Talk:La Femme Nikita (TV series)

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Code	Result
User:UBX/La_Femme_Nikita	LFNThis user is a fan of La Femme Nikita

Characters

I'd say go to http://www.cynbythesea.com/ Acmthompson 13:44, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Im wondering if this needs more, since the series no longer airs maybe an episode guide or more in depth plot outline to catch people up? --Seth Turner 18:43, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

I'll be going into that the coming days. Any help is of course appreciated --Catneven 16:10, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Some brief character descriptions might also be good. I'm thinking a paragraph for each, not enough to warrant everybody getting an individual page. BobThePirate 16:14, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

• Agreed to both counts. At least an episode list if nothing else. 23skidoo 20:44, 27 January 2006 (UTC)

I roughed up descriptions for the main characters. I'll put them here so people can smooth the edges before they go onto the main page. I don't think we need a great deal of extra detail here, the point is not to list every thing that's ever happened to each person, but maybe another couple of lines per person would be fine... BobThePirate 21:52, 27 January 2006 (UTC)

• Michael Samuelle : A Level 5 member of Section One, Michael is almost the perfect operative. He was a member of a terrorist group in his youth before being brought into Section. He has spent so long burying his feelings that he virtually never expresses any emotion, and will give nothing more than monosyllabic responses to most questions. Michael trained Nikita when she was brought into section, and the two developed a highly complex relationship which forms the backbone of the series. Although they are in love with one another Michael's position rarely allows him to be more than professional with her.

• Paul Wolfe, Operations : The leader of Section One, Operations is a ruthless man who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. He has proven to be master manipulator, both of his subordinates and occasionally his superiors. In his youth Operations was a prisoner of war for a prolonged period during Vietnam. He held the rest of the prisoners together, inspiring them to resist interrogation. As punishment he was not released with the others at the end of the war. Although usually professional, Operations does on occasion allow his emotions to over-rule his judgement.

• Madeline : Deputy leader of Section One, Madeline is just as committed to the goals of Section as Operations is. She presents a slightly more approachable front than Operations, and Nikita often consults her regarding Section policy and even personal problems. However, Madeline is completely ruthless when necessary, for instance she is the head interrogator of Section One and frequently tortures prisoners to get information.

• Walter : One of the longest standing members of Section One, Walter is in charge of the armoury. Unlike most Section members he is gregarious and cheerful to his co-workers. His philosophy is to extract whatever joy as possible from life despite the hardships imposed by Section membership. He is especially fond of Nikita, and has bent the rules to help her or Michael on several occasions. He has a deep dislike of Operations, and is one of the few Section operatives who dares to be openly rude to him on occasion.

• Birkoff : A computer genius, Birkoff is one of the youngest members of Section One. Early in the series he was almost completely immersed in his work, to the extent that he lived in Section One and as of early in the show had not left in years. Nikita encouraged him to be a little more outgoing, and the two have something of a friendship. Birkoff and Walter are good friends.

• Nikita : A relatively young Section One operative, Nikita is one of the few in Section who manages to maintain her sense of morality. Early on she struggles to cope with the demands Section places on her, and at one point she contemplates suicide. Although she never truly accepts the moral compromises Operations and Madeline make, Nikita does manage to live with her new life and becomes an efficient and occasionally coldblooded killer.

The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposal. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the debate was move. —Nightstallion (?) 08:50, 1 February 2006 (UTC)

Request to move

I propose this article be moved to Nikita (TV series) for two reasons. 1. The proper, original title for this series in its originating country was Nikita, not La Femme Nikita which was used for US rebroadcasts and the later DVD release. 2. The generally accepted format for TV show titles is either 'Nikita (TV series) or Nikita (television series). If no one objects to this proposal I'm willing to do the move myself but I wanted to gauge opinion first. 23skidoo 20:44, 27 January 2006 (UTC)

I certainly do not disagree that this should be moved to a title containing (TV series) or (television series) (in case anyone isn't aware, there is currently a poll to decided which: Wikipedia:Naming conventions (television)/poll). However, looking up the series on IMDB[1] heralds La Femme Nikita, with the note that the Canadian title was Nikita. I appreciate that the series was produced in Canada, so while though I believe more users will be familiar with La Femme Nikita, I can't really object to your proposal! Perhaps you could wait a little longer to see if any other opinions arise? --Lox (t,c) 08:50, 28 January 2006 (UTC)

That's why I put the request in rather than just going ahead. At one point this article was called Nikita but it was moved without this process. IMDb did at one point have the show listed as Nikita as its primary title but I think things got confused when the DVD came out. The general rule of thumb I've seen on Wikipedia has been to use the originating country's title (including foreign language titles) and the place the appropriate redirects at the alternate titles. Had Nikita aired in the US first there might be an argument for using the US title since it was the first to be made public, however I recall Nikita was airing in Canada for at least half a year before USA Network began showing it. 23skidoo 16:36, 28 January 2006 (UTC)

Well, in case no one else replies, I'd like to make it clear to any admin that I support this move. And I really like your handle, 23skidoo! --Lox (t,c) 22:04, 30 January 2006 (UTC)

Actually any editor can make the move since the target does not exist. Vegaswikian 07:28, 1 February 2006 (UTC)

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

Language?

