Well... where to start?
I mean, is there something that hasn't been said so far about this show, about its mythical beginnings, its creators, actors, subtext, impact on popular culture, merchandizing, and on the minds of an armada of hardcore nutball fans and wanna-be Warrior Princesses?

Lucy Lawless stars in a  pre-Xena TV feature film of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, namely in Hercules and the Amazon Women, as the tough, no-nonsense Amazon Lysia.

Lucy Lawless as the originally conceived evil Xena in the three part story arc of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (The Warrior Princess, The Gauntlet, Unchained Heart). Her original fate was to get killed off at the end, but audience approval saved her into a show of her own.

The answer is no, but then again: who could keep track of the gazillions of contributions to the ever expanding Xenaverse? The answer to this one is: probably about 97 % of all the hardcore nutball fans and wanna-be Warrior Princesses... Ah well, ain't fandom a bitch? But hey, since the world is divided up in a Xenaverse and a... um... what's the word again for this... ah yes, universe--chances are that there might still be one or two errant souls out there somewhere on the lookout for their center of gravity in life. (Not to mention the remaining 3 percent of the HNF and WBWPs...).
So, now that the "legitimacy" bit has been put out of the way I suggest that we get right to it: let us take a look at how it all began...
In 1994 MCA/Universal Studios started airing a new syndicated TV show, produced by Renaissance Pictures, called Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, starring Kevin Sorbo as the eponymous hero. In an episode of the first season Hercules has to deal with a female warlord whose hunger for conquest almost gets the better of him. The character went by the name of Xena and the episodes title was "The Warrior Princess." To the surprise of everyone fans reacted enthusiastically to the evil warrior-babe, so much so, that the produces decided to bring her back in two more episode of the season, this times as an ally to Hercules. By the end of the two hour story ("The Gauntlet"/"Unchained Heart") Hercules had managed to get Xena to rethink her slightly... um... deranged way of life.. Lucy Lawless and Kevin Sorbo united on a promotional poster of Universal's two hit syndicated shows. "The Forces of Evil have Met Their Match" it says... well, that may be, but Xena still needs a new do... 

Xena only one hit away from having her heart unchained by the mighty Hercules, but it was a toughie, even for a demigod.

From this time forth she would try to be a good girl... well, something along those lines.
At any rate, spurred by the success of the Xena character the producers of Hercules decided to turn her into a spin-off series... (Seriously? She was turned into a spin-off series? How did that come about?)... Et voilą: Xena: Warrior Princess became a syndicated show in its own right and saw the light of day in the fall of 1995.
Right, so this whole thing started off as a happy accident? Yes and no: while the Fates certainly held a helping hand in this, there is also something else at work: skill...
 Soon Xena is to make the acquaintance of one Gabrielle, bard from the town of Poteidaia, who puts it in her head -- initial resistance from the Warrior Princess notwithstanding -- to become Xena's favorite sidekick...