Hacking Xena: Technological innovation and queer influence in the production of mainstream television

This article is an historical analysis of a period in which early online fandom allowed for significant queer influence on mainstream televisual narratives. I argue that the technological affordances of the internet enabled Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) groups to communicate their desire for queer(ed) content directly to production, leading to queer hacks of mainstream entertainment. The introduction of new technologies leads to increased familiarity among previously distanced groups (Marvin, 1988. When old technologies were new: Thinking about electric communication in the late nineteenth century. Oxford: Oxford University Press). This is well illustrated in the case of Xena: Warrior Princess, a syndicated TV series that aired from 1995-2001. Xena's audience-industry co-production initiated the official reimagining of the possibilities for sexuality and gender in the series. I explore this unique era through analysis of online fan discussions and public statements by production as well as in-depth interviews with fans and two key informants: a 20-year member of the Xena fandom and a high-ranking Xena executive. I interrogate potentials and limits of the Xena hack and demonstrate that the now ubiquitous, commercialized nature of online fandom detracts from queer influences on heteronormative content not specifically marketed as gay. This historical arc suggests the presumably empowered queer hack is vulnerable to the technological hegemony traditionally imposed on marginalized groups.