Why didn't KITT do anything when the forklift had him in JYD

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Why didn't KITT do anything when the forklift had him in JYD

Post by chin-up-27 » Fri Nov 30, 2012 5:30 pm

Couldn't he have turbo boosted off the plates? I know discussion has centred around him needing traction for a good turbo boost however in past and previous episodes (Kittnap) and Good Knights Work, it was confirmed he could do a minimal turbo boost as he told Michael he couldn't get enough momentum from a standing start to penetrate steel, and many on here have said he could do a minimal turbo boost out of the apartment, but he might not have the momentum to reach the far away roof.

I guess he also could have micro locked the vehicles brakes, though by the time he could have he was right over the acid pit. We had seen KITT also many times start up other vehicles so he could have also over rode the vehicle and put it in reverse. Also couldn't he have used his winch or grappling hook to maybe get off?

I don't know if he could have cleared the pit with a turbo boost once he was over it, but could he not have boosted off it before he got to the pit? I know he didn't have much time though but shouldn't he have detected the thing coming toward him in the first place? I am pretty sure Michael would have had KITT in survailance mode while he was snooping inside.

I get that sometimes KITT doesn't act as he should, could or otherwise would in order to advance a plot, we saw this many times. As great and emotional as the Junk Yard Dog episode was, it did seem a little strange that KITT would be shown as so vulnerable by an inferior vehicle, and indeed get himself into such a predicament and be unable to do anything about it.

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Re: Why didn't KITT do anything when the forklift had him in

Post by pdennis93 » Fri Nov 30, 2012 5:50 pm

for some reason it seemed like if KITT's rear wheels were off the ground he was immobile. the same thing happened in Buyout in the garage and in the pilot. why can KITT microjam helicopters, unlock doors, etc but he cannot activate a switch to lower a hydrolic lift? why didn't KiTT just microjam the forklift?

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Re: Why didn't KITT do anything when the forklift had him in

Post by Knight Racer » Fri Nov 30, 2012 8:21 pm

I think turbo boost works in mysterious ways.Kitt could tubo boost while standing perfectly still in the wrong crowd up against a small garage or barn over the hovercraft.In some episode it did a reverse turbo boost where kitt turbo boosted backwards out of a collapsed cave.In Plush Ride kitt rotated his turbo booster to create reverse rockets which kitt used reverse thruster to break in Hearts of Stone.

I always thought in Junk Yard Dog on the fork lift kitt could have used his grappling hook and winch to pull the forklift onto its side and kitt could drive off. or fall off onto the ground jet before the pit.

Also in Goliath Returns kitt was able to pull himself out of quicksand but Michaek thought of it.Which is the only reason why maybe kitt couldn't do it?

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Re: Why didn't KITT do anything when the forklift had him in

Post by Skav » Sat Dec 01, 2012 2:59 pm

KITT probably needs traction to turbo boost but why he didn't microjam the forklift is a wonder.
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Re: Why didn't KITT do anything when the forklift had him in

Post by knightroto » Sat Dec 01, 2012 5:36 pm

maybe because there would not have been an episode if he did something about it.

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Re: Why didn't KITT do anything when the forklift had him in

Post by james olden » Mon Dec 03, 2012 12:45 pm

This topic reminds me of the episode kittnapped when kitt got trapped in a box and needed a running start to generate Turbo boost.
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Re: Why didn't KITT do anything when the forklift had him in

Post by whet » Tue Dec 04, 2012 5:37 am

But in Kittnap"
Kitt did say he needs a running start to penetrate steel..

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Re: Why didn't KITT do anything when the forklift had him in

Post by chin-up-27 » Tue Dec 04, 2012 8:00 pm

Michael tells Kitt to turbo bost out of the container box and KITT replies "Negative Michael, I cannot generate enough traction to penetrate steel".

So that confirms in a round about sort of a way he can turbo boost from a standing or minimal rolling start, but perhaps his wheels need to be on the ground.

