History Characters / KnightRider

The director of FLAG, who appears in nearly every episode to provide mission details to Michael and KITT. He's also the spokesman for FLAG whenever it came under scrutiny.

* ItsPersonal: Upon finding out that Michael was modeled in his image.

* NonActionGuy
* NonActionSnarker
* NotSoDifferent: He and Wilton Knight have the same relationship Michael and KITT have.

* FreudianExcuse: With a [[ThoseTwoBadGuys mother and brother]] like hers, who could blame her?

Michael Arthur Long (born January 9, 1949 according to his tombstone) is an undercover Los Angeles police detective who, while working on an espionage case in Las Vegas, is shot in the face and nearly killed. Wilton Knight, creator of FLAG, directs his doctors to save Long's life and reconstruct his face. With his new identity, "Michael Knight", Long is provided with high tech crime-fighting equipment, most notably the car nicknamed KITT.

* BadassNormal: Michael is a normal non-super-powered man, whose exploits include special ops missions in Vietnam and time as a competent and respected police officer.

* ChivalrousPervert: While he does seem to ''get around'' a lot, Michael is quite respectful of women.

* FauxAffablyEvil

Michael Arthur Long (born January 9, 1949 according to his tombstone) is an undercover Los Angeles police detective who, while working on a espionage case in Las Vegas, is shot in the face and nearly killed. Wilton Knight, creator of FLAG, directs his doctors to save Long's life and reconstruct his face. With his new identity, "Michael Knight", Long is provided with high tech crime-fighting equipment, most notably the car nicknamed KITT.

* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: Subverted. KITT's primary color scheme is red and black (all over black paint job, red scanner bar, red voice box) but he's completely a good guy.

* RetiredBadass: He was once a soldier and even while imprisoned made several escape attempts.

* MeaningfulName: A car named [[ShapedLikeItself KARR]], get it?

* EvilSoundsDeep: Has a considerably deeper voice than Michael

* ParentalSubstitute: More like Michael was his "Child-Substitute".

* CartwrightCurse

* MeaningfulName: The '''Knight Industries Two Thousand'''.

* FauxActionGirl: Even more so than Bonnie.

* AlphaBitch: [[spoiler:She wanted to kill Michael Knight because she thought that he took her son's place and destroy FLAG for not helping her son. In all honesty, this lady should be in the villains section!]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/april_curtis.jpg]]

* BadassGrandpa: [[DownplayedTrope Not very over-the-top about it]] (save the few times he's in the field), but he was once a soldier and even while imprisoned made several escape attempts.

* HyperCompetentSidekick

* NoHeroToHisValet

* HasAType: A ''very'' awkward conversation revealed his ideal relationship would be with a sentient red convertible with high CPU capabilities.

* {{Joisey}}: One episode had him use this with an irate parking attendant who accused him of "having an accent". He's later cosmetically damaged which causes him to flip between voices every time he hits something.

* MadeOfIndestructium: His "Molecular Bonded Shell."

* NotSoDifferent: He and Wilton Knight have the same relationship Michael and Kitt have.

* {{Technobabble}}

* AIIsACrapshoot

* PsychoPrototype

* ItsPersonal

* BadassGrandpa: [[DownplayedTrope Not very over-the-top about it]] (save the few times he's in the field), but he was once a solider and even while imprisoned made several escape attempts.

** In the episode "Junk Yard Dogs", after he watches KITT being pulled up from the toxic waste pool with all his paint ''bleached'' off and his insides eaten out.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: With KITT, sort of, since KITT is an AI but with a male voice programming

* VanityLicensePlate: His reads KNIGHT.

* CoolOldGuy

* RevengeBeforeReason

[[folder:'''FLAG''']]

!'''Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff)'''

* TheCharmer

* DespairEventHorizon: In the episode ''Junk Yard Dogs'', after he watches KITT being pulled up from the toxic waste pool with all his paint ''bleached'' off and his insides eaten out.

* {{Determinator}}

* LeeroyJenkins: What some fans think of him. Many think KITT's the real star.

* PlatonicLifePartners: With KITT.

!'''K.I.T.T. (William Daniels)'''
KITT '''Knight Industries Two Thousand''' is the artificial intelligence of the autonomous car with whom Michael Knight is partnered. KITT was designed by the late Wilton Knight, a brilliant but eccentric billionaire and founder of the Foundation for Law and Government or (FLAG).

