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Why does Kitt have door locks?
Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2003 8:41 pm
by whet
Dosen't it seem a bit pointless Kitt having door locks?
Dosen't he scan finger prints when a hand is put under the handle?
there is a light that turn's from red to green when Michael opens the door sometimes, for example in White line warriors"when mannie the car sale's man is trying to get into Kitt and Micheal comes along and just open's the door.
If my idea is right it must also be programmed to open for Bonnie April and Deven.
Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2003 9:31 pm
by Michael SS-R
lol good question!!
I suppose they didnt shave them to be stealthy as possible/??
Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2003 10:23 pm
by KITTgoVrOoM
I was thinking since KITT is a computer put into a regular Trans Am, the car would sill have locks. Though it may be pointless, it was there before KITT was put in. well, that is my guess on the subject.

Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2003 12:29 am
by Michael Pajaro
Why does KITT have door locks? For the exact same reason your car has door locks: so that people can't get in.
If someone wanted to steal something out of KITT and KITT didn't have locks, he'd have to drive away if someone tried to open the door. It's a much better idea to simply put locks on the doors.
I don't think KITT had fingerprint scanners on the door handles. He would just use his regular "eyes". If he knew the person, he'd let them in, if he didn't, he would not. That's how the fake Bonnie was able to gain access in Killer KITT. If KITT checked fingerprints, she would not have been able to open the door.
Mike
Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2003 1:09 am
by knightimmortal
And that totally opposes the many times that we saw KITT's little green light showing access to the door.
Now what probably happened in the fake Bonnie instance, is the fact that the fake Bonnie asked KITT for permission to get in, and KITT then opened the door for her, being totally trusting of the voice and the look. But otherwise, yeah, KITT had a type of analysis on the door handle, they showcased it.
Now, as for the door locks, probably the same kind of redundant system as KITT's ignition key, it served as double protection.
KI
Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2003 1:25 am
by Michael Pajaro
knightimmortal wrote:And that totally opposes the many times that we saw KITT's little green light showing access to the door.
I don't think the lights were necessarily a scanning device. They were simply giving feedback as to whether or not KITT was granting access. In a similar way, the lights on KITT's gas pedal didn't scan his shoe.
Mike
Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2003 1:56 am
by knightimmortal
I didn't say the green light was the scanner, but something within the door handle seemed to have scanned his prints or DNA, they went out of their way to make sure that it was there, so it wasn't there just for pretty. Lights for granting access are put where people can see them, if KITT was fully controlling it, it is natural physics that Michael wouldn't have been able to see the lights, because his hand was in the way, so it had to have been some kind of redundant system for something else, not to just signify access.
KI
Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2003 9:57 am
by Michael SS-R
Michael Pajaro wrote:knightimmortal wrote:And that totally opposes the many times that we saw KITT's little green light showing access to the door.
I don't think the lights were necessarily a scanning device. They were simply giving feedback as to whether or not KITT was granting access. In a similar way, the lights on KITT's gas pedal didn't scan his shoe.
Mike
omg lol
Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2003 10:42 am
by SadArticle
Michael Pajaro wrote:I don't think KITT had fingerprint scanners on the door handles. He would just use his regular "eyes". If he knew the person, he'd let them in, if he didn't, he would not. That's how the fake Bonnie was able to gain access in Killer KITT. If KITT checked fingerprints, she would not have been able to open the door.
Mike
Uh, I don't know if I'm stretching Coleridge's 'suspension of disbelief' here, but ... fake fingerprints, anybody? 'Bonnie' had a prosthetic face on, so why not 'Mission: Impossible' style fingerprints too? Berrio could have gained access to FLAG's computer records, which might have kept employee prints on file (the door to Kitt's garage also scanned prints, so it seemed an integral security element of such a hi-tech company).
I always thought that the red/green lights were mini-scanners. Much more technically impressive than 'Do I know you? Why, sure, hop on in!'
Sarah
Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2003 12:06 pm
by Michael Pajaro
I still prefer taking the simpler explanations.
It's possible fake-Bonnie had fake fingerprints. And it's possible that Berio replicated Bonnie's DNA and injected it into fake-Bonnie in case KITT scanned her DNA. But if either of these things happened, they probably would have been mentioned. The simplist explanation is that KITT saw "Bonnie" and let her in.
The lights definitely signal access. If they are green you can open the door, if they are red, you can't. The question is whether or not that access is determined simply by KITT's mood or if there is also a scanner under the handle. Lots of computers have lights inside their cases that normally aren't seen, so it doesn't matter if the handle lights are visible.
In Knight In Disgrace, Michael tries to get into KITT twice and gets locked out. On the third time, the lights turn green. Did KITT scan Michael's fingerprints each time? Or did he simply change his mind? I say the latter. KARR did something similar in KITT vs. KARR.
In Good Day at White Rock, Michael uses KITT's door to play around with one of the bikers, who can't get in. Did KITT scan Michael's and the biker's fingerprints each time when one of them grabbed the handle? I don't think so.
In A Plush Ride, when KITT realizes that Michael wants him to cooperate with the bad guys, we see the handle lights flash green even though no one is even touching the door. That alone suggests that the lights can act independently of any kind of fingerprint scanner.
