Team Knight Rider
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- For other articles see: Knight Rider (disambiguation)
| Team Knight Rider | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Action Drama |
| Created by | Rick Copp David A. Goodman Glen A. Larson |
| Starring | Brixton Karnes Christine Steel Duane Davis Kathy Trageser Nick Wechsler |
| Voices of | Tom Kane Nia Vardalos Kerrigan Mahan Andrea Beutner John Kassir |
| Composer(s) | Gary Stockdale |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 22 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Scott McAboy Gilbert A. Wadsworth III |
| Running time | apx. 45 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Original airing | October 6, 1997 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | Knight Rider (2008 film) |
| Related shows | Knight Rider |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Promotional image for Team Knight Rider.
Team Knight Rider (TKR) is a syndicated television spin-off series of the Knight Rider franchise that ran between 1997 and 1998. TKR was created by writer/producers Rick Copp and David A. Goodman, based on the original series created by Glen A. Larson, who was an executive producer. TKR was produced by Gil Wadsworth and Scott McAboy and was distributed by Universal Domestic Television and ran only a single season of 22 one-hour episodes before it was canceled due to poor ratings.
The story is about a new team of high-tech crime fighters assembled by the Foundation for Law and Government (FLAG, formed by Wilton Knight) who follow in the tracks of the legendary Michael Knight and his supercar KITT. Instead of "one man making a difference", there are now five team members and each has their own computerized talking vehicle counterpart. Like the original duo, TKR goes after notorious criminals who operate "above the law" — from spies and assassins, to terrorists and drug dealers. The final episode of the season, and series, featured the reappearance of Michael Knight, seen only from behind, at the very end.
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[edit] Cast
[edit] Team Knight Rider members
- Kyle Stewart, (played by Brixton Karnes ), a former CIA agent and leader of TKR
- Jenny Andrews, (played by Christine Steel), a former Marine and Gulf War veteran. An episode of the series insinuates she may be the daughter of Michael Knight, however the question is never resolved.
- Duke DePalma, (played by Duane Davis), a former Chicago police officer and small time boxer.
- Erica West, (played by Kathy Trageser), a former con artist and thief who was given a second chance to use her skills for law enforcement.
- Kevin "Trek" Sanders, (played by Nick Wechsler), a geeky yet handsome technical genius. His nickname was given to him by his parents who are huge Star Trek fans.
[edit] Other FLAG members
- Gil, (played by Vince Waldron), one of the lead mechanics aboard Sky One.
- Clayton, (played by Rick Copp), the head chef aboard Sky One.
- Captain J.P. Wyatt, (played by Lowell Dean), the pilot of Sky One.
- Dr. Felson, (played by Steve Sheridan), the medical doctor aboard Sky One.
- Scott, (played by Michael Lexx), a mechanic aboard Sky One.
- Shadow, (played by Steve Forrest), a mysterious person who guides and feeds the team information throughout the season, eventually revealed to be a holographic projection controlled by K.I.T.T.
[edit] Other prominent characters
- Jim Marland is a character that replaced the original series' Devon Miles as leader of FLAG and was responsible for the design and construction of KRO (See other vehicles below). Later, Marland stepped down and Stewart was given both operational and field service control over TKR. His mindset since the KRO incident was "One man can be given too much power" and thus the 5 vehicles were created, each with their own weaknesses.
- Martin Jantzen, (played by Bill Bumiller), the criminally psychotic driver of K.R.O.
- Mobius, (voiced by David McCallum), the wheelchair and ventilator bound, criminal mastermind behind season 1's inter-episode subplot.
- Dennis, (played by Jim Fyfe), a mechanic aboard Sky One eventually revealed to be a mole paid off by Mobius to infect the cars with a computer virus.
- Liz "Starr" Starrowitz, (played by Rainer Grant ), a criminal who later reappears as the sidekick/lover of Mobius, and as a member of Mobius's "Legion of Doom".
- Max Amendes (listed as Max Amato in the credits of both episodes he appeared in and played by Jim Piddock), a criminal who later reappears as a member of Mobius's "Legion of Doom".
- Kayla Gordon, (played by Marta Martin), a criminal who later reappears as a member of Mobius's "Legion of Doom".
- Roland Laschewsky, (played by Roland Kickinger), Starr's bodyguard (and, therefore, Mobius' bodyguard as well).
[edit] Team vehicles
Team Knight Rider uses five different vehicles for their missions; each with its own computer AI system like the original Knight 2000 vehicle. What differs these vehicles to KITT is that they are specialized units. In addition, Garland had each vehicle installed with a fail safe, in this case, each vehicle had weaknesses intentionally built into them in case any of them went rogue, after the K.R.O. incident.
- Danté (DNT-1), (voiced by Tom Kane), is a modified Ford Expedition sport utility vehicle driven by Kyle, but the truck has enough room to transport the entire TKR team and functions like a mobile command center. Danté's AI expresses himself in a haughty British manner and has no misgivings about making his driver and passengers feel uncomfortable. He is the ad hoc leader of the vehicles (if they'd ever listen to him) and he usually speaks on their behalf.
- Domino (DMO-1), (voiced by Nia Vardalos), is a modified Ford Mustang convertible driven by Jenny. The AI's manner is sleek, sexy and flirtatious. She is also talkative and likes to gossip to the annoyance of the other TKR vehicles.
- Attack Beast (BST-1), (or just Beast), (voiced by Kerrigan Mahan), is a modified Ford F-150 full-sized pickup truck with off-road capability and is driven by Duke. Beast's AI has a stubborn and argumentative attitude that talks tough and is not afraid to stand up to a fight. His favorite tactic is to crash through walls and surprise the enemy. Beast does not like to take orders from Duke or anyone else, but he is fiercely loyal and gets the job done. TKR member Jenny is the only one Beast will listen to, and his aggressive nature softens when she is around.
