K.I.T.T. (Knight Rider)

They won’t say this in their press releases, but every company that’s working on a self-driving car (Google, Toyota, Ford, GM, BMW, everyone) is secretly just trying to fulfill the fantasy of cruising around in a talking Pontiac Trans-Am like David Hasselhoff in Knight Rider – the NBC primetime action hit created by Glen A Larson in 1982.

There’s no argument that the quintessential example of the self-driving car is, and will remain for the time being, KITT (which stands for Knight Industries Two Thousand) – the fully self-aware, nearly indestructible vehicle with the red pong-light scanner transplanted directly from one of the Cylons from Battlestar Galactica. Every week, KITT and his driver Michael Knight, “a lone crusader in a dangerous world” played by The Hoff, would “champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless in a world of criminals who operate above the law.”

Personality-wise, KITT was the slightly stuffier half of a typical buddy-cop-action-pal duo. Part C3PO, part Evel Knievel, he often spoke out as the voice of reason but would nevertheless jump at the chance to use his turbo thrusters. His pragmatism made room for Hasselhoff to be the reckless, imperfect human who defied the odds and said things like “You gotta learn to trust your gut, pal,” while his daring side allowed him to elevate the action to a technology-assisted superhuman level on a weekly basis.

Voiced by the smug-sounding actor William Daniels, who played Dustin Hoffman’s smug dad in The Graduate, and the smug Dr. Craig from St. Elsewhere, KITT could often come off as a bit… I guess the word would be “smug.” But then why shouldn’t he be? You’d be pretty impressed with yourself if you came equipped with a “super pursuit mode” and “laser-assisted braking system.”

KITT also had no problem being witty or charming. He was even known to be a decent wingman when Hasselhoff was trying to make it with the lady guest-stars. When a love interest sat down in the calf-skin seats for the first time and suddenly heard, from out of nowhere, a comment like “Are my cushions soft enough for you?” – her blouse pretty much unbuttoned itself after that.

The KITT / Michael bromance was actually a pretty good model for a human-computer relationship. KITT wielded all the impressive abilities, had access to more information than Michael, and could drive himself without a problem. Yet he willingly subjugated himself to the role of the sidekick and exhibited no desire for autonomy. He was a car built with a driver’s seat and he therefore required a driver to sit in it.

The show’s writers gave very few hints about what might comprise the inner-workings of KITT’s mind. He was a computer. He was cool. Why break it down any further?

Name:
K.I.T.T.
(Knight Industries Two-Thousand)

Year Introduced:
1982

Fictional timeframe:
The ’80s!

Creator:
Glan A. Larson

Fictional Creator:
Knight Industries

Voiced by:
William Daniels
(who, in an idiot career move, chose not to be credited)

Physical Presence:
A red blinking lights on the console of a souped-up Pontiac Trans-Am

Gender
Male

Charm Score
8 / 10