld so I'd imagine she wouldn't allow her to be the Queen of the Underworld. One of the other gods could take over. Though perhaps if they made up some reason she had to stay, perhaps Demeter would make a bargain with Gabrielle that if she retrieves Persephone she will help bring back Xena. That could work.

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stardust102@reddit (OP)

They both could have definitely fit in with Gabrielle Amazon story

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OrangeClyde@reddit

And they just dressed her so plainly like another of Athena’s soldiers

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TypesAndPatterns@reddit

I would’ve loved to see more of Paris Jefferson on XWP but I think there’s several reasons they didn’t. First, as depicted in the sources used by the writers, Athena wasn’t a good ally for Xena. She represented the ruthless establishment of Olympus, & that’s not the role she plays early on in the show, in which Xena speaks respectfully of her (without having met her). The same goes for Apollo, who has a much better reputation on Xena than we know he deserves.

Second, the show couldn’t have a strong ally like Xena who outranks her. That would diminish Xena in our eyes. Xena clashes with women who are in her league, & if they don’t, then they don’t last long on the show (see Boudica).

It might seem to give the show more layers, or more subtlety, by showing Xena allied with stronger characters occupying her space, but in reality, it would’ve just muddied the show’s premise & appeal.

That said, more of Paris’s antagonistic Athena would’ve been great, but by the time she arrives, she couldn’t really stay very long, unless they could fit in flashbacks into season 6, which they didn’t have time for.

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TypesAndPatterns@reddit

Full disclosure: I am writing a fanfic about Athena vs Livia, shortly before her parents wake up from their frozen state, so I really, really like the idea of more Athena!

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Evilbuffy14@reddit

Athena was a fantastic sapphic character and I definitely would've loved to see more of her. Her attitude and style made her a worthy opponent to Xena and her sassy flair would have been welcome earlier in the series. Not so much as a regular like Ares, but perhaps a handful along the way so the audience had a baseline for how they felt about each other; as in friendly, annoyed, angry, etc.

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antealtares@reddit

She was too busy weaving

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stardust102@reddit (OP)

lol

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antealtares@reddit

The person who downvoted me isn't a big enough fan to understand the reference to Xena's joke

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Agent8699@reddit

Xena was always meant to be about more … mortal, not godly, enemies, etc.

The entire Twilight of the Gods storyline was planned for Hercules, not Xena.

Even if Athena had appeared earlier on, she likely would have been a different actor. Possibly multiple actors, like Hades.

That typed, it would have been good to see Xena on better terms with at least one god. And then see the impact of that in season 5.

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theyarnllama@reddit

Off topic but I love that headdress so much.

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Scorpio_Crown@reddit

Such a beautiful woman!

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Overall_Sandwich_671@reddit

In the myths, Athena had a pretty close relationship with her half brother Hercules, but she never even spoke to him in her one episode of that show (played by a different actress)

Athena often got involved with the Greek heroes, offering them advice, protection, and goodies to help them with their quests, but I think the Xena and Hercules shows wanted to steer away from that, and have their heroes use their own wisdom and wits to overcome challenges, instead of rleying on a helpful goddess. So that's probably why they never gave Athena the kind of role she had in mythology.

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IndependenceRich8754@reddit

I imagine the writers room thought that Athena would be too much like Xena. She represents strategic warfare. Whereas they realized there would be more push and pull with Ares. Because he represents the more bloodthirsty side of war, the side of being a warrior she always had to be careful not to backslide into.

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Bulky-Summer86@reddit

Such a good question. Athena was definitely a missed opportunity. Paris Jefferson was awesome in this role.

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stardust102@reddit (OP)

She was one of the best things about season five lol

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Beautifala_Jones@reddit

I remember wanting to see Athena and being disappointed that she didn't show up until so late (and then as an enemy), but she is the goddess of war and wisdom, making her character a little too close to Xena's. That's what I figured anyway.

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stardust102@reddit (OP)

I suppose that could be reason why

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Shadoecat150@reddit

I am definitely due for a rewatch. Maybe tonight.

Because the only Athena I remember is the one where Gabby had the opportunity to get a Goddess' powers

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RedJackett85@reddit

I bet one of the reasons they didn't use Athena early was because they were worried audiences would confuse the names Xena and Athena. And they probably figured most story ideas they would use between her and Xena could be done with Ares instead.

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shayetheleo@reddit

Plus they couldn’t do the whole sexual tension, will they/wont they thing that they did when it was Ares as Xena’s foil.

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RedJackett85@reddit

yes that part too.

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jpowell180@reddit

Reminds me of a Nick Nolte movie from 1994…

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Winter_Coyote@reddit

Personally I am glad they kept Athena away. I get tired of pop culture Athena.

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nonmiraculoussunofaB@reddit

it definitely would've been a more compelling and crushing arc to see Xena and Athena allies earlier in the series, especially since Xena said Athena was one of the Olympians she respected. Then to see Athena get all caught up in the paranoia of the twilight and do all the heinous stuff she did in S5.

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pastajewelry@reddit

And her connection to the Amazons!

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Aggravating_Mix8959@reddit

That is more about Artemis.

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stardust102@reddit (OP)

definatly why only use hades Ares and Aphrodite she was one of the main gods

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sarcastic_sybarite83@reddit

Because of Ares. Both Xena, and Hercules before, set up are as somewhat intelligent. The writers basically conflated Ares and Athena to create an intelligent god of war. It helps to explain, for me, why Xena didn't worship Athena when she was the warrior princess.

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