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Re: Why didn't KITT do anything when the forklift had him in

Post by Michael Pajaro » Tue Dec 04, 2012 10:12 pm

I look at it a different way. I absolutely believe that KITT can turbo boost any time, any where. But I look at "Not a Drop to Drink" for an explanation why he doesn't jump:

As Michael and KITT are about to be stopped by the earthmovers...

Michael: "We got room to jump?"
KITT: "Of course we can jump. But I can't guarantee where or how we'll land."

So in Junk Yard Dog, it's possible KITT didn't think he was in imminent danger - the bad guys could have simply been trying to immobilize him. And even if KITT WAS in danger, if he tried turbo boosting without knowing where he would land, he could have become a threat to Michael or someone else. His preservation of human life programming would have prevented that.

I'm completely OK with the fact that KITT didn't turbo boost off the forklift or even microjam it. HOWEVER, I do have an issue with the idea that KITT didn't see the forklift coming. He can track a car 10 miles away but can't see a forklift coming at him? Not buying it.
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Re: Why didn't KITT do anything when the forklift had him in

Post by TurboBoostMan » Wed Dec 05, 2012 12:52 pm

KITT cant Turbo Boost anywhere and everywhere. In Blind Spot he TB'd out of that compacter from a stand still. As he has also done in the episode where they get trapped under gravel (the name escapes me for the moment) and in other episodes. It is clearly stated that he can only TB if his wheels are on the ground, whether he is moving or not. Js
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Re: Why didn't KITT do anything when the forklift had him in

Post by Michael Pajaro » Wed Dec 05, 2012 3:25 pm

TurboBoostMan wrote:It is clearly stated that he can only TB if his wheels are on the ground, whether he is moving or not.
I'd have to ask for a specific reference. I can't think of any episode where it is clearly stated.
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Re: Why didn't KITT do anything when the forklift had him in

Post by Knight Racer » Wed Dec 05, 2012 3:37 pm

Forget wheels and traction,think about Big Iron he turbo boosted with tons of dirt compacted in every turbo duct,wheel well,vents and anything else used to turbo boost yet he still shot out of the ground.

I still say kitt could have found something to use the grappling hook on and pull himself by toppling over the forklift.Easier to believe than the turbo boost theory.

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Re: Why didn't KITT do anything when the forklift had him in

Post by chin-up-27 » Wed Dec 05, 2012 9:59 pm

Would an acid pit also destroy the molecular bonded shell? He didn't try the grappling hook or turbo boost even once floating in the pit either.

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Re: Why didn't KITT do anything when the forklift had him in

Post by Knight Racer » Thu Dec 06, 2012 1:26 am

I think if he got to the acid pit the grappling hook would be too late.It would have been perfect if he could time it just as he was raised up by the forklift.

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Re: Why didn't KITT do anything when the forklift had him in

Post by Skav » Fri Dec 07, 2012 5:14 am

Judging by the stress in KITT's voice at the time when he was picked up, I also believe he wasn't thinking clearly. I know that sounds comical for a computer to behave that way but KITT did develop emotions by that point.

But Michael did bring up the good point about KITT not picking up the forklift. That reminds me of the same thing in The Scent of Roses when KITT didn't detect Durant before shooting Stevie although I do believe his scanner was turned off. But I am sure he has other sensors to scan areas and naturally I am sure they would have been activated given the danger Michael's life was in at that point.
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Re: Why didn't KITT do anything when the forklift had him in

Post by Knight Racer » Sat Dec 08, 2012 2:07 am

As intelligent as we all believe kitt is,i don't think he can think on his feet as fast as Michael can in some situations.There are moments like in Blind Spot as soon as Michael was put inside of kitt he could have bolted but waited to wake Michael up to ask what to do.In A Nice indecent little town kitt already blew his cover that he could drive himself in the garage after michael was arrested.Why didn't he microjam the lift,get himself down,the break Michael out of prison?

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Re: Why didn't KITT do anything when the forklift had him in

Post by Knight Racer » Sat Dec 08, 2012 2:10 am

Those are the types of questions that can drive you crazy but the show wasn't supposed to make sense just be entertaining.

