Justifying the nanotechnology over MBS

[Michael Pajaro]

The nano-technology won me over - partly. I know some people say it's inferior to the MBS of the original, and if you want to simply say "the MBS is cooler", I can't really argue it. But if you're looking for a way to accept the nano-technology, here's a rationale to explain it:

For starters the nano-technology does make KITT stronger than a regular car, even beyond the healing. If it didn't, a bullet would crash through the windshield, kill Mike, then the windshield would repair itself. Sadly, unless Mike had nanotechnology installed in a plate in his forehead, he wouldn't do so well. (Maybe that's what saved Michael Long!)

The ability to camouflage is a very useful feature that the Knight 2000 didn't have. People argue that one thing that made the 2000 special was that it wasn't simply a stock car; it had very unique features (the nose, the hubcaps, the lack of decals). Yet in Brothers Keeper, KITT is able to "disguise" himself by changing license plates? Would that REALLY fool anyone in the real world?

The nano-technology protection is useless when the computer is off. In 4 seasons of Knight Rider, I think KITT was turned off twice (besides being hacked/destroyed). So I think it is a minor issue.

For high-speed travel, the Attack Mode is basically equal to SPM. The 2000 did it mechanically, the 3000 does it with nano-tech. I'll say they're basically equal.

So could they simply have both the camouflage ability AND the MBS? Since this is a TV show, they could do anything they wanted. But if we apply a little bit of real-world logic, I don't think it's much of a stretch to say that the technologies are incompatible. If the MBS can't be dented or scratched, it seems unlikely that it could change shape easily.

We haven't seen just how much damage the nano-technology can sustain/repair to tell how it compares to the MBS. It's certainly comparable, and does give some extra features. So I'm willing to accept that the nano-technology is more-advanced than the MBS.

[Army_F_Body]

I feel the MBS is still superior, but the nano tech does work for me. Garth pretty much killed everyone that had access to the formula, and Devon is no doubt dead in this timeline so the nano approach works as a replacement for the MBS. I figure even if the MBS formula does still exist, the FBI may have it locked safely away since they are keeping close tabs on the vehicles. In it's defense the morphing ability definitely makes up for the added weakness, but it really does put the driver in danger if the computer gets shut down.

[daroga]

The MBS being incompatible with the nanotech and the perceived need for the nanotech for camoflauge, etc. are good points.

In some ways, I think this might be a fail-safe of sorts. "Soul Survivor" showed just how dangerous KITT's shell could be without him in control--an all-but invincible weapon. This way, if the CPU and the Body get seperated it can be destroyed. Someone fully taking control of KITT though leads to a problem, but one that could be an entertaining in an episode or two.

Likewise, I deem it perfectly reasonable that either a) the formula was lost for the MBS or b) the break-down for it had become widely known and is perhaps the reason that the Trans Am KITT was taken out of service. If nothing else, KI3T is much safer to bystanders without bullets flying all around off of his body at weird angles.

[PHOENIXZERO]

daroga, I've been thinking that also, especially the ricochet issue. I just wrote another long post regarding it so instead of repeating myself I'm going to do what some trolls have been doing and just copy and paste.

----
As for the MBS, yeah it's been discussed at length many times. For all intended purposes, aside from the reasoning from the writing angle with KITT's near invincibility and everything there's one way I look the car healing and taking bullets after seeing what was done with it.

The MBS/Knight Compound made KITT nearly invincible at least from the things that hit KITT though I think it did still have its limits. But anyway, I think one big potential danger of the MBS was ricochet, that was shown at least twice in the pilot maybe three times since there was the guy who threw the brick, heh but I'm talking about bullets. Anyway I don't believe they ever even revisited it afterwards but just had guys saying their bullets would bounce off the car.

With how the impact from bullets was shown in the TV movie with the nanotech, all the energy from the bullets fired was absorbed in the impact of the bullet into the car, preventing ricochet. Not sure how or if it's the same in "attack" mode since I've read it isn't and I don't think there was any good examples shown in the limited amount of time it was shown. But to me, that's where I'd go with explaining the change. I'd even tolerate them using that as a reason why the original KITT was decommissioned, could you imagine what KITT's reaction would've been if KITT was blocking some heavy gun fire and one of the bullets bounced off and hit an innocent bystander or even Michael?

