The General Knight Rider thread.

[somebuddyX]

Thanks!

Thank you!
I also did this one.

The arrival of a mysterious man named Sam Beckett in a small town in northern California sends government and private agencies into a frenzy. The CIA division known as the Firm send the unknowing private investigator Thomas Magnum and hired mercenaries The-A Team, to first gather information and then apprehend Beckett, who will then be transported aboard the attack helicopter Airwolf to a Firm black site for interrogation.
Meanwhile, both the Phoenix Foundation and FLAG separately find out about the Firm's intentions and send their own agents, MacGyver and Michael Knight, to rescue Beckett. Discovering they have the same goal MacGyver and Knight decide to work together and call in a favour from Michael's friend Frank Murphy.
As Beckett arrives with The A-Team to the pickup location to rendezvous with Airwolf, Blue Thunder, the advanced police helicopter piloted by Murphy arrives on the scene. A battle in the sky between Blue Thunder and Airwolf commences, as Michael Knight rescues Beckett and both retreat in his car KITT.
Falling back to a hideout, Knight and MacGyver question Beckett on why he is so important. Before he can answer the three are ambushed by The A-Team and Magnum, but before harm can befall anyone Lieutenant Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith calls a truce. They've realise they are all being played by the Firm and resolve to help Beckett. They are joined by Frank Murphy and Airwolf pilot Stringfellow Hawke and his co-pilot Dominic.
Beckett explains that the information he has about a special project known as Quantum Leap has made him valuable. If the Firm or other unscrupulous agencies or countries get their hands on him it could mean disaster for the world. He just needs a little more to resolve the situation. The group agree to protect Beckett and return him to the northern California town.



At morning they set off across the desert, ready to engage any enemy forces...

 

[Skipper]

You forgot the poor Streek Hawk

 

[tharpdevenport]

Jim Rockford and Columbo must be too busy. ;-)

 

[Skipper]

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In the 80s, everyone wanted to do a "cool vehicle" tv show!

 

[tharpdevenport]

K.I.T.T. vs. V.I.P.E.R. -- there can only be one.

 

[Skipper]

K.I.T.T. vs. V.I.P.E.R. -- there can only be one.

Just googled it. Apparently it was one of the most popular subjects for fanfic in the late 90s/early 2000s!

Google Search

 

[tharpdevenport]

What if Michael Knight had to take down the Judge from "Dark Justice"?

 

[MarcKyle1964]

People making out on KITT's hood?

Tawny Kitaen has joined the chat. My, she was a little trainwreck, wasn't she?

 

[theenglish]

Fun thread. A Knight Rider reboot should be just that. A complete reboot without pulling on the "legacy" of the original characters. I would cast a female lead and have the premise of KITTs AI being that it is self-contained and can hack other computers without being hacked. That would be the super-power in the modern world. Having a character who uses technology while being untraceable by government and corporations would fit in with the premise of a character who is technically dead as far as the world is concerned. It would be nice to see a show that actually deals with the dangers of current technology and its affect on personal privacy and security.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

I think it's a given that a modern KITT would be an electric vehicle, probably on some futuristic power source that could last for months or years without recharge, which would certainly appeal to the wish-fulfillment of modern drivers. (Heck, the 1966 Batmobile had atomic batteries.)

Even the 2008 Knight Rider was a Hybrid of Solar + Gas.
They chose that because of Global Logistics instead of going with something exotic.

IMO, PHEV would be the power source, have both ICE & BEV functionality, one for each axle.
No Mechanical Linkage allowed between the axles.
Add in Solar Charging Roof / Skin on top to help top off energy.

Use only a small battery with either (50 mi | 80 km) or (100 km | 62 mi) worth of range and Super Capacitors to build up quick bursts of energy.

Porsche already proved that this type of "Hybrid Setup" is the "Ultimate in Performance" by beating it's old Nurburgring Track record held for 35 years with the "Porsche 919 Hybrid EVO", it is the fastest vehicle / setup on the Nurburgring.

At the same time, a bypass shortened the Nordschleife to 20.832 km (12.944 mi), and with an additional small pit lane, this version was used for races in 1983, e.g. the 1000km Nürburgring endurance race, while construction work was going on nearby. During qualifying for that race, Stefan Bellof set a lap of 6:11.13 for the 20.832 km (12.944 mi) Nordschleife in his Porsche 956, or 199.8 km/h (124.1 mph) on average. This lap held the all-time record for 35 years (partially because no major racing has taken place there since 1984) until it was surpassed by Timo Bernhard in the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo, which ran the slightly longer version of the circuit in 5:19.546- averaging 233.8 km/h (145.3 mph) on 29 June 2018.

