knight rider online

He just needs to ask KITT for most things.

Still, I love the show, and nearly have most of them, but the one I would really like to see is 'Scent of Roses'.

PS. If Joe H & Richie F. L. see this note, I thoroughly enjoyed your book.

Regards, Ozzy.

Yes, he could ask K.I.T.T. for certain things, but if he did, what would be the point of the buttons in the first place? Why would he even need to drive? The car is meant to be driven by a "pilot," meaning that Auto Cruise is a secondary option. I'd imagine all the button-pressing is part of the primary Normal Cruise.

I have noticed that too but never thought much about it until now. KITT's interior is loaded with buttons from top to bottom and most of them don't seem to serve a purpose, all except for the ones on the front dash. We always see Michael pushing buttons on the overhead, like he's sitting in a cockpit of a plane, sort of like Han Solo in the Millenium Falcon. In Episode, "KITT vs KARR, we see John pushing some of KARR's buttons overhead without knowing what they do, (Voice command are you ready / I hate to have to give you up slick).

I think that he somehow knew where everything was inside KITT, pertaining to KITT's functions(or not) as the show progressed onward.
I'm not really sure.....

I think he just presses the buttons as it feels cool. I know I would if i were him.

Overall, I say that the extra buttons are there just for decoration, all for illusion to make the car look high tech and all, just like the Delorean Time Machine in Back To The Future, where we see all the lights, buttons, & guages.

Speaking of buttons & other functions on KITT, if there is a Knight Rider movie, I hope that they bring back KITT's double screen TV monitors from Seasons 1 & 2. I never really liked the Seasons 3 & 4 single screen on his dash, for it always reminded me of a giant microwave oven door, waiting to be opened. But if they do use a single screen in the movie, I hope it will be a HD widescreen where the TV images can be split into three windows or more and can be used as a high tech world satelite system, more advanced than Apple.

Good points, it would be a little plain without the buttons.

That's something. I mean, John didn't know nothing about KARR at that point, right? Didn't he just get him? And already he's pushing KARR's buttons? No wonder KARR got a tad bit miffed.

I always thought it was more dramatic that way.

I always though modular touchscreen displays would work good for the buttons in a new movie. For example when ever Michael needed turbo boost (or ski-mode, oil slick, etc.) the button would appear right before his finger on a color touchscreen and then disappear when not in use. It would keep the interior organized and less cluttered. Also when functions are not needed the screens could monitor CPU and vehicle functions.

When I was in Army intel I always war gamed the possibility of making a real KITT and always thought the cluttered interior would give a driver sensory overload. In the heat of battle things would need to be streamlined and idiot proof. You wouldn't want the driver running into a school bus because he was franticly scrambling to find the button for turbo boost! I think a simple KITT like system would be ideal for use in our armored vehicles. In fact I think un-manned semi-intelligent tanks lumbering around like the Terminator's HKs would save a lot of soldiers lives.

Army_F_Body wrote:When I was in Army intel I always war gamed the possibility of making a real KITT and always thought the cluttered interior would give a driver sensory overload. In the heat of battle things would need to be streamlined and idiot proof. You wouldn't want the driver running into a school bus because he was franticly scrambling to find the button for turbo boost! I think a simple KITT like system would be ideal for use in our armored vehicles. In fact I think un-manned semi-intelligent tanks lumbering around like the Terminator's HKs would save a lot of soldiers lives.

I wish this were the case. But imagine the cost of assembling an array of machines like that. We use soldiers now and the war has already cost over $200 billion.

In regards to all of the random buttons, I have another idea as to why they're there. None of them seem to be marked, so maybe they're shortcuts? I have a feeling that a lot of them serve double functions (especially Voice Projection, K.I.T.T.'s Voice Synthesis Mode or music). There are some episodes throughout the series where Michael jams on those overhead buttons and they cause different functions that, in other episodes, were accessed by the pod units.

Key stroke monitoring. Bonnie/April recognized which keystrokes were punched in most often and wrote shortcut keys into easier to use buttons. Nifty notion, eh?

There are various notions that KITT was nowhere near in charge as he could have been and had all the control of a co-pilot when a pilot was in place...aka: partial control over the Knight Two Thousand. A sort of AI bezerker safety control factor. Though, such a theory doesn't fully play out smoothly in every episode. (Then again, what did?)

Although, I do agree with the long term notion that David just loved pressing those buttons.

KARR also seemed to also "need" a driver to carry out his plans, come to think of it. But those "drivers" didn't know how to use his buttons... or if they appeared to, they sure "knew" fast? Suggesting they might have been marked?

So, if they were for safety over an AI going berzerk, that didn't stop KARR.

