K.I.T.T.'s Scanner Use

[Lost Knight]

I've noticed that in the first two seasons of Knight Rider that K.I.T.T.'s scanner isn't on as often as later seasons. In seasons 3 & 4 it appears to be on 24/7. I was just watching "Brother's Keeper" on DVD when I noticed that Michael actually manually turns on the scanner in one scene. Apparently in the earlier episodes the scanner was only used sparingly, usually when in Surveillance Mode.

I personally prefer the scanner to be on all the time as it shows off KITT's uniqueness more often. I always thought the scanner was supposed to be one of the main, if not, THE main aspects of his appearance. Why wouldn't the producers exploit that as much as possible especially in the earlier seasons? What do you think?

[KNIGHT RAIDER]

I believe it is because of the street laws in certain areas, where having a probing light in front of a vehicle is prohibited, unless it is a police car or an ambulance, that is my guess.

[Lost Knight]

Could be. But one, I would think that the show's crew would have obtained a permit for the car for filming, and two, that would mean the laws must have been changed during seasons 3 & 4 to keep it on all the time.

I'm not sure if having a red light on the front of a car is illegal in California or not (I live in New York). I'm sure the members who live there know though.

[Michael Pajaro]

I always thought it was cool to see the scanner turn on: how it would go from dark to completely lit up and then start strobing back and forth. In order for that to work, it would have to be off at times.

[cloudkitt]

I was about to say that Pajaro. I'm not sure why the scanner isn't always on, but I always thought it was really cool how it turned in. As he said, the whole thing up light up before doing it's... scanning thing...

Interesting question though

[FuzzieDice]

I think maybe by seasons 3 and 4, it got more established that KITT's scanner was more than just a scanning device, but also showed his emotion or mood like a face.

[KnightCrusader99]

I believe the scanner in the earlier seasons was powered by AC, or maybe it was in all the seasons. I seem to remember viewing an actual KITT from the show that Mark from Mark's Custom Kits got a hold of, and I am pretty sure it stated the scanner and alot of the other electronics were AC powered. Even with an inverter, that kind of high power consumption could kill the battery, so they probably used it sparingly on a seperate battery in the car. Maybe latter down the road they figured out how to wire it up to DC and require less power, thus they could use it all the time.

That is my opinion, if I do remember it correctly. I could be completely wrong too. Maybe someone on here can verify it for me.

-Steve

[HondaSiR]

I believe the scanner in the earlier seasons was powered by AC, or maybe it was in all the seasons. I seem to remember viewing an actual KITT from the show that Mark from Mark's Custom Kits got a hold of, and I am pretty sure it stated the scanner and alot of the other electronics were AC powered. Even with an inverter, that kind of high power consumption could kill the battery, so they probably used it sparingly on a seperate battery in the car. Maybe latter down the road they figured out how to wire it up to DC and require less power, thus they could use it all the time.

That is my opinion, if I do remember it correctly. I could be completely wrong too. Maybe someone on here can verify it for me.

-Steve

You are correct. However in the story, the scriptwriters included footages/instances of KITT's scanner being turned on only in the earlier seasons for dramatic effect. As the series ran on, it became apparent that KITT became more advanced and it wasn't necessary for anybody (Michael, Bonnie, April, etc.) to turn him off completely. Besides, in his infancy KITT had few enemies. As the show wore on, Michael and KITT's adversary list grew longer (and stronger) and it would be dreadful if KITT were to be caught with his pants down (scanner off, no surveillance whatsoever).

[theevolved1]

One thing I dont understand is... Kitt was at Michael and Stevies wedding why didnt he warn them about Durant?

[Lost Knight]

One thing I dont understand is... Kitt was at Michael and Stevies wedding why didnt he warn them about Durant?

My take on that was that Michael had quit the Foundation at the time and K.I.T.T. was temporarily a recreational vehicle until the Foundation could find a replacement for Michael. So since they both were no longer on the job I think that KITT either didn't have his scanners on or wasn't in his usual surveillance.

You are correct. However in the story, the scriptwriters included footages/instances of KITT's scanner being turned on only in the earlier seasons for dramatic effect. As the series ran on, it became apparent that KITT became more advanced and it wasn't necessary for anybody (Michael, Bonnie, April, etc.) to turn him off completely. Besides, in his infancy KITT had few enemies. As the show wore on, Michael and KITT's adversary list grew longer (and stronger) and it would be dreadful if KITT were to be caught with his pants down (scanner off, no surveillance whatsoever).

I like that explanation and it makes a lot of sense.