Or it could have just been lost.... Though that's more far fetched than the potential reasoning I just wrote.

Yes, I'm making excuses and possible explanations are my own way to "handle" the changes, so sue me. <_< >_> If they lurk here and like whatever they see I wouldn't complain in the least in their using it if, especially if it's better than what they're planning.
----

As for camouflage, they could even make the car invisible or mostly invisible and I'd be here defending it by pointing out that scientist have been researching the exact same thing with nanotech for years. Look at it as a new and improved silent mode.

[gotigers1]

I feel the MBS is still superior, but the nano tech does work for me. Garth pretty much killed everyone that had access to the formula, and Devon is no doubt dead in this timeline so the nano approach works as a replacement for the MBS. I figure even if the MBS formula does still exist, the FBI may have it locked safely away since they are keeping close tabs on the vehicles. In it's defense the morphing ability definitely makes up for the added weakness, but it really does put the driver in danger if the computer gets shut down.

Thank You! I think some forget that during the orginal series, Garth killed 2 of the 3 that knew parts of the MBS formula. And you needed all 3 to make the MBS. Even if Devon was still around in this timeline, he alone could not have enough info to make the MBS formula.

[Army_F_Body]

Yeah, but season 4 never really explains how KITT got his MBS back after defeating Juggernaut, but yeah, I feel it may not exist anymore. KR has plenty of inconsistencies so I don't really expect this new one to be totally flawless, but a lack of knowledge of the original formula could be a good way to explain going into the nano-tech direction!

However...KITT nearly spills the beans on his formula in Good Day at Bad Rock (?) so maybe it's stored on his hard drive for safe keeping (kind of like how Airwolf's coveted schematics are hidden in it's internal computer system).

[PHOENIXZERO]

Was it two scientist? I thought it was only one and they got the other part from Devon, like what happened in Knight of the Juggernaut.

[gotigers1]

I just watch Goliath the other day, I can almost swear it was 3 people including Devon.

[Michael Pajaro]

Three people each had two out of three parts of the formula.

Person 1 had AB
Person 2 had BC
Person 3 had AC

So any two people could create ABC, but no single person could. They didn't have to be scientists, just anyone who could memorize something.

I think it would be pretty lame to simply say they "lost" the formula. It's pretty safe to assume that the Foundation had protocols in place to pass the formula along or somehow reverse engineer it if necessary.

[Lost Knight]

The Mustang's body style to me seems like it's suited for this nanotechnology morphing effect. Of course it could be because of watching the telepic and finally seeing how it looked, or maybe the other part of me figures that any new car would be easier to accept having this feature besides the Trans Am. I don't know. The boxy look of the car to me feels like it's more suitable for shifting into similar shapes, without the shape changing too much.

One disappointment I had was that it only changed color and added fins. I was expecting it to morph to resemble a different make and model altogether. Perhaps NBC was holding back; or perhaps they just decided it was too unrealistic. I mean, would we really want K.I.T.T. to turn into the automobile version of the T-1000 from Terminator 2? Or would that have been pushing things too far out there?

[Knight316]

Potentially i guess KITT could/should have the abillity to read/breakdown the components of his MBS if the need ever came for it. We always saw him analysing different compounds. From what i remember reading from the interviews, KITT is pretty much invinsible in Attack mode and they didn't show any healing or fixing going on after the SUV hit so it ocul dbe that the nanobots are much tighter together in Attack Mode and therefore any healing or fixing that takes place happens almost instantly. But for arguments sake, i would assume that the nanobots coudl individually be coated with the MBS could they not? This would allow for the morphing but still having the MBS to protect it.

[March2875]

The camouflaging could be added to the MBS by simply adding a Hologram projector unit like they used on Viper. They projected an image of a chrysler LHS unto the Defender. Simply do the same to the original Kitt.

As for speed the 2000 is faster. I mean the 3000 Kitt said it was 627 miles to Vegas and at our Maximum speed baring in mind any unforseen traffic problems we could be there in 3 hours and 17 minutes. That translates to in the neigbhorhood of a top speed of 200 MPH. We've seen the 2000 due 240 or 250 in cruise Mode and Super Pursuit Mode gave him a 40% increase in speed. He surpassed 300 MPH in a couple of episodes with SPM. So the original wins out on speed for sure.

