something i love about knight rider is the disability aspect of kitts character. there are places he cannot go because he does not fit and the infrastructure does not support him. he cant accompany michael to any form of entertainment outside of a drive in theater, and he cant wait for him bedside in the hospital. he relies on michael entirely to bathe him and keep his interior clean. he relies on bonnie to keep himself healthy and well maintained. when he malfunctions or his body cannot operate properly he becomes immensely frustrated with himself, guilty and ashamed to have lost the only amount of control he has in his life, the only part of himself that he sees as able and strong and worthy of praise and ego.
the most compelling aspect of this read to me, though, is the restrictions to kitts freedom. He is essentially under a conservatorship with FLAG as his guardian. he does not receive any of the privileges or rights that personhood entails. hes tracked and checked in on regularly, doesnt go anywhere without michael supervising him, isnt allowed to take a day for himself where he can be alone in solitude. he is never by himself except when he 'sleeps'. his day is highly regimented and revolves entirely around what his pilot wants to do. any suggestions or requests he makes can be easily ignored without much consequence aside from his own resentment. he is intelligent, he is capable, he is a person, and he is trapped, indentured, only allowed to have what he is given. he lives happily only by virtue of the love and care of those who own him. the minute that ownership changes or his trusted caretakers become compromised he will inevitably be left in freefall, with no control over anything in his life, forced to go along with whoever has access to his programming and the title and registration to his body
