K.A.R.R. (2000)

"Michael, K.A.R.R is like a loaded gun in the hands of a small child."
―Devon Miles

Knight Rider Character
K.A.R.R. (2000)
Actor	Peter Cullen Paul Frees
Character	Knight Automated Roving Robot
Related Characters	Wilton Knight Charles Graiman Knight 2000 Knight 3000
Partners	Tony John Stanton Mike Traceur Alex Torres

K.A.R.R. (acronym for Knight Automated Roving Robot) was the name of a another artificially intelligent vehicle featured in two episodes of the Original Knight Rider Series and one episode of the 2008-2009 Knight Rider Series. In the season 1 episode of the Original Series, Trust Doesn't Rust, he was voiced by Peter Cullen. When he returned in the season 3 episode K.I.T.T. vs K.A.R.R., he was voiced by Paul Frees. In the season 1 episode of the 2008-2009 Series, Knight to King's Pawn, Peter Cullen returned to voice him.

Origin and background

K.A.R.R. was the prototype version of K.I.T.T., originally designed by Wilton Knight and built by his company Knight Industries. Upon completion of the vehicle, KARR's CPU was installed and activated. However, a programming error made the computer unstable and potentially dangerous. The project was put on hold and the car was placed in storage until a solution could be found.

Unlike KITT, whose primary directive is to protect human life, KARR was programmed for self-preservation, making him a ruthless and unpredictable threat. He does not appear as streetwise as KITT. He is very naïve and inexperienced, with a child-like perception of the world. This occasionally allows people to take advantage of his remarkable capabilities for their own gain. Despite this, he does ultimately consider himself superior and unstoppable and due to his programming, the villains don't usually get very far. KARR demonstrates a complete lack of respect or loyalty, going so far on one occasion as to eject its driver to save weight and increase its odds of escape.

KARR first appeared in the season one episode "Trust Doesn't Rust", and was so popular with viewers that he was brought back again in the season three episode "K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R.". KARR also appears as the enemy of KITT and his driver Michael Knight in the Knight Rider video game produced by Davilex International under license.

History

"Trust Doesn't Rust"

Once KITT was constructed, it was presumed that his prototype KARR had been deactivated and dismantled. However, the latter did not occur and KARR was placed in storage and forgotten following the death of Wilton Knight. When two thieves break into the warehouse where KARR is "sleeping", they unwittingly reactivate him, and he escapes.

When the two thieves realize how useful the vehicle could be, they use KARR to go on a crime spree. Michael and KITT are sent to recover KARR before anyone becomes hurt. Fearful of being taken back to storage and certain deactivation, KARR was unwilling to go back to the Foundation, and he flees when Michael and KITT come looking for him.

KARR's only weakness was his primary directive of self-preservation, and Michael uses this to his advantage. When KARR threatens to destroy KITT in a head-on collision, Michael plays chicken with him, knowing KARR will veer out of KITT's path in order to protect himself. Unable to stop in time, KARR drives off a cliff and seemingly explodes in the ocean.

"K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R."

KARR was only believed to have been destroyed. It was damaged and ended up buried in the sand on the beach below the cliffs. When the tide goes out, a young couple stumbles upon the

K.A.R.R.'s remains

partially buried car, digs it out, and reactivates it. This time, KARR is furious and had only one clear motive: revenge against Michael and KITT.

KARR forces the young couple to disguise him and then drive him around to carry out his plans. In a ravine, KARR challenges Michael and KITT to a final showdown. After releasing the young couple, KARR fires a stolen laser and damages KITT. However, Michael and KITT destroy KARR's laser by reflecting the beam back to the emitter. Damaged, KARR prepares for another attack. KITT and KARR both turbo boost and collide in mid-air. KARR is blown to pieces. Michael and KITT survive the impact; however at the end of the episode, amongst the wreckage, KARR's CPU module is lying undamaged on the ground, with its LED still flickering.

Redevelopment of K.A.R.R.

