The shadowy world of a man who does not exist

My 19" television has been gathering dust since November of '06. It wasn't exactly getting a real workout before then, either, but it's sat idle for eighteen months.

That all changed last night. I was listening to AM radio, like usual, when I heard the mention of the movie reiteration of the old Knight Rider TV series I so throughly enjoyed when I was a kid. Curiosity got the best of me...

I live in an area where two channels come in well, and the NBC affiliate, KTTC in Rochester, MN, isn't one of them. If I play with the rabbit ears right, I can get a minimally acceptable picture. Good enough for me; I didn't exactly grow up with stero sound let alone HDTV.

"...A shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist.

Michael Knight, a young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless, in the world of criminals who operate above the law."

For what it was, I found it to be two hours well spent. For all that changed, the spirit of the show was intact. It might not have been quite as campy as the series I used to watch every Sunday evening if I could help it, but it still had the same 'touch', just rendered a bit better.

Then, as now, I shook my head. Above the law, huh? I knew as a kid that a red light facing forward on a vehicle was illegal in most places unless it was a bona fide emergency vehicle...I'm sure that 'scanner' would've complicated things at some point if ol' K.I.T.T. was driven around long enough. Maybe that oscillating, glowing 'eye' suddenly shut down whenever a law enforcement officer appeared. I always wondered just why it glowed visible red, anyway. I would think that it'd be infra-red, if anything, and therefore invisible to the human eye unless augmented by night-vision goggles. Of course, it sure did look nifty, didn't it! I saw one of the show cars on display at the north Iowa Fairgrounds in about 1984, and it was still impressive, though underwhelming. That's reality, and I knew it. I only remember maybe a time or two in the 80-odd episodes when Michael and K.I.T.T. were stopped by the local constabulary for any reason, and I'm not sure that speeding was ever one of those reasons. I do seem to recall a brake light appearing to be out was one of the reasons for a stop, though. Still, at the speeds K.I.T.T. often traveled at, I'm surprised that all points bulletins weren't regularly issued for a black '82 Trans Am. I haven't checked the Code of Iowa in a few years, but I've got a feeling that leaving the ground for any reason while operating a motor vehicle would be seen rather dimly. Maybe California is just different!

It was all the logical convolutions and plot inconsistencies that made the show so much fun to watch. Mostly, it was just a good time. Even though crime is often gory and most always disheartening and/or depressing, the show always had a semi-serious but still upbeat air about it that was an optimistic spirit I always appreciated. Yes, one man CAN make a difference!

It was nice to see that the movie plot was still tied to the old series in a meaningful way. I do recall Wilton Knight and his Foundation for Law And Government, but I didn't remember exactly how or who had built K.I.T.T. - I presumed that it was Mr. Knight, who also, if I remember correctly, had also built a previous prototype known as K.A.R.R., or Knight Autonomous Roving Robot, or something to that effect. K.I.T.T., the Knight Industries Two Thousand, was definitely an '80's thing. Remember how in those years it seemed that half the products out there had the number '2000' in their name somewhere? There used to be a men't clothing store chain that once had a franchise here for about a week that was 'something or another' two thousand. It had come and gone nearly twenty years before the year 2000. I doubt we'll ever see that phenomenon again!

When I was young, I viewed David Hasslehoff's Micheal Knight character as the arch example of what a single guy should be like, and I think about that often. Why? At age 31, I'm a single guy, and for the most part, a loner. Not by choice, mind you. I've just led a different enough life that no one can keep up with me. It would take a truly exceptional individual by today's standards to match my moves, and I'm not sure if I'd want anyone to. People I admire and respect for their abilities keep telling me they don't know how I do everything I do. Writers are made by living different lives, so I'm a natural. Am I on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, and the powerless? Most who know me would probably tell you that I was, in my own way. As I explain it, I'm hopelessly addicted to doing cool things for other people and I have a sick, twisted obsession with making the world a better place to live. I just don't plan to get shot in the face, saved disfigurement by a wealthy stranger who sees to it I get plastic surgery, and then live under an assumed identity the whole time. Just part of the time is fine by me.

A shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist? You got it, as Micheal Knight always loved to say, more so than most people who think they know me would likely ever believe.

Tim Gordon