Should Michael & KITT still help the powerless?

[Michael Pajaro]

Hear me out on this one...

One of the themes of Knight Rider is championing "the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless..." Basically, protecting the little guy. And there are many episodes where Michael saves a small business owner or helps out a damsel in over her head. But in most of the "fan-favorite" episodes, the main victim is NOT a helpless party:

Knight of the Phoenix
Goliath
Goliath Returns
Trust Doesn't Rust
KITT vs KARR
Knight of the Juggernaut
Killer KITT

Although there are some secondary characters caught up in the crimes, the primary "victim" is either the Foundation itself, or there is a threat to national security.

So, in the new Knight Rider incarnations, should the threats be bigger and badder? Or should they be go back to Knight Rider's roots of helping the underdog?

[FuzzieDice]

You may have something here. We live in a very different world from what it was in the 80s. I think maybe it appears that way because we are more connected to the world via internet than we ever were in the 80s (where we only had the TV news and radio, newspapers, and had to wait for the news in most cases).

I think that FLAG should be a global thing like Foundation for Law Across the Globe or something (I dunno. I'm bad at acronyms. LOL!) They should fight global people that end up in the US like sniffing out and stopping sleeper cells and international hackers using addresses and Headquarters in the US, etc. The criminals they fight will have to be more up-to-date than the 80s run-of-the-mill corrupt senator or big bad mobster guy types.

That would also show off KITT's new and more futuristic features as well. I'm beginning to also think that the KITT of the 80s wouldn't be too much help in today's world. I mean as he was then. We have cars with GPS, computers, chat bot programs, police hooking up to databases from laptops in their cars, high-speed 100 mph+ car chases (well, I've heard there were some), etc. So KITT would have to be more up-to-date.

Another idea would be for KITT to go on a mission or a side-mission by himself. Sub-plots with KITT were always fun. But instead of the kid who saw nothing special in school and KITT rekindling his interest via science videos on his monitor, KITT could try and convince a very bullied and distraught kid not to blow up his school or shoot his kids, etc. Maybe if done right people can see an example and it might help some kids think before using violence. Like inspiration.

Or Micheal is captured and it's all up to KITT to not just save him, but he has to solve the mission to do it - all by himself.

There's a lot of things they could do with KITT yet.

[remote_jup]

Hummm....KITT getting lost in the internet. Could Michael bare the thought of being along behind the wheel for minutes at a time?

As I recall, TKR has similar notions. The blueprints of the cars to be found on the net. An international team to be erected. (Used some real Ford make name. Was it the Ki?)

Suppose you're right. Tongue and cheek to be downsized in light of global problems. How about if KITT's engine emits Ozone?

[LadyV2000]

I think it would only make sense to update the plots to more serious modern issues. You also had some great ideas, Fuzzie. I think another good issue to touch on would be human trafficing. Michael could still help a damsel in distress (though I hope that wouldn't be the theme of ever episode) but her problem would be a little more dire than just somebody trying to bully her out of business or whatever.

[Lost Knight]

I would opt to stay more true to the original series' theme to protect the innocent, helpless and powerless. It seems these days, however, that it would be impossible to ignore the issue of terrorism, which would mean that the problems to solve might have to be a little larger than individual lives. The smaller problems worked well for a television series, but this is a major motion picture which should have a major problem to solve.

At the same time, it would be pretty unrealistic for Michael and K.I.T.T. to save the world from a global terrorism threat, so I think the best solution here is what LadyV2000 suggested, which would be to mix both concepts together. Have the initial problem deal with "little guy getting swatted by big guy" (or something to that effect), but as the movie progresses we see that what was seemingly a smaller issue becomes a part of something much greater. This route would also easily pave the way for any potential sequels, too.

[FuzzieDice]

That would be a good idea. Maybe even like KARR falling into the wrong hands again, etc. (Ok, ok... I had to do that! )

[Lyn]

I think Michael and KITT should still help those who are in big trouble and need help from criminals trying to harrass them.

[snafu]

If anything the divide between middle and upper class has gotten bigger since the 80's, so we still have the average Joe Schmoe getting harassed by a rich guy or a big corperation.
So, helping the powerless would still be cool.
Providing nobody gets sued.

[cloudkitt]

Well there was a bit of a contradiction I always thought. Because most of the villains were rarely 'above the law' except when there was one of those large-scale victims.

[HungarianKnight]

I'd love to see such episodes like Race for Life with its human soul above all else.

And yes, The Knights sould help the helpless and the powerless. This world is much more corrupt and dark than it was in the 80's with the everyday people being much more exposed to "evil". In this world, people need the Knight Rider. Knight Rider is not simply about the car or the pilot. Knight Rider is about hope.

[HungarianKnight]

I'd love to see such episodes like Race for Life with its human soul above all else.

And yes, The Knights sould help the helpless and the powerless. This world is much more corrupt and dark than it was in the 80's with the everyday people being much more exposed to "evil". In this world, people need the Knight Rider. Knight Rider is not simply about the car or the pilot. Knight Rider is about hope.

[Darknight]

The basic concept of the show is still sound. Movies are made all the time about individuals and their problems. Just because the venue is larger doesn't mean the conflict has to be on a larger scale. Its the power of the story that matters most--the interplay of characters that could be subject to any size threat, large or small. The oppressor does not have to be a corporation. In fact, I think corporations were "evil" way too often in 80s TV. In today's world, government itself is more and more invasive. There's plenty to play with there. Biotechnology secrets are also prone to being stolen; human rights are in jeopardy from quasi-scientists trying to manipulate the genome. Those are some "techy" areas, perhaps too techy, so here are some ideas related to humanity.

Human trafficking is as prevalent today as ever. Child exploitation is rampant across the globe. Drugs are still a scourge.
And believe it or not (this might not be popular) but corporations today are as much the victims as the violators, thanks to the government's overly high corporate tax rates (higher than even in Europe) and allowance of frivolous lawsuits (which hurt the plaintiffs with legitimate complaints).