MBS vs. Nanotechnology is debatable

[Matthew]

As for speed the 2000 is faster. I mean the 3000 Kitt said it was 627 miles to Vegas and at our Maximum speed baring in mind any unforseen traffic problems we could be there in 3 hours and 17 minutes. That translates to in the neigbhorhood of a top speed of 200 MPH. We've seen the 2000 due 240 or 250 in cruise Mode and Super Pursuit Mode gave him a 40% increase in speed. He surpassed 300 MPH in a couple of episodes with SPM. So the original wins out on speed for sure.

I think that the one thing that everyone is forgetting is that the calculation of the Knight 3000’s speed is inherently flawed, as it’s only possible to calculate the average, so whilst KITT might have an average speed in the 200mph region, his speed will be significantly slower during the tight and twisty portions of the journey that have average traffic usage, and significantly faster on deserted straights.

Matt

[redtetrahedron]

As for speed the 2000 is faster. I mean the 3000 Kitt said it was 627 miles to Vegas and at our Maximum speed baring in mind any unforseen traffic problems we could be there in 3 hours and 17 minutes. That translates to in the neigbhorhood of a top speed of 200 MPH. We've seen the 2000 due 240 or 250 in cruise Mode and Super Pursuit Mode gave him a 40% increase in speed. He surpassed 300 MPH in a couple of episodes with SPM. So the original wins out on speed for sure.

I think that the one thing that everyone is forgetting is that the calculation of the Knight 3000’s speed is inherently flawed, as it’s only possible to calculate the average, so whilst KITT might have an average speed in the 200mph region, his speed will be significantly slower during the tight and twisty portions of the journey that have average traffic usage, and significantly faster on deserted straights.

Matt

I was disappointed in how they implemented those scenes. It sure didn't LOOK like it was going that fast in the desert shots. Not even 200MPH. The bushes going by in the interior shots looked like they were going like 70. I think they could've done a lot better. Anyone else have the same impression?

[goldbug]

I was thinking about this the other day and in my mind it's one of two things:

1) The formula is unknown. Everyone who could have put it together is gone and KITT 2000 himself is out of commission (or busy doing something else) and could not help Graiman develop the MBS.

2) The formula IS known. It occurred to me that in the internet age where you can google instructions to make a bomb out of stuff you find in the supermarket, this would not be beyond the realm of possibility. We saw bad guys get their hands on the formula in the original series - who's to say it didn't get onto the black market, effectively making it pretty useless since we know there are counters to it (even in the 80's).

Of course, I'd love to be pleasantly surprised and have the series (if it goes forward) use another (more creative) explanation than my own, but if either of those two above were used I'd be satisfied.

[Knight316]

I'd like to see them say something about it if it goes to series in the first ep. Something where Graiman talks about teh MBS and says the problem with that was ricochet which is why he developed the nanotechnology for K3000 as is absorbs the impact of the bullet instead of just reflecting it. Simple, easy and gives us hardcores an explanation for the change.

[Matthew]

Personally, I'd make note of someone suffering a serious injury, such as an innocent being permanently paralysed, if they chose to explain that Knight Industries discontinued their use of the molecular bonding formula due to the nature of its uncontrolled reaction to outside forces, as seen when bullets ricocheted off the shell. That way, it places the emphasis of the change squarely on Wilton’s Knight’s original vision.

Matt

[Skav]

I am one of those people that are not that fond of the nano and prefer the MBS but I'm pretty sure the computer would not be turned off too often during the series. KITT had no choice but to shut himself down due him being hacked but I feel they showed a MAJOR weakness in KITT TOO early in the series, especially a Pilot episode.

They should have showed this flaw somewhere later in the series because I'm sure that there are a lot of people that are not as impressed with the 3000 as they are with the 2000.

On another note, I think the colour change feature is cool but......it's not exactly exciting and I think it's a feature that would become old very quickly.

It was much better seeing KITT execute a jump rather than see what kind of vehicle he would morph into next.