The new Knight Rider is set to launch in 6 days on NBC, and all is not going well for the NBC production from my perspective. First there was the ruckus by the Knight Rider fan boys over NBC choosing to go with a Mustang. And now Will Arnet has backed out of the role of KITT. Will Arnet does the voice-over for GM car commercials, and was contractually restricted from voicing for the opposition. At two weeks to air of the movie, NBC hired Val Kilmer to provide the voice of KITT. Yes, that’s right. The Top Gun Iceman is now the voice of the new KITT! I am unsure if Kilmer will be able to provide the right voice for KITT.

However, things seem to get worse when NBC released a new promo commercial last week. Take a look at the video and then I will go into what I find is wrong with the new KITT.

In the commercial we got to see the new KITT in action and also got a glimpse of KITT’s voice modulator display and in-dash computer monitor.

Not all that exciting. I was really hoping for a tricked out dash like on the original KITT. As you can see the season 1 & 2 dash on the original KITT is so much more cool.

Based on what takes place in the commercial, I am speculating that the new KITT is a totally new A.I., with completely different programming. The new KITT appears to have an attitude to match the tough looking muscle car body. And to top it all off, the primary directive - the preservation of all life - does not appear to be part of new KITT’s programming. In the commercial, KITT is driving on sidewalks at high speeds. KITT even responds to character Sarah Graiman’s plea of slowing down with “negative,” and says “don’t even think about it” with attitude when threatened. And to top it all off . . . New KITT allows, Mike to maneuver KITT into the path of an SUV to stop the bad guys they are chasing and causing a horrific crash. I find all this very disturbing.

What made the original KITT likable and a success as a star of the 80’s Knight Rider? As I remember, the Knight Industries Two Thousand A.I. had a friendly human quality. The sleek futuristic appearance of the 1982 Trans-Am also helped a lot in presenting the original KITT as non-menacing.

In the early 90’s, NBC made the Knight Rider 2000 movie. In it, original KITT was put into storage and later scrapped for parts to help with producing the Knight Industries Four Thousand. The Four Thousand, KITT’s replacement also had an attitude and lacked KITT’s humanity. The Four Thousand also seemed to lack the directive to preserve all life, as during a test run the A.I. wanted to run down a deer because no damage would be sustained.

To be honest, the first thing that came to my mind every time I watch the promo commercial. That’s not KITT, it’s KARR!!! (KARR is original KITT’s evil twin brother, who lacks the preservation of life programming). Look out! A mean looking Cylon on wheels!

It is too early to know for sure. But based on what I have seen, the creators of the new Knight Rider have given the new KITT a totally different personality - and I do not like at all. But I am willing to wait and watch the whole movie before writing off the Knight Rider franchise as something that can never be revived.

6 Responses to “Definitely not the same Knight Rider”

1. 1 quantum Feb 13th, 2008 at 8:41 amI think you may like the ‘Turkish Night Rider’, or OPET commercials that are aired here in Turkey. I find that they’re a set of spoofs with more humor and ‘human KITT (or GITT in this instance)’ than the upcoming version. I translated the dialogue in the comments over at Jalopnik if you’re interested. We actually have another version which aired but for some reason it’s not up on video sites yet.
2. 2 Christopher Gavula Feb 13th, 2008 at 11:53 amI’ve said this before, but I think think that the original car looked sleek and modern (for the time), and while the new one looks “butch” it doesn’t look very sophisticated or sleek. It may sound dumb, but using the mustang makes it look more agressive and retro, and I’m not sure that’s what they should have been going for. Maybe they should have used a Mazda RX-8 or Corvette or something slicker like that instead.Now with the voice change and character change who knows what they’ll end up with, but one thing’s for certain - it won’t be the Knight Rider we remember!
3. 3 Judie Lipsett Feb 13th, 2008 at 3:48 pm…and yet I bet we will all still be watching!
4. 4 Q Feb 15th, 2008 at 12:31 pm“As you can see the season 1 & 2 dash on the original KITT is so much more cool.”I definitely preferred the season 3 & 4 dash. Much sleeker and more timeless.Maybe the goal for the new show is a more Apple-ish (minimalist) look compared to the “buttons everywhere” approach. Imagine sitting at that dash in a tense situation and having to hunt for the right button…Anyway, while I agree that it may not be the same as the original and that some indications are less than positive, I’m reserving judgment until it airs.

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