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Re: Why didn't KITT do anything when the forklift had him in

Post by Deveo » Sat Dec 08, 2012 3:35 am

The answer is simple. Because, if KITT did do anything the episode would have lasted only a quarter. So let's say he sacrificed himself for the good cause of TV entertainment. :?
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Re: Why didn't KITT do anything when the forklift had him in

Post by cloudkitt » Mon Dec 24, 2012 1:43 am

Knight Racer wrote:As intelligent as we all believe kitt is,i don't think he can think on his feet as fast as Michael can in some situations.There are moments like in Blind Spot as soon as Michael was put inside of kitt he could have bolted but waited to wake Michael up to ask what to do.In A Nice indecent little town kitt already blew his cover that he could drive himself in the garage after michael was arrested.Why didn't he microjam the lift,get himself down,the break Michael out of prison?
I always generally assumed that the hydraulic lifts in Nice Indecent Little Town and maybe even Junkyard Dog were completely hydraulic. Which is to say, manual, not electronic, and therefore he couldn't microjam them. But it's not like the show didn't play fast and loose with those rules. Even when I was younger I was always puzzled as to how he unlocked normal locks. I get electronic locks, but a deadbolt?
And then safes, I give him electronic safes, but when it's just a dial, he shouldn't be able to do that. There is an episode, I don't remember which, where Michael turns the combination lock and KITT merely 'listens' and tells him where to stop, that makes sense by me too, but in ones where KITT somehow turns it remotely, that's silly.

As for KITT Michael being better at thinking on his feet, it does sound silly that that would be the case, but it does make some sense. Computers can calculate very quickly but where humans outclass them is creativity and a computer like KITT could very well have specific scenarios in mind which would have him conclude to activate a device whereas we can come up with more clever uses.
But as Pajaro said, yeah, there's no reason he didn't notice the forklift.
Last edited by cloudkitt on Mon Dec 24, 2012 2:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Why didn't KITT do anything when the forklift had him in

Post by Knight Racer » Mon Dec 24, 2012 1:54 am

I know what you mean.I was watching diamonds are a girls best friend from season 2 and kitt needed to cause a distraction to get those 2 making out on the couch out of the room so he "magically" microjammed the porcelain cat on the table when he had a perfectly usable lamp to turn on and off.Thats also the episode with the safe Michael needed kitts help to turn the dial to just the right numbers to unlock.

The other episode I remember kitt working his odd microjam effect was the car that was taking the buyers in buy out season 3.Michael had to figure out a way to keep them from taking off so he microjammed the lock before they could put their luggage in.

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Re: Why didn't KITT do anything when the forklift had him in

Post by KITTfan » Mon Dec 24, 2012 1:42 pm

Knight Racer wrote:I know what you mean.I was watching diamonds are a girls best friend from season 2 and kitt needed to cause a distraction to get those 2 making out on the couch out of the room so he "magically" microjammed the porcelain cat on the table when he had a perfectly usable lamp to turn on and off.Thats also the episode with the safe Michael needed kitts help to turn the dial to just the right numbers to unlock.

The other episode I remember kitt working his odd microjam effect was the car that was taking the buyers in buy out season 3.Michael had to figure out a way to keep them from taking off so he microjammed the lock before they could put their luggage in.
I can understand locking the trunk by tapping into the electrical central locking if it includes the trunk.
I guess jamming completely mechanical devices was supposedly done by creating some kind of magnetic field which pulled the lock mechanism appropriately to lock it or open it.

The forklift was so big iron that KITT should've noticed it. Maybe the scene was intended to be so intense KITT didn't have time to react?

Always fun to try and find an explanation to these little "mistakes" :)

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Re: Why didn't KITT do anything when the forklift had him in

Post by Knight Racer » Thu Dec 27, 2012 12:27 pm

I don't even think they had electrical locks in car trunks back in the 80's.Next you'll ask why couldn't they microjam guns.

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