FuzzieDice wrote:KARR also seemed to also "need" a driver to carry out his plans, come to think of it. But those "drivers" didn't know how to use his buttons... or if they appeared to, they sure "knew" fast? Suggesting they might have been marked?

So, if they were for safety over an AI going berzerk, that didn't stop KARR.

I'm not so sure of that. KARR was an earlier design, made by a different team. I always presumed that KARR had more freedom, but was still governed by a driver rule...remember the line, "Manual override. Press Turbo boost." ... "Press it."

When you think about it...what exactly was KARR's "plans"? In Trust Doesn't Rust, they almost seemed to be...to just exist. So, this included needing Bonnie's services. But, KARR didn't exactly seem to be planning anything. He had a driver...until the final moments. (The show and book alter in reasons why KARR loses his driver.) In K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R., KARR did have the ulterior motive of revenge. But, this came after he worked on keeping a driver...with the corruption of greed by granting wishes. (The shop and the cash to duy it with.) Then, when that didn't exactly work, a little black mail. But, had KARR finished off KITT, do you think he would just drive away? I suspect he'd return to collecting a driver.

Come to think of it, (since I brought up the subject in another post) even TKR's KRO had a need to collect his designated driver/pilot.

That's what cars are designed for - a driver. It's like an "instinct". And the way he and John interacts in the start of KvK, he's pretty much trying to get John to "bond" to him, like a driver and a car the driver really loves. I almost expected to see Fuzzie Dice (no not me ) dangling from KARR's front window somewhere.

I was thinking about that after watching KITT v KARR on my PSP

But think about it, it would be quicker to just push the buttons to do your task than to ask KITT, even if KITT executed it immediately. For Michael, it was almost a reflex action. Asking KITT would've slowed him down.

I suppose it's like the pilot giving the co-pilot notification of a special maneuver...or something.

that too.

kitts interior is probably somewhat related to that of a c130, but MAYBE containg a little less buttons. has anyone here ever peeked inside one, let alone be a passenger in a c130 and seen the cockpit? its crazy! buttons above you, in front of you, on the side...everywhere!:P

I'm sure its all part of keeping KITT under normal status. KITT IS after all a sophistated car so its not really all that big of a mystery as to why devon first said 'pilot' rather than 'driver'.

then of course there IS just the temptation to push buttons...

I may be messing up the facts a bit here, but there is certain logic to it:

I remember hearing something about the early days of the space program, that the engineers wanted everything to be automated and the astronauts would just sit inside the ships for the ride. But since they were test pilots with (well-deserved) big egos, they wanted to be in control. From a public relations standpoint, NASA wanted to create heroes out of the men so they also thought it would be good to keep the human element. The engineers redesigned the ships.

I don't know if that's exactly true or not, but I could understand Wilton Knight wanting to have the driver to be an integral part of the car, not just a crash-test dummy.

I can see the point too. I mean, it's a car-driver relationship thing. A good example is those who restore and show classic and antique cars, etc. and race car drivers. Many people love cars. And one of the first things a teenager wants is a car. Not just for transportation but because the cars have a sort of 'personality' to them and drivers like to be a part of that experience of getting behind the wheel of their favorite car - THEIR car and cruising around, showing off.

My view on the issue of why Michael needs to push buttons when KITT can activate most is theirs just some functions only KITT can perform.

I am sure we all remember "Knight of the Phoenix". Michael had to get into the Comtron building where Tanya Walker works. He couldn't just walk through the front door could he?! He needed to get on the roof. The ejector seat was perfect for that operation. But michael's body weight had to be taken into consideration if Michael was to be lauched safely onto the roof. Too little force and he would have landed onto terra-firma or back into the seat. Too much force and he would have landed on the moon - "One small step for man, one giant leap for Michael Knight"! Only KITT could to do that.

But might another reason why KITT can initiate buttons also is because their might be operations Michael and KITT need to initiate at the same time?

Devin_Miles wrote:"One small step for man, one giant leap for Michael Knight"!

Very good!

I think the overall reason buttons were added that aren't strictly needed is to let the 'pilot' feel that they have more control so that they're not merely a passenger performing the jobs that KITT cannot, as alluded to in the earlier posts. But, perhaps also to make it look more high tech and modern as it's meant to be 'the car of the future'.

I guess even a fantastic supercomputer like KITT, Needs some user Input from the driver.

You're right there. I know at least once KITT told Michael that he's only as good as his input.

FuzzieDice wrote:I know at least once KITT told Michael that he's only as good as his input.

Awww, wasn't that nice of KITT!

Seriously, the problem you raised is a problem that is hard to think of straight away. KITT is a futuristic, state-of-the-art AI car with numerous abilties which it can do, yet we want to make KITT look like a state-of-the-art car. This means keeping the buttons.