Was this show originally made in French (like the movie) or in English? If it's the latter, it would be a rare spin-off in a different language than the source film. Either way, the production language needs to be mentioned in the article.  ProhibitOnions  ^(T) 21:22, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

The show was made in English. S Sepp 21:43, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Thanks. Were the characters supposed to be French or French-speaking Canadians, or was the location changed from the film?  ProhibitOnions  ^(T) 23:06, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

The show was filmed in Toronto and except for the actor who played Michael (who is French Canadian) and the actress who played Nikita (who is either Australian or Papua New Guinean - I forget which) the cast consisted primarily of Anglo-Canadians and/or actors playing Anglophones. Although I don't recall if the series definitively indicated where it was set it was likely somewhere in the United States so they definitely changed the setting from the movie. 23skidoo 23:45, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

• Actually although they kept the setting vague, when the original Section One HQ was destroyed it was revealed that it was in Paris. Many - probably most - of the missions were set in European locations. They very rarely went anywhere near America. BobThePirate 15:43, 13 June 2006 (UTC)
  • That's news to me. I remember one episode that quite clearly takes place in Toronto (actually two -- you can clearly see Toronto landmarks in the opening of the first episode before Nikita's run-in with the cop) and actually suggested that Section 1 was based there (although as you say it was vague). Which episode has the Paris revelation? I'd like to check that for myself. 23skidoo 19:02, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

3rd season epsiode, "I Remember Paris". Section One's location is revealed and so they abandon it and trigger a self-destruct. The last shot shows them walking out of Section One onto a street with the Eiffel Tower in the background. BobThePirate 13:27, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

Life sentence?

I just noticed that it's stated in the article that Nikita is sentenced to life imprisonment for allegedly killing the cop. But I thought one of the main points of the pilot is that Nikita was given a choice of working for Section or being sent back to jail and execution. Can anyone confirm which is correct? 23skidoo 19:02, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

• Nikita was sentenced to death. She was taken out of a death row cell by Section 1. They never threatened to return her to jail, even death row; disobedience was met with summary execution.

That's incorrect. The pilot episode "Nikita" makes it clear in the pre-credits sequence that Nikita is sentenced to life in prison. When waking up in Section One's White Room, Michael gives her the choice of either working for them, or 'cancellation', which means that Section One would eliminate her, not the authorities.

--TARDIS 19:39, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

Reverting page move

This article should not have been moved back to La Femme Nikita without attempting to get consensus. As discussed above, Nikita was the original production title of this series and it was agreed that's where it should be. I am undoing the move now and I have invited the user to made the move to start a discussion thread here in order to gain consensus on whether to put the article back to La Femme Nikita (TV series). 23skidoo 00:55, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

I nominate that the page be moved back to La Femme Nikita (TV series) for several reasons:

1. While the series was produced in Canada, it was a Canadian co-production funded primarily by Warner Bros., which is an American company. Both The X-Files was, and the new Battlestar Galactica is, filmed in Canada, but we consider them American television series since they were and are funded by American companies (20th Century Fox and Universal Studios, respectively).
2. The series was aired first in the United States, not in Canada. According to IMDB [2], La Femme Nikita debuted in January of 1997 on USA Network, then debuted in Canada on CTV three months later. I personally remember the Canadian delay being a part of online discussions at that time, too.
3. The series is known by its fans as "LFN", short for La Femme Nikita.
4. The only DVDs available worldwide carry the name La Femme Nikita.

