Live Discussion - Don't Stop The Knight

[Surfer_D]

I didn't read the posts before. I was happy with the pilot, but I had only bad opinions about the show. You can read my posts UNTIL NOW. They did it. Now it's what Knight Rider is all about. I don't care about KARR (I know it will be awsome), but if I forget about it, I still give it an A+! Good job - FINALLY The into is super cool in compare to the previous one.

P.S: I agree with the bullets comment from the previous poster!

[KRAvengerII]

good point- I liked that effect from the pilot, and want it brought back.

[Rockatteer]

Nah, smashing through the fence would have left it open for the other prisioners to escape. Turbo boost made more sense.

Yeah, but it would have been damn kewl just the same. And making sense hasn't been big on the list of priorities of this show to date anyway.

There were only a few nagging things for me in this episode but overall it was a solid improvement over the first nine. The biggest one being KITT asking the "lethal or non-lethal" question..

Yeah thats something which needs to be sorted real fast. Kitt should NEVER have a lethal option. Didn't Grieman say last week (or was it the week before?) that one of Kitts primary functions was to preserve human life? What the hells he asking about lethal options for then!!??

[ghidorah15]

Kitt should NEVER have a lethal option. Didn't Grieman say last week (or was it the week before?) that one of Kitts primary functions was to preserve human life? What the hells he asking about lethal options for then!!??

For that, I refer to the pilot...

KITT: "I could wait and time the next pass, but it may kill the men following us."

Sarah: "Look, I'm a compassionate person, but...so what?!"

KITT: "One of my primary directives is the preservation of human life."

Sarah: "But your primary directive is the preservation of our lives, right?"

KITT: "That is the ideal outcome."

Sarah: "Then make the pass!"

I don't think it's that much of a stretch to say that KITT would have the ability to kill others if it were necessary to keep his driver, Mike, alive. He might not always be able to get away with non-lethal.

[Rockatteer]

That's true, but there's quite a difference between having to choose which life to save and asking if you want someone killed.

In this episode there was really no threat or need for protection and Kitt's question was really "Do you want me to kill them or let them live?". Thats something Kitt should never even consider, let alone ask.

Very un-Knight Rider.

[Mike Knight]

I'm one for sticking pure to TOS mythology, but the non-lethal thing is something I don't mind seeing evolve. In the original series it was bourne out of restrictions on TV violence, so even if they did want KITT to be capable of killing (story-wise), they probably wouldn't have gotten it past the censors.

Now, I don't think that KITT should have machine guns and go mowing people down like Rambo, but if there's an option between saving Mike and letting a villain die, I wouldn't be opposed to KITT letting a villain die.

But yeah, after seeing the episode again, I only have a few complaints about it.

The girls: nothing but stupid eye candy. A couple of goons wasn't good enough for GST, so we had to get one last hang-on to T&A shinanigans? I'm sorry, I just never respond well to models being femme fatales. Never bought it.

Billy's "Hot!" comment: Still un-funny and cringeworthy. I never cared for "nerds are funny!" humor either.

The sub-plot about HANK: Don't get me wrong, it has handled fine, but the very idea didn't sit well with me, it's still pretty cheesy, but because of how it was handled, I didn't exactly cringe, but I just wanted it to get back to the main thrust of the episode.

Attack Mode: still don't like it, at least, not the way it works (mass from nowhere) and it still is ugly as sin. I don't see why we need it in the first place. Why keep us from footage of the Mustang, which we're supposed to being seeing in it's pure form as an advertisement?

Every episode of GST's KR for me has scored in the D to F ranges. This episode? A-. Seriously. It's amazing what cutting the camp can do for a show. The performances were serious, everyone on the team was acting professional (except for Billy's comment) for once. I believe these people are trying to save the world now (Please, no more games of water-gun). There was no contemporary music, which was perfect. The "KR" is gone from KITT's underside, etc....

I never thought the retool would improve things THAT much. Glad it did.

[ghidorah15]

I'm one for sticking pure to TOS mythology, but the non-lethal thing is something I don't mind seeing evolve. In the original series it was bourne out of restrictions on TV violence, so even if they did want KITT to be capable of killing (story-wise), they probably wouldn't have gotten it past the censors.

Now, I don't think that KITT should have machine guns and go mowing people down like Rambo, but if there's an option between saving Mike and letting a villain die, I wouldn't be opposed to KITT letting a villain die.

My point exactly. Thanks for the support.