The door handles sound like a great place for a mini-scanner. But I think that is more of a "fan-extrapolation" than actual Knight Rider canon. I think the handle lights were pretty eye-candy for the audience.
Mike
Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2003 3:22 pm
by knightimmortal
While I am not denying that a lot of KITT's entrances were of his own decision, I do have to argue that the writers also intended for there to be some kind of security system in the door handle that was sensitive to Michael's (and other's) touches, proved by the statements that were made by the WRITERS below:
From White Line Warriors
Manny stops in midsentence as he sees Michael open the car
door with ease and let Cindy in. He then goes to the
driver's side and opens his door. We see the red lights
under the door handles flash green to Michael's touch.
Michael gets in, then sticks his head out.
KILLER KITT:
The fake Bonnie doesn’t open the door. The fake Bonnie asks KITT to open the door for her.
Knight in Disgrace:
MICHAEL
You said it, Kitt: we're partners.
He presses his hand on the pressure plate but the door
doesn't open.
K.I.T.T.
Michael, this is all very confusing.
MICHAEL
(reaching for
the driver's door)
Come on, Kitt, we've got things to
do. Places to go.
K.I.T.T.
I am the property of the Foundation
for Law and Government.
MICHAEL
Kitt, open the door. Let me in....
He tries again: nothing.
MICHAEL
This is it, pal. I won't ask again.
He tries again. Intercut Michael's face, his fingers,
K.I.T.T.'s dash...and then the sensors keyed to his touch
flash. He opens the door and jumps in.
(Once again: special thanks to the Knight Rider Archive.)
KI
Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2003 4:33 pm
by Michael Pajaro
knightimmortal wrote: He tries again. Intercut Michael's face, his fingers, K.I.T.T.'s dash...and then the sensors keyed to his touch flash. He opens the door and jumps in.
Excellent. I can't argue with that. Well done.
Mike
Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2003 4:40 pm
by knightimmortal
Thank you! *bows* When I'm sick, I have a tendency of burrowing my head into the Knight Rider Archive, and watching KR episodes. It's the only perk to allergy season.
KI
Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2003 2:05 am
by Army_F_Body
One question I always had was, did the foundation buy a Trans Am, then modify it with the Kitt AI, MBS, etc. or did the foundation build the car from the ground up using the Trans Am for inspiration? I know MK's car was originally intended to be made into Kitt, but I'm confused. I agree with Whet if Kitt was built from scratch. An internal door lock mechanism is neccesarry I agree, but why put external key holes on the door, I guess that was the question. Wouldn't that just make more work for the technicians charged with the cars construction, not to mention redundant with KI's proof mentioned earlier. Just a thought

.
Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2003 2:09 am
by knightimmortal
Well, if you go by Larson's events, then they modified Michael's T/A, and most likely left the redundant systems in for appearance sakes, as well as backups for KITT's higher tech systems.
So, basically, the T/A was the housing, not the inspiration.
(Aren't we so glad that Michael Long didn't drive an El Camino?)
KI
Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2003 2:12 am
by Army_F_Body
But then he could haul stuff...
Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2003 3:23 pm
by SadArticle
knightimmortal wrote:Thank you! *bows* When I'm sick, I have a tendency of burrowing my head into the Knight Rider Archive, and watching KR episodes. It's the only perk to allergy season.
KI
I thought that was supported very well, too. I was flexing my fingers when I read Mike's response to my post, but there was no need.
'The evidence doesn't lie', or something equally Grissomian
Sarah
Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2003 9:54 pm
by Michael SS-R
Army_F_Body wrote:But then he could haul stuff...
lol like RC's motorcycle hehe//
Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2003 10:21 pm
by Rockatteer
This raises an interesting question...or inconsitancy...
In the first show...Deven tells micheal that Kitts not painted. Its bonded to a new substance...not a metal.
But then in the episode with Galiath we see Garth spraying the MBS onto galiath.
And then in Junk Yard Dog we see micheal spraying the black paint onto Kitts grey shell..
So if they made Kitt from a new substance then they would have had to build him from scratch...or did they only make the outer panels from this new MBS substance?
and the second question would be is there any KR explanation to these inconsistancies...or are they just that...inconsistancies?
Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2003 10:25 pm
by knightimmortal
Seeing that it seems to be a sprayed on substance, one would figure that it is some kind of chemical reaction that takes an ordinary metal and makes it tougher. They never explained it in the show, nor in the scripts, as such, but from all the visual descriptions and all the evidence presented, the MBS seems to be just that, a chemical hardener that changes the base compound of its base material.
KI
Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2003 9:32 pm
by Army_F_Body
There seems to be more evidence concerning that, KI. "Knight of the Juggernaught" has Kitts MBS totally removed before his battle with Juggernaught. After the spraying of that chemical agent, Kitt was no more indestructable than a normal car. Considering that the whole Kitt being made of some new wonderfull space age material came from the pilot episode, I think that can explain the inconsistency.
Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2003 9:35 pm
by Army_F_Body
One question, though. In scenes were Kitt is without the MBS, he's primered out. So why wasn't he primer gray when they sprayed the chemical on him to remove the MBS in "Knight of the Juggernaught?"
Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2003 10:06 pm
by knightimmortal
Because it probably didn't take the pigment out, just deactivated the chemical agent.
KI