New episodes of "Veronica Mars" won't be back on UPN until late this month, but when it does return, it will do so with a former Warrior Princess in tow.
Lucy Lawless, who developed a large cult following during her days on "Xena: Warrior Princess," will guest star on the first "Veronica" episode of 2006. She'll play an FBI agent in the show, scheduled for Jan. 25.
In the episode, called "Donut Run," Lawless' FBI agent comes to Neptune after Duncan (Teddy Dunn) breaks up with Veronica (Kristen Bell) and skips town -- taking with him the child borne by his former girlfriend, Meg (Alona Tal), who was rendered comatose in the bus crash that's driving this season's big mystery. In a brief moment, she was awake, asking Duncan to protect the child if something happened to her.
Something did happen in the show's last original airing, setting up the events of the show's return.
"Veronica Mars" creator Rob Thomas wrote and directed "Donut Run."
Lawless was most recently seen in the CBS Halloween flick "Vampire Bats." She also guest-starred on "Battlestar Galactica" last fall, a role she's slated to revisit next month.
Other recent credits include the horror film "Boogeyman" and the short-lived 2003 WB series "Tarzan."