Long live Knight Rider!

[Q..]

Lethal or Non-Lethal?

To those who didn't realize what KITT was saying:

KITT was making a joke.

It is obvious that KITT wouldn't do anything against his programming to preserve human life. In this situation, KITT knew what his options were, but his "Lethal/Non-Lethal" question was a rhetorical one.

[ghidorah15]

Lethal or Non-Lethal?

To those who didn't realize what KITT was saying:

KITT was making a joke.

It is obvious that KITT wouldn't do anything against his programming to preserve human life. In this situation, KITT knew what his options were, but his "Lethal/Non-Lethal" question was a rhetorical one.

Really? Huh...didn't think of it from that angle.

[ssilipino]

When KITT is scrolling through Lethal/NonLethal means on his HUD, one of the mode that scrolls buy is ski mode. Wish we could have scene it

[David]

the non-lethal thing is something I don't mind seeing evolve. In the original series it was bourne out of restrictions on TV violence

No way, without the directive to preserve human life, KITT would be KARR! (not that it actually made any sense for KARR not to carry that long established essential of robotic dogma in his programming, but still)

IMO, KITT shouldn't be armed at all, certainly not with conventional weapons like missiles and rockets. To me, that's not the Knight Rider "way" of solving problems.

Also, Devon would surely have disapproved of his "lone crusader" carrying a gun!

[Lynda414]

I agree completely. KITT is about helping people, not killing them. Even if they are the bad guys. He should alwaysdo everything he can to avoid a fatal outcome.

And, if he was joking about the 'lethal/non-lethal means' it fell a little flat.

[PHOENIXZERO]

I know it might have been intended to be a joke and did think it was meant to be one but it did fall rather flat. It was funnier when Gunner Haas got his own dart and Mike thanking KITT afterward.


KITT should never intentionally cause lethal or catastrophic harm to anyone. The only except I'd give for it is if it were a storyline of KITT becoming more aggressive in his protecting of Mike through his learning and influences and even then it'd more along the lines of recklessness or putting a bad guy or bad guys in the hospital ICU, but no killing.

[arhskr81]

The Hank Sub-plot has somthing to do with KARR. Hank's one "EYE" is yellow.

[Lynda414]

We're all just paranoid about the color yellow, aren't we?

[the original KITT]

TURBO BOOST - Please stop the silly camera angles, I know you have not got enough cars yet but can't u guys create a CGI motion of kitt actually leaping into the air with one camera shot and no cuts. That’s what I really want to see. ALSO IT DOES NOT LOOK REAL!!! PLEASE SORT IT OUT. (I know y cant u just get the shell of the mustang and bolt it to a different chassis. That’s what the old knight rider use to do, sometimes u could tell though, but I don’t know if it would be cheaper.) If it is DO IT. THERE HAVE ONLY BEEN 4 TURBO BOOSTS FROM 13 EPISODES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. THAT’S APPALING U REALLY HAVE TO SORT THAT OUT, WHERE HAS SKI MODE GONE ETC.

I want to see KITT starting himself up, I want to see his accelerator moving I want to see buttons and gadgets like the old car, just make it more advanced, don’t keep the car to standard it don't make it look original like the original KITT. I also want to see Mike use the actual controls of the car.

Things I would like to hear is KITT I NEED YAH ... ON MY WAY....ETC

STOP USING GREEN SCREEN WHEN MIKE IS IN THE CAR OR WHEN KITT IS DRIVING BY HIMSELF (I do know as the revs and the Speedo always look like there on 0). IT ADDS A SENSE OF REALSIM (I do media studies I know these things.)

PLEASE CHANGE THE THEME TUNE; JUST USE THE ORIGINAL IT’S WAY BETTER. GET STU PHILLIPS TO MAKE AN UPDATED VERSION OF IT. THE ONE U USE NOW IS S**T.

GET RID OF ATTACK MODE, IT MAKES THE CAR LOOK FAT AND UGLY, JUST LIKE SPM ON THE ORIGINAL KITT. I HATE IT, I LIKE WATCHING THE BEUTY OF THE MUSTANG AND THE PONTIAC.

O yeah, this stupid thing Kitt has got. Self recovery, well it doesn’t work. Evident in episode 4 when Kitt goes I can not sustain another hit. GET THE MOLECULAR BONDED SHELL BACK. It adds a bit of excitement and something to look at when a bullet struck the original car and a spark would emit) (Maybe kitt could get destroyed at the end of the season in order to get the 2nd series on the way) + get these changes on the way.

