Entertainment
How Star Trek Helped A Thief Try To Steal K.I.T.T. From Knight Rider
By Chris Snellgrove
| Updated
When Star Trek: The Next Generation debuted its third season, the main cast members had snazzy new uniforms. They looked great, but they came at a very high cost. Each of these new uniforms cost about $3,000 at the time, which is why only main cast members got the upgrade; background actors continued to wear the older style uniforms because Paramount didn’t want to shell out too much cash. In a wild twist, however, they almost had to pay an exorbitant sum of money to some thieves who stole $82,000 worth of uniforms and attempted to ransom them for KITT, the tricked-out car from Knight Rider!
This story comes to us from Dropping Names With Brent and Jonny, a podcast hosted by TNG alumni Brent Spiner and Jonathan Frakes. That podcast has become a goldmine of cool trivia because, as you might imagine, these Trek icons have quite a few crazy stories to tell. But none have been quite as crazy as Frakes’ recent tale of some very specialized thieves. According to the former Riker actor, these criminals infiltrated the Paramount lot and walked off with $82,000 worth of Star Trek uniforms.
The ’80s Coolest Car
Their heist was a success, but it left the thieves with something of a problem: who was going to buy the stuff? Sure, these uniforms were worth a lot of money, but only to Paramount, which would be using them for future Star Trek productions. The average fan wasn’t going to shell out thousands for these uniforms, and trying to sell them to just anyone would be a great way to get caught. Accordingly, the thieves decided to contact Paramount with their demands, but this is where things get weird. Instead of asking for cash, the thieves wanted KITT, the car from Knight Rider.
If you’re too young to remember, Knight Rider was an iconic ‘80s show featuring David Hasselhoff. While the future Baywatch star made for a compelling lead, audiences cared more about his ride. Hasselhoff’s character drove KITT, a Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am. It looked great, but this car was more than a design classic: it was also a sentient car that could talk and deploy any number of weapons and gadgets worthy of 007. It had some stiff competition from Michael Keaton’s Batmobile and Marty McFly’s DeLorean, but many fans consider this the coolest car of the ‘80s.
Game On, Thieves!
The thieves apparently agreed with this assessment, which is why they tried to use the uniforms as ransom. They wanted to give them back to Paramount in exchange for KITT, and they set up a time and place to make the exchange. However, TNG producer Merri D. Howard had already contacted the FBI about the matter. When the thieves met with him in the desert to make a swap, they didn’t get KITT. Instead, they got swarmed by federal agents who promptly arrested the criminals and returned the stolen uniforms to Paramount.
While this was seemingly the craziest incident of theft, Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner made it clear that security on the Paramount lot was really bad. Apparently, it was a regular occurrence for people to steal the captain’s chair that had been ergonomically designed for Patrick Stewart. Fortunately, Paramount managed to get back the $82,000 of stolen uniforms and arrest the culprits, and Frakes and Spiner were left with the story of a lifetime.
KITT, sadly, was unavailable for comment.
Entertainment
Pre-order the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8, walk away with an extra $200 — how to claim this free offer
TL;DR: Get the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 (256GB, unlocked) for $1,199.99 at Amazon and a free $200 gift card bundled in — no trade-in required.
Samsung didn’t ease into its Unpacked event — phones, watches, and smartglasses were all unveiled in one go, which means there’s a lot to sort through if you’re trying to find the one deal that’s actually worth your money.
And here’s one worth grabbing: Amazon is currently bundling the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 with a free $200 gift card — no trade-in, no discount code, just the phone at $1,199.99 with a $200 gift card to use later.
The whole point of a flip phone is the cover screen, and Samsung’s built around that here — FlexWindow lets you handle a range of AI tasks without opening the phone, so quick checks don’t require unfolding it. When you’re shooting photos, you can go hands-free for creative angles, or hold it steady and rely on Super Steady Video to keep the footage smooth.
The Flip 8 runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the same chip powering the Fold8, which means gaming and multitasking should hold up even on this smaller form factor.
Battery life is built to last through a full day, and when it runs low, Super Fast Charging gets you back up quickly. If you’re switching from an iPhone, Samsung’s made that transfer easier, too — your photos, contacts, alarms, and passwords come with you, and your messages stay encrypted the whole way.
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The gift card isn’t an instant perk, though — Samsung sends an email once it’s ready to claim, and that only happens after the phone ships. The offer ends Aug. 6, so the earlier you pre-order, the safer you are before that window shuts.
Grab the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 before Aug. 6, and the $200 gift card is on its way to you.
Topics
Samsung
Samsung Unpacked
Entertainment
Owalas Back-to-School Sale is live — 20% off bottles, bags, accessories, and more
SAVE 20%: From Aug. 2-8, Owala’s Back-to-School Sale takes 20% off sitewide, including bottles, bags, and accessories.
20% off bottles, bags, and accessories until Aug. 8
Owala’s Back-to-School Sale isn’t just about the bottles you already own — the whole lineup is included, so it’s worth looking beyond the FreeSip.
The sale covers everything from hydration essentials like water bottles and tumblers to insulated bags, totes, and crossbodies, plus accessories like lids, straws, and other add-ons. The original FreeSip is still the bestseller for a reason, and the FreeSip Sway is a solid pick if you want something more cupholder-friendly for the car. If coffee’s more your thing, the SmoothSip Slider is built specifically for hot drinks on the go.
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And if you need something bigger than a bottle, the Sun-Day Tote is a collapsible bag that packs flat yet holds a lot, making it easy to toss in a backpack or bag during the actual back-to-school rush. They’ve also got a few small essentials — a Bottle Boot, cleaning accessories, stickers, and matching pet bowls.
With 20% off sitewide, this is a good time to stock up across categories rather than just grabbing one bottle — especially if you’ve got a household that goes through water bottles, lunch bags, or travel mugs regularly.
Shop Owala’s Back-to-School Sale until Aug. 8 — stock is bound to run out.
Entertainment
Final days to lock in your favorite Microsoft Office apps for life for just $33
TL;DR: Get a Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows lifetime license for $32.97 through Aug. 9 and enjoy Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, Publisher, OneNote, and Teams with a one-time purchase.
$32.97
$219.99
Save $187.02
This is your last chance to ditch Microsoft 365’s subscription fees for good. Through Aug. 9, you can grab a lifetime license to Microsoft Office 2021 for much less than its usual retail price. Simply pay once, download the full software suite, and never worry about renewals again.
We know what you’re thinking, but rest assured, this isn’t some stripped-down lite version either. It’s the real deal. Whether you’re writing reports, crunching numbers, building presentations, managing emails, or wrangling databases, the lifetime version of Microsoft Office has you covered.
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It’s a one-time download for one Windows PC, so once it’s yours, it’s yours. The full pro-level toolkit, minus the stress of a subscription. Plus, with instant license delivery and free customer support, getting started is as painless as your new spreadsheet workflow.
No more “trial expired” pop-ups. No more surprise charges. Just the latest versions of Microsoft’s best apps, ready to support all of your work and personal needs.
Mashable Deals
Download Microsoft Office for Windows while it’s on sale for $32.97 (reg. $219.99) until Aug. 9 at 11:59 p.m. PT. No coupon is needed.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
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