“When I first met you, you barely had the skill to skip a rock. I guess Xena’s been a positive influence on you after all. You’re getting pretty good with these!”

I’m excited to share this latest accession to the Archive: a screen-used pair of Gabrielle’s sais, as seen in seasons 5 and 6 of the series. The mismatched pair consists of a static metal “hero” sai and a retractable practical effects resin sai. Each of these sai were originally sold during the 2001-2002 It’s A Wrap! auction and came with individual certificates of authenticity as records of provenance. 

Metal sais, such as this hero sai, were used on set sparingly, usually only for close-ups and establishing shots, to keep the actors safe. This hero sai is cast in solid metal and features a hand-plaited leather grip (tsuka) finished using an intricate herringbone weave. Oftentimes, the plaited grip of Gabrielle’s sai was simply cast as part of the mold and painted to resemble leather, so a sai with a real leather grip is quite a rare find. 

The retractable sai was specially made to be used for stabbing close-ups, such as in the season 6 episode “Legacy,” when Gabrielle mistakes the tribesman Korah for an armed assailant amidst a dust storm and stabs him to protect Xena. The base of the sai appears to be fabricated from a layer of resin sculpted over a hollow brass tube. The central resin tine (monouchi) retracts into the base by applying counter-pressure against the internal spring-loaded mechanism. When the counter-pressure is removed, the central tine springs back into place.

Though a static prop and practical effects prop are not twin sais in the traditional sense, I consider this pair the best of both worlds—two examples of the beautiful craftsmanship and ingenuity of the Ren Pics prop team.

Gabrielle’s screen-used sais