Y U KILLING THE CREATOR OF KITT. NOOOOOOOO!!! HE SHOULD JUST LEAVE. (THE SAME REASON 4 HAVING HIS TWIN IN THE PILOT.)

GET DAVID HASSELHOF TO PLAY THE ROLE OF DEVON (well not Devon but Knight but as the leader now), kill of the Chinese girl (SORRY) KEEP Billy as KITTS mechanic and Sarah well she has to die or leave or something because u cant have a relationship going on with the main crime defeater as this is a vulnerability for both of them.

PLEASE GET WILLIAM DANNIELS TO BE THE VOICE OF KITT AGAIN, ERM THIS GEEZA U GOT NOW IS S**T (can’t remember his name, he played batman though). NO EMOTION OR HUMAN FEATURES WHAT SO EVER, THE WAY HE SPEAKS IS JUST IN ONE FLAT NOTE WITH
GAPS IN BETWEEN EACH WORD. Its VERY ANNOYING AND DOSN’T ALLOW THE AUDIENCE TO CONNECT WITH KITT.

WHERE IS THE KNIGHT RIDER TRUCK? THAT WAS COOL WATCHING KITT GET IN AND OUT, PARTICULARLY OUT AND DOING A 90 DEGREE TURN.

If u want knight rider to continue just watch the middle/end part of season 1 and season 2 of knight rider, because they are the best seasons, and just implement it into this show.

This is what I believe is wrong with the show at the moment, I hope this eventually reaches somebody who can actually put my suggestions forward. (Don’t know if it will though, but have to try. Very big fan of the original show.)

[Rockatteer]

I want to see KITT starting himself up, I want to see his accelerator moving I want to see buttons and gadgets like the old car

Your right. We haven't seen a start up sequence in this show. Maybe they can work out something after the re-boot. It would be kewl to see the HUD displays come on one at a time, the neons flick on, dash lights up etc.

[Lexicon]

It's doable with an interior mockup but the new KITT doesn't have the obvious "WOW!" interior with readouts and such that the old one did so I don't think you would get anything out of it as far as neat looking shots go.

[Knight2000]

Turbo Boost prison break!

Yeah reminds me of a few eps from TOS. Is this what GSK was on about when he said there'll be two turbo boosts right at the start in one ep? Though it was nice to have, it wasn't particularly well-executed, and Mike's acting still isn't brilliant.

It would have been cool if there had been dust flying off the car.

The tyre-screeching sound effects aren't used properly either.

they should show KITT jumping from directly overhead

I'd like it if they just showed a Mustang jumping over a hidden ramp. I actually used to believe that car could turbo boost!

it was GREAT how focused the storytelling was this time on the story-at-hand and the pacing was as good as they've done yet with surprisingly little wasted air time. And a nicely done situation where KITT and Michael are separated and both are still doing things, it was cool watching KITT acting on his own stalling for time. Even the stuff with Graiman, Sarah and then just Graiman and the AI issue away from the main storyline for this particular episode felt nicely integrated and nice and on-point (didn't linger and was just as "snappy" as the rest of the episode).

Yes - this is why I liked this ep more than the others. Less Sarah/Graiman/Billy/Zoe/etc taking up screen time and more Mike + KI3T + plot. Though I still think the episode would have been better had Mike acted more autonomously. He kept asking what to do about every little thing, rather than take some initiative. KI3T on the other hand - I was begging for KI3T to use a voice projection using Mike's voice right from when KI3T drove up to meet the baddies. It was nice to see him think, learn and grow. More of this stuff please!

You know what I also noticed which was a pain in my side, the camera shots weren't so choppy, what I mean is that the camera shots weren't changing every second, giving me a seizure, very well done that way...More KITT more FUN...

Again - having decent camera shots really helped.

I liked the goofy little angry robot.

I didn't. That entire subplot did my head in. Granted it gave some relief from the "intense" action, but I'm still don't quite understand what the little robots are all about. Are they comepletely AI? What makes them different to KI3T? They appear to understand free-talking, and give appropriate responses. Where they the first steps Graiman took to making AI? How come the robot is jealous, when even KI3T doesn't have this capability of emotion?

NBC better not do to us what Universal Action Pack did to those of us who watched Team Knight Rider. They cut off season one with a to be continued episode and then didn't even have a season 2 at all or an hour episode to answer the questions at the end of season one. So hopefully NBC/Universal won't screw us on this one.