In 2018, 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Timo Bernhard set the fastest lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife in a Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo. A record that remains unbeaten to this day On 29 June 2018, the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo set the record for the fastest lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife race circuit. Driven by top racing driver Timo Bernhard, the 919 lapped the famous 20.832 km-long (12.94 miles) circuit in Germany in 5 minutes 19.55 seconds at an average speed of 233.8 km/h (145.3 mph). And it’s a record that still stands to this day (as of January 2025).Timo Bernhard is no stranger to the Nordschleife. He’s won the Nürburgring 24 Hours five times. Timo has also twice taken overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, including with Porsche in 2017, and is a two-time FIA World Endurance Championship winner – in 2015 and 2017 – with the Porsche 919 Hybrid.

No pure BEV or pure ICE vehicle has beaten it since 2018 on it's Full lap run to this day.

So if you want the "Ultimate Performance Car", there is only one platform to design it around, a PHEV that has 1-Axle powered by ICE, the other Axle powered by BEV.
Combined as PHEV, there is no better solution for a All-Round Ultimate vehicle.

 

[Christopher]

Fun thread. A Knight Rider reboot should be just that. A complete reboot without pulling on the "legacy" of the original characters. I would cast a female lead and have the premise of KITTs AI being that it is self-contained and can hack other computers without being hacked. That would be the super-power in the modern world. Having a character who uses technology while being untraceable by government and corporations would fit in with the premise of a character who is technically dead as far as the world is concerned. It would be nice to see a show that actually deals with the dangers of current technology and its affect on personal privacy and security.

If it were me, I might go for the kind of thing where KITT escapes from his government or corporate masters to gain his freedom rather than be Used For Evil, and the driver is his ally in dealing with the everyday world and eluding the authorities. Sort of like The Questor Tapes or The Zeta Project, say. That way, KITT would be the main protagonist and catalyst and the human lead would be his sidekick, a novel twist. Duo-on-the-run shows are good for building camaraderie and caring between the leads, which as I mentioned would be crucial to audience investment. And it would allow civil-rights allegory and commentary on AI ethics, that sort of thing.

Although the downside of that, now that I think about it, is that in modern storytelling, it would inevitably make the show revolve more around the protagonists trying to protect themselves from their pursuers than around them helping other people. In the old days, when TV was expected to be episodic, you could have a pursuing figure like Lt. Gerard or Jack McGee and have it just be an occasional obstacle in stories about the heroes helping people. But these days, serial storytelling tends to focus everything on the main characters dealing with their own problems, which feels a lot more self-absorbed and less heroic.

IMO, PHEV would be the power source, have both ICE & BEV functionality, one for each axle.

I had to look those up. Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle, Internal Combustion Engine, Battery Electric Vehicle. I think if you want to go for something futuristic and sci-fi like the original KITT was, you need something that's only conjectural/experimental today, like a nanomaterial battery that can hold a vast amount of charge.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

I think if you want to go for something futuristic and sci-fi like the original KITT was, you need something that's only conjectural/experimental today, like a nanomaterial battery that can hold a vast amount of charge.

I'd try to avoid going that route, that becomes very Hokey when you could use a IRL battery to solve the issue.

Use LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) formulation instead of NCA (Nickel Cobalt Aluminium) chemistry that Tesla currently uses in it's 18650 or 2170 batteries
Those are FAR safer and has much lower ignition temperatures, also has durability.

Remember, KITT will be going into Hostile Situations, you want your Battery to be as "Safe as Possible".

LFP is what many IRL Car Companies are moving towards due to the numerous actual BEV Car Fires that have killed people due to a vehicle crash.

The question is how much armor do you plan on strapping onto KITT.

If so, what type, and how heavy is it going to be?

Are you going to add in Offensive Weapons to KITT like VIPER did with it's "Defender" car?

---

Thank you!
I also did this one.

The arrival of a mysterious man named Sam Beckett in a small town in northern California sends government and private agencies into a frenzy. The CIA division known as the Firm send the unknowing private investigator Thomas Magnum and hired mercenaries The-A Team, to first gather information and then apprehend Beckett, who will then be transported aboard the attack helicopter Airwolf to a Firm black site for interrogation.
Meanwhile, both the Phoenix Foundation and FLAG separately find out about the Firm's intentions and send their own agents, MacGyver and Michael Knight, to rescue Beckett. Discovering they have the same goal MacGyver and Knight decide to work together and call in a favour from Michael's friend Frank Murphy.
As Beckett arrives with The A-Team to the pickup location to rendezvous with Airwolf, Blue Thunder, the advanced police helicopter piloted by Murphy arrives on the scene. A battle in the sky between Blue Thunder and Airwolf commences, as Michael Knight rescues Beckett and both retreat in his car KITT.
Falling back to a hideout, Knight and MacGyver question Beckett on why he is so important. Before he can answer the three are ambushed by The A-Team and Magnum, but before harm can befall anyone Lieutenant Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith calls a truce. They've realise they are all being played by the Firm and resolve to help Beckett. They are joined by Frank Murphy and Airwolf pilot Stringfellow Hawke and his co-pilot Dominic.
Beckett explains that the information he has about a special project known as Quantum Leap has made him valuable. If the Firm or other unscrupulous agencies or countries get their hands on him it could mean disaster for the world. He just needs a little more to resolve the situation. The group agree to protect Beckett and return him to the northern California town.



