Remember the Ishta part was written with Blalock in mind. But the alternative was Victoria Pratt if Blalock wasn't available.
Quote:
GW: Was this episode any different from "Birthright," knowing this time that you were writing for Jolene Blalock?
CJ: Well, I actually wrote "Birthright" for her. They asked me who I saw, and I said, "Well, I kind of wrote it with Jolene Blalock in mind." So it was either -- if we hadn't gotten Jolene, the only two people I really saw doing the role at all was either Jolene or Victoria Pratt. And we were fortunate enough to get Jolene.
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Reference from the C. Judge interview:
http://gateworld.net/articles/interviews/judge01.shtml
This episode showing Ishta being rash and impulsive was a departure from when we 1st saw her in Birthright. Ishta should have been written more like a female Bra'tac, especially since she is a temple high priestess and the "noble leader of the Hak'tyl resistance". Her fighting abilities certainly matched Teal'c and she had the ability to sneak up on Teal'c without being detected. In the Crossroads episode, Sho'nac was a temple priestess, and although not a fighter, that character was very calm and had a lot of wisdom. IMHO, the writers should have combined both attributes (fighting ability and calm wisdom) to avoid the "Xena: Warrior Princess" comparisons.