That wound me up no end. Shadow/the wheelchair dude/KITT in a sphere/who was looking for MK - all of that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GISsUySR22E
^My god! I cant wait to hear KARR talk

Wow! KI3T as a cop car, plus K4RR!

Protocol Nancy Bravo Charlie? NBC? Ha!

I noticed that too.

PLEASE CHANGE THE THEME TUNE; JUST USE THE ORIGINAL IT’S WAY BETTER. GET STU PHILLIPS TO MAKE AN UPDATED VERSION OF IT. THE ONE U USE NOW IS S**T.

Do you really need to resort to shouting? I, for one, like the new theme.

O yeah, this stupid thing Kitt has got. Self recovery, well it doesn’t work. Evident in episode 4 when Kitt goes I can not sustain another hit. GET THE MOLECULAR BONDED SHELL BACK

The MBS wasn't completely indestructible. MK managed to damage the car in the Pilot of TOS, and even in the first episode, KITT mentions he can't take a direct hit from a missile of some description.

I hope this eventually reaches somebody who can actually put my suggestions forward.

[/quote]
What, with the way you have put forward your arguement? Who could resist? lol

[t.b.77b]

When KITT is scrolling through Lethal/NonLethal means on his HUD, one of the mode that scrolls buy is ski mode. Wish we could have scene it

In Sue's Behind the Sense video the special effects guy said that ski mode is coming.(YAAAY my 25th post)

[Knight-Armen]

Knight2000 - It's a shame you didn't quote me too

[Knight2000]

Almost no silly talk from Nick or Zoe. Very nice way of ending the episode.

[/quote]

Agreed - it made it much more of a concentrated film. Unfortunately, I've started warming to Billy/Zoe interactions. I need to be shot!

Knight2000 - It's a shame you didn't quote me too

Done, and done.

[Knight-Armen]

Haha, way to go pal!

[CJaguar442]

Knight2000 why didn't you quote me either

i also perfer the original theme better. There is nothing like 80's pop music in the morning Hooah!!

[David]

Good points:

Better green screen. The in car camera positioning on MK seems a little off though, like he has to lean over to stay in frame. The in car close-ups are, well, very close. I guess they're trying to minimise the amount o green screen we actually have to look at in the periphery of those scenes. Still pine for the real time driving of TOS but at least they're trying to make what they have work as well as it can.

Less obtrusive use of lame rock scoring. The instrumental score they used in the opening scenes worked well, proving less is indeed more.

No more blue neon KR logo on KITT's underbelly.

Less use of gratuitous T&A (though the whole "three hot/skanky chick assassins" thing was still a big cringe, not least because it was underscored with some less than subtle rock guitar)

More focus on Michael and KITT in the story.

Better use of KITT Cave team. I liked when Sarah and Zoe were up on KITT's HUD in split screen, and Zoe turned to look over at Sarah when she was speaking. Very Brady Bunch. They could have had Billy popping up in another frame and then Michael joking about it "getting crowded in here" or smthg.

Fight scenes were great (and surprisingly brutal for TV - lots of arm snapping!)

VOTW - that guy was pretty good!

Bad:

Turbo Boost - which we've picked over thoroughly elsewhere.

Real driving - they don't seem to be pushing the Mustang too hard when it's time to peel out!

JB's MK feels way too adolescent. In the pilot he was a little darker/moodier. Now he seems to exclaim "dude!" a lot. (also, wtf was with KITT saying "brofus" or whatever it was last week?! LAME.) I find him a little hard to warm to, there seems to be a slight lack of charisma there. When I was a kid watching KR, I thought DH was the coolest. I wonder what the six year olds of today make of JB?

JB tells the kidnapped African ambassador "My name is Mike." No, in those "I'm coming to save you and kick VOTW's ass" scenarios, your name is definitely "Michael Knight." Come on, Mr Writer!

3D object generator - still a dumb, time-saving, lazy writer plot device.

"Lethal or non-lethal?" Might have worked as a joke line if the delivery had been better (or if JB had even responded with something like a sarcastic "very funny, KITT.") If it was meant as a literal statement then someone hasn't been paying attention in KR Legacy 101.

Opening credits - is it me or do they feel even more like an excerpt from a Ford promo now? Also, the KR08 theme is still sub par.

Oh yeah, and Attack Mode still looks awful. LOSE IT!