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Wikipedia: KITT
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History
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's KITT page on 19 September 2017, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Fictional character biography
The character of KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand) in the original Knight Rider series was physically embodied as a modified 1982 Pontiac Trans Am.
In the television show's history, the first KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand) (William Daniels) was designed by the late Wilton Knight, a brilliant but eccentric billionaire and founder of the Foundation for Law And Government (FLAG) and its parent Knight Industries. The 2008 pilot movie later implied that Charles Graiman, creator of the Knight Industries Three Thousand, also had a hand in designing the first KITT.
According to the series, the original KITT's main cybernetic processor was first installed in a mainframe computer used by the US government in Washington, D.C. However, Wilton saw better use for "him" in the Foundation's crime-fighting crusade and eventually the system was installed in the vehicle. KITT was in fact the second vehicle built by Knight Industries with artificial intelligence. His predecessor was KARR, the Knight Automated Roving Robot. KARR was programmed for self-preservation, but this proved to be dangerous to the Foundation's humanitarian interests. KARR was later deactivated and placed in storage while KITT was given to his new operator, Michael Knight. KARR was later unwittingly reactivated by thieves in the original episode "Trust Doesn't Rust", was thought destroyed, then reappeared in the episode "K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R" and was seen to be finally destroyed by Michael and KITT.
While the 2008 pilot movie and then the new series appears to be a revamp of the original series, it offers some continuity from the original TV series "Knight Rider". The 'new' or 'second' KITT (Knight Industries Three Thousand) is a different vehicle and microprocessor unit. The original Knight Industries Two Thousand is also shown in the pilot movie (although in pieces) in the scene where the garage of Charles Graiman (creator of the Knight Industries Three Thousand and implied co-designer of the original KITT) is searched by antagonists. A Trans-Am body (sans hood) is partially covered by a tarp, on which rests the rear spoiler. The famous KITT steering wheel (labelled "Knight Two Thousand") and "KNIGHT" license plate are also shown, along with numerous black car body parts. When the camera shows a full scene of the garage, there are three cars in the garage: the 3000, a 2000 under a tarp, and a complete 2000.
The 1991 movie Knight Rider 2000 saw the first KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand) in pieces, and Michael Knight himself reviving the microprocessor unit, which is eventually transferred into the body of the vehicle intended to be the original KITT's direct successor, the Knight 4000. The new vehicle was a modified 1991 Dodge Stealth, appearing similar to the Pontiac Banshee prototype. However, no reference to this storyline nor any appearance of the Knight 4000 is made in the new series or its 2008 pilot movie. In Knight Rider 2000, it is stated that most of the Knight 2000 parts had been sold off. However, Graiman's garage in the 2008 pilot shows a more complete collection of parts than in the boxes recovered by Michael Knight in the 1991 film Knight Rider 2000. This adds to the mystique of the current whereabouts of the original KITT in the time-frame of the new series.
In the 1997 - 1998 spin-off series Team Knight Rider, KITT is employed as a shadow advisor. It is later revealed that "The Shadow" is actually a hologram run by KITT. In "Knight of the Living Dead", Graiman states a third KITT, exists as a backup. When KITT is about to die, his memories are downloaded so the third KITT can use them. However in the end the third AI is not used.
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2008 Photo ©2010 Bill Crittenden 2010 Cedarville Model Car Contest and Swap Meet March 14, 2010 View photo of 2008 KITT Model Car - 3,417KB |
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2008 Photo ©2010 Bill Crittenden 2010 Cedarville Model Car Contest and Swap Meet March 14, 2010 View photo of 2008 KITT Model Car - 3,607KB |
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2008 Photo ©2010 Bill Crittenden 2010 Cedarville Model Car Contest and Swap Meet March 14, 2010 View photo of 2008 KITT Model Car - 3,385KB |
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2008 Photo ©2010 Bill Crittenden 2010 Cedarville Model Car Contest and Swap Meet March 14, 2010 View photo of 2008 KITT Model Car - 2,886KB |
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2008 Photo ©2010 Bill Crittenden 2010 Cedarville Model Car Contest and Swap Meet March 14, 2010 View photo of 2008 KITT Model Car - 3,762KB |
| Date | Article | Author/Source |
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| 14 December 2007 | 2008 Ford Shelby GT500KR is the New KITT | Anthony Fontanelle |