In Episode 106: Knight of the Living Dead of the 2008 series of Knight Rider, it's been revealed that K.A.R.R. was salvaged and returned to development by Charles Graiman in the past. K.I.T.T. searched for files pertaining K.A.R.R. and mentions that K.A.R.R. (now anagramed to mean the Knight Auto-Cybernetic Roving Robotic-Exoskeleton) had the ability to evolve its own programming and alter its own form. K.A.R.R. is shown in the form of a Transformer-like robot with far more destructive capabilities than its former Trans Am form. K.A.R.R.'s development lead to the deaths of 7 men and eventually the development was shut down and put away for storage. Charles dreads that someone may have reactivated K.A.R.R. for its destructive power, and also developed and auto-destruct "backdoor" program into K.I.T.T. as a final option should K.I.T.T. have shown destructive tendencies.

KARR's production changes

Originally, KARR appeared identical to KITT, with a red light scan bar, and the only physical difference was a yellow LED voice modulator on his dash (KARR's voice modulator was the prototype for the one seen on KITT in the later seasons). When KARR returns in "K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R.", KARR's scan bar was now a yellow hue.

KARR later gets a two-tone paint job incorporating a silver lower body into his familiar all-black finish. KARR's scanner made a droning noise in his first episode, but in the later episode it sounds similar to KITT's with a slight reverb audio effect added to it. The sound of KARR's engine, originally rough and "fierce", later sounds similar to KITT's, again affected by a reverb. In "Trust Doesn't Rust," KARR had no license plate. In KARR's later appearance, he had a California license plate that read "KARR."

KARR's personality was different in the later episode. His child-like perceptions are diminished into a more devious personality, completely cold, and bent on revenge. His self-preservation directive was no longer in play when KARR is close to exploding after receiving severe damage: he willingly turbo-jumps into a mid-air collision with KITT hoping that his own destruction would also spell his counterpart's. Even KARR's modus operandi was different. Serviceful enough in the first episode, he now aims to actually make use of other persons, anyone, to serve his own needs.

One explanation of this change could be as a result of the damage he received after falling over the cliff at the end of "Trust Doesn't Rust", which further disrupted his programming; Indeed, KITT himself is seen to malfunction and suffer change of personality as a result of damage in several other episodes.

Notes

• In Trust Doesn't Rust, K.A.R.R. checks basic human desires by querying an internal pre-loaded database, a parallel to the actual Wikipedia:Cyc project.
• In Trust Doesn't Rust, the voice of K.A.R.R. was provided by voice actor Peter Cullen, better known as the voice of Optimus Prime in the The Transformers cartoon series. In K.I.T.T. vs K.A.R.R., K.A.R.R. was voiced by Paul Frees, best known as the voice of Ludwig Von Drake in the popular anthology series, Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. Frees was uncredited on-screen for his role, leading Peter Cullen to sometimes be wrongly credited as providing K.A.R.R.'s voice in this episode.
• The creators gave K.A.R.R. a three bar LED voice display. Midway through Season One (from the episode Hearts of Stone), K.I.T.T. was given a three bar LED of his own (previously his voice display had been a flashing red square). K.I.T.T.'s "voice bars" were red and all appeared from the middle of the display; K.A.R.R.'s were yellow, and the outer two bars protruded from the top and bottom.
• It is never explained how K.A.R.R. survived the seemingly fatal explosion at the conclusion of Trust Doesn't Rust. The only apparent damage that the vehicle sustained was a dislodged socket under the dashboard and disruption to the mysterious Alpha Circuits which are mentioned several times throughout the show. Bonnie explains in season one's Deadly Maneuvers that the Alpha Circuits on K.I.T.T. can only be damaged by doing something stupid, for example towing another vehicle. K.A.R.R. storms the Foundation's Mobile Semi in search of these Alpha Capacitors in K.I.T.T. vs K.A.R.R.
• K.A.R.R. is parodied in the Adult Swim television series Stroker and Hoop; the duo drive a computerized talking vehicle named C.A.R.R., although he is not evil and depicted in a more comical role.
• On The Powerpuff Girls episode "Coupe d'Etat", Professor Utonium upgraded his automobile and renamed it K.A.R.R. However, K.A.R.R wants the professor for himself, and the girls try to destroy him as he takes the professor hostage in his compartment and turns into a huge battlerobot.
• In the videogame Knight Rider the Game 2 K.A.R.R. is allied with Garthe Knight.

This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at KARR. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Knight Rider, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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