KARR (Knight Rider)
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KARR (the Knight Automated Roving Robot), is a fictional character and a villain from the cult television series Knight Rider.
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[edit] Origin and background
KARR is the prototype version of KITT, 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, being very naïve and inexperienced and having a child-like perception of the world. This has occasionally allowed 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 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" aired in the USA on November 19th, 1982, 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." aired in the USA on November 4th, 1984.
KARR also appears as the enemy of KITT and his driver Michael Knight in Knight Rider video game produced by Davilex International under license.
[edit] 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 gets hurt. Fearful of being taken back to storage and certain deactivation, KARR is unwilling to go back to the Foundation, and flees when Michael and KITT come looking for him.
KARR's only weakness is his primary directive of self-preservation, and Michael used 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.
[edit] K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R.
Although KARR was believed to have been destroyed, this wasn't the case. KARR was damaged and ended up buried in the sand on the beach below the cliffs. When the tide had gone out, a young couple stumbled upon the partially buried car, dug it out, and reactivated it. This time, KARR was furious and had only one clear motive: revenge against Michael and KITT.
KARR was still damaged, however, after the last encounter with KITT and forced 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, its LED still flickering.
[edit] 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 is the prototype to 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 is 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 originally made a droning noise, but in the comeback episode it sounds similar to KITT's but with a slight reverb audio effect added to it. The sound of KARR's engine, originally sounding rough and "fierce", here sounds similar to KITT's, again effected by a reverb. KARR's voice is also different.
KARR's personality is different in the comeback episode. His child-like perceptions are diminished into a more devious personality, completely cold, and bent on revenge. His self-preservation directive is 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 is different. Serviceful enough in the first episode, he 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 malfunctioned his programming; Indeed, KITT himself is seen to malfunction and suffer change of personality as a result of damage in several other episodes.
[edit] Notes
- In "Trust Doesn't Rust", KARR checks basic human desires by querying an internal pre-loaded database, a parallel to the actual Cyc project.
- In "Trust Doesn't Rust", the voice of KARR 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.", KARR was voiced by Paul Frees. Frees was uncredited on-screen for his role, leading Peter Cullen to sometimes be wrongly credited as providing KARR's voice in "K.I.T.T. vs K.A.R.R."
- The creators gave KARR a three bar LED voice display. Midway through Season One (from the episode "Hearts of Stone"), KITT was given a three bar LED of his own (previously his voice display had been a flashing red square). KITT's "voice bars" were red and all appeared from the middle of the display; KARR's were yellow, and the outer two bars protruded from the top and bottom.
- It is never explained how KARR survived the seemingly fatal explosion at the conclusion of "Trust Doesn't Rust". The only apparent damage that the vehicle sustained was a dislodged what resembles a scart socket under the dashboard and the mysterious Alpha ciruits which are mentioned several times throughout the show. Bonnie explains in Season One's "Deadly Maneuvers" that the Alpha Circuits on KITT can only be damaged by towing another vehicle. KARR storms the Foundation's Mobile Semi in search of these Alpha Capacitors in "K.I.T.T. vs K.A.R.R."
- KARR is parodied in the Adult Swim television series Stroker and Hoop, considering 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 of "Coup 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 gnbuwa
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