- Kat (KAT-1), (voiced by Andrea Beutner), is a high-tech motorcycle that merges with her twin, Plato, to form the advanced High Speed Pursuit Vehicle, capable of high speeds and incredible maneuverability. Kat is driven by Erica and her AI has a polar opposite personality to that of her driver. Kat is always concerned with rules and regulations and is in constant conflict with Erica's amoral traits. She acts more like Erica's mother than her partner, but she will do whatever is necessary to get Erica out of a jam.
- Plato (PLATO-1), (voiced by comedian John Kassir), is the other motorcycle that merges with his twin Kat to form the High Speed Pursuit Vehicle. Plato is driven by Trek and, like his operator, Plato is a nerdy brainiac completely consumed by facts, figures and data. Plato likes to quote television commercials and famous movie lines and talks in sort of a code that only Trek can understand. The two have developed a strange symbiotic relationship that the other TKR members can never figure out.
[edit] Other vehicles
- Sky One (SKY-1), (voiced by Linda M. McCollough), is a massive C5 military cargo airplane with special VTOL capability. Sky One acted as TKR's mobile base and vehicle transport, and carries a crew of 65, including the TKR field operatives, the flight crew, maintenance crew, mechanics, fire crew, kitchen staff, and medical staff.
- K.R.O., (pronounced Crow, an acronym for Knight Reformulation One) was supposed to have been the replacement for KITT (however the TKR series gives no mention of the Knight Rider 2000 series where the Knight 4000 was KITT's original replacement). KRO is a modified black Ferrari GTS with a highly unstable AI. After events that led to his murdering of five people, KRO was deactivated. KRO's operator, Martin Jantzen, was equally unstable. KRO later escapes to kill his creator and FLAG is forced to destroy him. K.R.O. was voiced by John B. Wells.
- K.A., short for Knight Alpha, a prototype vehicle introduced in "Legion of Doom" for a possible European Knight Rider team being prepared for delivery to Berlin. KA is a European-made Ford Ka compact hatchback. KA only speaks German. (He is capable of many languages, but chooses to speak German in protest of the egocentric Americans.)
[edit] Episode List
| Ep# | Title | Original airdate | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | Fallen Nation | October 6, 1997 | The team rescues a supposed kidnapped general, only to uncover he is behind a plot to detonate a nuclear bomb over Washington D.C. |
| 102 | The Magnificent TKR | October 13, 1997 | The team goes after a foreign spy who has stolen a top-secret device and smuggled it to Mexico. |
| 103 | The 'A' List | October 20, 1997 | The team infiltrates a mega-corporation believed to be responsible for the deaths of scientists developing competitive technologies. |
| 104 | K.R.O. | October 27, 1997 | The team goes after a crazed Ferrari super car called the "Knight Reformulation One" which escaped while being transported for reprogramming. |
| 105 | Inside Traitor | November 3, 1997 | Erica's loyalty is questioned when she rejoins an elite gang of thieves during an undercover assignment. |
| 106 | Choctaw L-9 | November 10, 1997 | After a mishap, Kyle is suspended as leader or TKR while the rest of team searches for a stolen prototype military helicopter and deals with hardball FBI agent to replace him. |
| 107 | Everything to Fear | November 17, 1997 | An assassin kidnaps Jenny and uses her to force TKR to work for him during his next hit. |
| 108 | Sky One | November 24, 1997 | Sky One is hijacked by terrorist who threaten the TKR team's lives with a deadly nerve agent. |
| 109 | The Iron Maiden | December 1, 1997 | The team must destroy three power-suited super-soldiers under Starr's control. |
| 110 | Oil and Water | December 8, 1997 | The team goes after an insane engineer bent on sabotaging the automotive industry. |
| 111 | Et Tu Dante? | January 5, 1998 | While hunting down a terrorist bomber, the TKR vehicles are taken over by a strange computer virus and turn against their drivers. |
| 112 | The Bad Seed | January 12, 1998 | The team goes after a mad scientist who threatens to poison the world's largest rivers. |
| 113 | Out of the Past | January 19, 1998 | Kyle's past comes to haunt him when the team discovers he is wanted for robbery in South America. |
| 114 | The Return of Megaman | January 26, 1998 | The team searches for a neutron bomb hidden in New Mexico that threatens to kill millions if detonated. |
| 115 | Angels in Chains | February 3, 1998 | Jenny is accused of government espionage and the rest of the team work to clear her of the allegations. |
| 116 | The Blonde Woman | February 10, 1998 | The team desperately hunts down an elusive assassin known as Eve before she can claim another victim. |
| 117 | The Ixtafa Affair | February 16, 1998 | Jenny finds that an ex-boyfriend is involved with busting a Guatemalan drug lord from prison. |
| 118 | Home Away From Home | February 23, 1998 | The team works to capture a notorious hacker who has fled to a strange little town in Iowa before enemy agents intercept her first. |
| 119 | E.M.P. | April 27, 1998 | The goes in search of a stolen Electro Magnetic Pulse weapon that can shut down electronics for miles. |
| 120 | Apocalypse Maybe | May 4, 1998 | The team goes after an insane reverend destined to destroy Las Vegas with an earthquake machine. |
| 121 | Spy Girls | May 11, 1998 | TKR must join forces with a team of undercover women in search of a stolen microfiche that contains the formula for a deadly nerve agent. |
| 122 | Legion of Doom | May 18, 1998 | TKR has a showdown with a nemesis agent known as Mobius and his team of criminal masterminds who he has recently sprung from prison. |
[edit] External links
- Team Knight Rider at the Internet Movie Database
- Team Knight Rider.com- Comprehensive website about the series
- Team Knight Rider fansite
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