At morning they set off across the desert, ready to engage any enemy forces...

The only thing you're missing is a MotorCycle, Jet, & Speed Boat.

For Speed Boat, the obvious answer is "Thunder in Paradise".

As for Jet, what 80's or 90's Jet was famous enough to be "Iconic" for th at era that wasn't Military?

 

[Skipper]

I'd try to avoid going that route, that becomes very Hokey when you could use a IRL battery to solve the issue.

Use LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) formulation instead of NCA (Nickel Cobalt Aluminium) chemistry that Tesla currently uses in it's 18650 or 2170 batteries
Those are FAR safer and has much lower ignition temperatures, also has durability.

Remember, KITT will be going into Hostile Situations, you want your Battery to be as "Safe as Possible".

LFP is what many IRL Car Companies are moving towards due to the numerous actual BEV Car Fires that have killed people due to a vehicle crash.

The question is how much armor do you plan on strapping onto KITT.

If so, what type, and how heavy is it going to be?

Are you going to add in Offensive Weapons to KITT like VIPER did with it's "Defender" car?

---

The only thing you're missing is a MotorCycle, Jet, & Speed Boat.

For Speed Boat, the obvious answer is "Thunder in Paradise".

As for Jet, what 80's or 90's Jet was famous enough to be "Iconic" for th at era that wasn't Military?

Something from M.A.S.K.?

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Something from M.A.S.K.?

All your other vehicles were from a "Live-Action" show.

Do you have a plane from a "Live-Action" show?

 

[Skipper]

All your other vehicles were from a "Live-Action" show.

Do you have a plane from a "Live-Action" show?

Uhmmmm, didn't TKR have a flying base?

Edit

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Uhmmmm, didn't TKR have a flying base?

Edit

Oh yeah, I forgot about that.

I still think the VTOL aspect was incredibly HOKEY.

Just build a "Super Large Cargo Transport AirCraft" that can transport all the smaller vehicles between countries.

Then you can have local action in the country of choice.

 

[Christopher]

I'd try to avoid going that route, that becomes very Hokey when you could use a IRL battery to solve the issue.

Umm... It was a 1980s show about a sentient talking computer in an indestructible supercar that could do rampless "turbo jumps" with the push of a button. If the goal is to replicate the feel and intent of the original, that means projecting the tech well into the realm of the speculative, and not worrying about realism.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Umm... It was a 1980s show about a sentient talking computer in an indestructible supercar that could do rampless "turbo jumps" with the push of a button. If the goal is to replicate the feel and intent of the original, that means projecting the tech well into the realm of the speculative, and not worrying about realism.

You're already going to have Virtually Indestructable Armor on a Sports Car, Talking AI helper, Support Staff.

You have options to add more to the crew or add in weapons if you want.

Remember, VIPER had way more features than KITT ever had, minus the Talking AI.
You have to remember how far ahead of the curve VIPER was, it had Remote Drones for spying / observation in 1993/1994.
DJI didn't even popularize the Mini Drone into the mass consumer public until 2013.

VIPER was ahead of the curve in terms of tech by 2 decades, what was considered "Cutting Edge" in 1994 by having a drone to remote observe for you, is bog standard in the modern era.

There are plenty of other things you can add in w/o worrying about the battery on the car.
If you're really insistent on the battery, we can figure out what's the latest battery tech that is plausible and use that.

What I'm more inclined to see is have the Protagonist have 2-3 Robotic Bi-Pedal Drones ride with him and deploy whenever they're out in the field.

This way our Protagonist doesn't have to enter a situation alone, he'll have Humanoid Androids working along-side him.

The Car & The Drones can be the Network Hub and Remote Observations Camera's to provide feed back to the Bi-Pedal Humanoid Androids and the Protagonist.

 

[MarcKyle1964]

Porsche already proved that this type of "Hybrid Setup" is the "Ultimate in Performance" by beating it's old Nurburgring Track record held for 35 years with the "Porsche 919 Hybrid EVO", it is the fastest vehicle / setup on the Nurburgring.

Watching the public on the Nurburgring has been a guilty pleasure for me

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