Knight Rider ran on NBC from 1982 to 1986, starring David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, a crime fighter aided by KITT, a talking, artificially intelligent Pontiac Trans Am. Stu Phillips composed its distinctive electronic theme, which became shorthand for futuristic technology and cool 1980s action. The short version circulates widely as a ringtone and in fan edits, memes and car videos, keeping the melody familiar to viewers who never watched the original series.