* BattleButler

* HypercompetentSidekick

* TheJeeves: To Michael.

* MadeOfIndestructium: His "molecularly-bonded shell."

!'''Devon Miles (Edward Mulhare)'''
The director of FLAG, who appears in nearly every episode to provide mission details to Michael and KITT. He's also the spokesman for FLAG whenever it came under scrutiny. In his youth, made quite a name for himself racing motorcycles in the Tourist Trophy races. Was a member of the Royal Air Force.

Devon was a member of the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) during World War II, serving under a Commander Smythe. Went undercover in occupied France as 'Valentino' the knife thrower as part of Gunther Major's circus for three months.

!'''Dr. Bonnie Barstow (Patricia [=McPherson=])'''

!'''April Curtis (Rebecca Holden)'''
The chief mechanic for KITT in Season two. She temporarily replaced Bonnie Barstow, who claimed she'd never come back to the Foundation. [[spoiler:Of course, she did eventually.]]

!'''Reginald Cornelius III aka [=RC3=] (Peter Parros)'''

* HeroicWannabe: Wanted to "clean up the streets" when he was younger, even came up with the superhero name ''"Street Avenger"'' and carried around a rubber assault rifle to scare crooks.

[[folder:'''Memorable Villains''']]

Most of the series villains were [[OneShotCharacter One Shot Characters]] due to the lack of any kind of over-arcing storylines for the series. Here are some villains who actually did pop up more than once.

!'''K.A.R.R. (Creator/PeterCullen''' in ''Trust Doesn't Rust''; '''Creator/PaulFrees''' in ''K.I.T.T. VS. K.A.R.R.'')
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 KARR was placed in storage until a solution could be found. Unlike KITT, whose primary directive is to protect human life, KARR is programmed for self-preservation, making him a ruthless and unpredictable threat.

* AIIsACrapShoot

!'''Garthe Knight (David Hasselhoff)'''
Wilton's biological son, at the time of Michael's surgery, Garthe was imprisoned in Africa. Believing that his son would never be seen again, Wilton had Michael's face modeled after Garthe's.

* TheUnfavorite: In his own mind, this is how he thinks his father saw him. It probably doesn't help that he learns Wilton re-made Michael's face in "his" own image, ops.

[[folder:'''Others''']]

!'''Wilton Knight (Richard Basehart)'''

* [[SinsOfOurFathers Sins Of Our Sons]]: Garthe, was a ''very'' bad son.

!'''Elizabeth Knight (Barbara Rush)'''
Wife to Mr. Wilton Knight, and mother to Garthe and Jennifer Knight. [[spoiler:She secretly helped her son Garthe, who had been imprisoned in Africa while serving ''three'' life sentences, to escape back to the U.S. She wanted to kill Michael Knight for trying to ''take'' her son's place and destroy FLAG for not helping her son. In all honesty, this lady should be in the villains section!]]

* AlphaBitch

* DotingParent: [[spoiler:To Garthe.]]

* TheUnfettered: [[spoiler:Oh, I have to kill a few people to make my son happy? No problem.]]

!'''Jennifer Knight (Mary Kate [=McGeehan=])'''

!'''Stephanie "Stevie" March Mason (Catherine Hickland)'''
The woman who was once a close friend to ''Michael Long'', Stevie - as she's known - was once engaged to Michael, unfortunately Stephanie thinks he's dead. She eventually discovers the truth, and the pair eventually marry in the episode "Scent of Roses" [[spoiler:on the same day she's killed.]]

* AscendedExtra: One of the ''very'' few love interests who actually makes more than one appearance in the series.
* TheBusCameBack
* CartwrightCurse
* DistressedDamsel: How she's first introduced.
* FlatCharacter: Other than being Michael's former fiance, there isn't much else to say.
* TheHeart
* OfficialCouple: [[spoiler:With Michael, very briefly.]]
* HappilyMarried: [[spoiler:Again, ''very'' briefly.]]
* TooHappyToLive

!'''K.A.R.R. (Creator/PeterCullen''' in ''Trust Doesn't Rust''; '''PaulFrees''' in ''K.I.T.T. VS. K.A.R.R.'')