Thanks for your consideration. :-) --TARDIS 20:53, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

Let's see if anyone chimes in on this, but I still believe we should retain the original broadcast title. Nikita is considered a Canadian series; the fact it was financed by Warners doesn't really enter into it. It's no different than the fact that Danger Man was renamed "Secret Agent" when it was decided to air it in the US. The fact LFN is used in the fan community is immaterial as LFN also refers to the movie. The decision to use the American title for the DVD is just a case of renaming. We should stick with the original country of origin's title whenever possible; the fact it aired in one country first doesn't really mean a lot. The new Battlestar Galactica was aired in the UK first, too, but it isn't considered a UK series because of it. The only way I can be convinced otherwise is if a source can be found with an explicit statement from the producers of this series that it's proper title is LFN and that the shorter title is wrong. 23skidoo 21:36, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for your fast response. However, it conflicts with your original assertion in the archived discussion of this issue, where you stated, "Had Nikita aired in the US first there might be an argument for using the US title since it was the first to be made public." IMDB clearly shows it did air in the US first, so have you changed your position on this? This was the main reason I brought up the question again. Let me answer your other points below:

• On what basis do you determine Battlestar Galactica a to be non-UK series? (I don't disagree with you; I'm just wondering how you determine that.) Shouldn't it be considered a Canadian series since it is produced in Vancouver? And if you consider Galactica to be a US series because it was bankrolled by an American studio and created for an American cable network, why should La Femme Nikita be considered differently, when it meets the same criteria?
• Your comparison of Danger Man to La Femme Nikita is not valid. La Femme Nikita was specifically created for American television to be aired on USA Network, even though it was filmed in Canada. Danger Man was created to air on British television, then it was later sold to American television and renamed as a result. The two situations are not the same.
• I would think the DVD title carries a lot of weight. It was released by the same studio that bankrolled the series, Warner Bros., and they call it La Femme Nikita even though it's a Region 1 release which includes both the US and Canada. If the studio viewed the series' true title as Nikita, it would stand to reason they would have called it that on the DVD release, since it's aimed at the Canadian market as well.
• The name of the production company created by Warner Bros. to produce the series (listed in the end credits) is "LFN Productions, Inc."
• The actual scripts from the production company always--and only--use the title La Femme Nikita.

Food for thought. :-) --TARDIS 22:30, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

I concur; the last three arguments are really strong. Next to those, the confusion in the titlebox alone (Title: nikita, logo: LFN, logo-text: the la femme nikita title screen), does not serve any purpose Catneven 12:29, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Great Wallpaper

[3]

Also see:

http://img88.imageshack.us/content.php?page=done&l=img88/8928/nikitalfmcollage2no0.png

--N00bh4ck3r 11:44, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

This article name is "La Femme Nikita (TV series)", please change it back to "La Femme Nikita (TV series)".

I was reading the comments above, and obviously our friends doesn't have an idea about this TV series. This series is not a spin-off of the original Luc Besson french film Nikita (1990), neither a spin-off of John Badham's 1993 Point of No Return (film),being this a remake of the fabulous first one. A spin-off is like Elektra (2005 film), a character that first appeared in the Daredevil (film). In La Femme Nikita (TV series) I don't see the continuing story of any character appearing in Nikita or Point of No Return (film). If the production name of the TV series was Nikita, I don't know it, I'm more interested in the final product than details about the pre-production/production/post-production. La Femme Nikita (TV series) was first broadcasted in the United States, at the USA Network, as Catneven says. Later broadcasted in anywere in the world. Have you ever seen the intro of ANY episode you like? It says "la femme NIKITA", literaly. So, which is the RIGHT name for this article? La Femme Nikita (TV series).

So please, if you don't like the series and/or any actor/producer/director of La Femme Nikita (TV series), please, please do not discredit the series. Codeweaponx 00:26, 7 May 2007 (UTC)

I totally agree. In Belgium as well, this show was called La Femma Nikita, not just Nikita. Venullian 13:12, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

Per the consensus of Codeweaponx, Veullian and Catneven, I have moved the page to "La Femme Nikita (TV series)." BTW, the reasons for moving the page were mine, not Catneven's. :-) --TARDIS 00:55, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for pointing that one out;-) And moving of course-Catneven 10:10, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Yes! Thank you too! You are a good person, TARDIS. You are a good-doer!!!Codeweaponx 07:16, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

Deletion of links to fansites and original research

It violates Wikipedia policies and guidelines for Wikipedia:Reliable sources to link to fansites; WP:NOR. Wikipedia is not a message board forum on subjects of articles. See Wikipedia:Talk page guidelines: "This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the La Femme Nikita (TV series) article. ... This is not a forum for general discussion about the article's subject." --NYScholar 21:41, 23 June 2007 (UTC)

Deletion of book photo marked for deletion

The book photo was previously marked for deletion in Wikipedia; Wikipedia has a "no ads" policy as well. --NYScholar 21:56, 23 June 2007 (UTC)

There are some pending copyright violation notices posted on other photos linked in this article in their upload files in Wikipedia. Click on each of the photos for the related information. Some of them are misleadingly marked fair use. Some will be deleted after 7 days, etc. --NYScholar 21:58, 23 June 2007 (UTC)