Reboot (fiction)

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The Godzilla film franchise, which began in 1954, has been rebooted numerous times. Pictured here is a promotional still for Godzilla Raids Again (1955).

In serial fiction, the term "reboot" signifies a new start to an established fictional universe, work, or series. A reboot discards continuity to re-create its characters, plotlines and backstory from the beginning.[1][2] It has been described as a way to "rebrand"[3] or "restart an entertainment universe that has already been established".[1]

Another definition of a reboot is a remake which is part of an established film series or other media franchise.[4] The term has been criticized for being a vague and "confusing"[5] "buzzword",[6] and a neologism for remake,[7][8] a concept which has been losing popularity since the 2010s.[9][10] William Proctor proposes that there is a distinction between reboots, remakes and retcons.[11]

Origin[edit | edit source]

The term is thought to originate from the computing term reboot, meaning to restart a computer system.[1][2] There is a change in meaning: the computing term refers to restarting the same program unaltered, while the term discussed here refers to revising a narrative from the beginning.[12] The first known use of reboot applied to an entertainment franchise was in a 1994 Usenet posting.[13]

Types[edit | edit source]

Say you've had 187 issues of 'The Incredible Hulk' and you decide you're going to introduce a new Issue 1. You pretend like those first 187 issues never happened, and you start the story from the beginning and the slate is wiped clean, and no one blinks. One of the reasons they do that is after 10 years of telling the same story, it gets stale and times change. So we did the cinematic equivalent of a reboot, and by doing that, setting it at the beginning, you're instantly distancing yourself from anything that's come before.

— David S. Goyer, on Batman Begins[14]

Reboots cut out non-essential elements associated with a pre-established franchise and start it anew, distilling it down to the core elements that made the source material popular.[15] For audiences, reboots allow easier entry for newcomers unfamiliar with earlier titles in a series.[15]

Comic books[edit | edit source]

In comic books, a long-running title may have its continuity erased to start over from the beginning, enabling writers to redefine characters and open up new story opportunities, allowing the title to bring in new readers.[1][16] Comic books sometimes use an in-universe explanation for a reboot, such as merging parallel worlds and timelines together, or destroying a fictional universe and recreating it from the beginning.[17][18][19]

Film[edit | edit source]

With reboots, filmmakers revamp and reinvigorate a film series to attract new fans and stimulate revenue.[2][14] A reboot can renew interest in a series that has grown stale.[20] Reboots act as a safe project for a studio, since a reboot with an established fanbase is less risky (in terms of expected profit) than an entirely original work, while at the same time allowing the studio to explore new demographics.

A soft reboot is a reboot which acts as a sequel but is almost, if not identical to the original predecessor.[21]Template:Failed verification

Television[edit | edit source]

See also: Revival (television)

A television series can return to production after cancellation or a long hiatus.[22][23] Whereas a reboot disregards the previous continuity of a work, the term has also been used as a "catch all" phrase to categorize sequel series or general remakes due to the rise of such productions in the late 2010s.[24][25]

A related concept is retooling, which is used to substantially change the premise of a series while keeping some of the core characters. Retools are usually part of an effort to forestall cancellation of a still running production.[26]

Video games[edit | edit source]

Reboots and remakes are common in the video game industry.[15] Remakes in video games are used to refresh the storyline and elements of the game and to take advantage of technology and features not available at the time of earlier entries.[15]

Soft reboot[edit | edit source]

A soft reboot is a reboot that shares some continuity with the original series, but that changes the style, tone, or intent.[27] It usually serves to allow writers more creative freedom while mostly mantaining the same setting the audience has grown acostumed to.[28]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Willits, Thomas R. (13 July 2009). "To Reboot Or Not To Reboot: What is the Solution?". Bewildering Stories. Retrieved 20 August 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1 at line 2547: attempt to call field 'is_valid_date' (a nil value).
  3. ↑ Alexander, Julia (15 March 2017). "The Matrix reboot isn't a remake: Here's the difference between the two". Polygon. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  4. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1 at line 2547: attempt to call field 'is_valid_date' (a nil value).
  5. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1 at line 2547: attempt to call field 'is_valid_date' (a nil value).
  6. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1 at line 2547: attempt to call field 'is_valid_date' (a nil value).
  7. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1 at line 2547: attempt to call field 'is_valid_date' (a nil value).
  8. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1 at line 2547: attempt to call field 'is_valid_date' (a nil value).
  9. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1 at line 2547: attempt to call field 'is_valid_date' (a nil value).
  10. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1 at line 2547: attempt to call field 'is_valid_date' (a nil value).
  11. ↑ Template:Cite journal
  12. ↑ "Does This Common Computer Term Actually Reference Shoes?". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  13. ↑ "MISC: The origin of "reboot" found!". Google Groups. 1 April 1996. Retrieved 20 January 2023.Template:Registration required
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1 at line 2547: attempt to call field 'is_valid_date' (a nil value).
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1 at line 2547: attempt to call field 'is_valid_date' (a nil value).
  16. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1 at line 2547: attempt to call field 'is_valid_date' (a nil value).
  17. ↑ Crisis on Infinite Earths #1-12 (April 1985 – March 1986)
  18. ↑ Flashpoint #1-5 (May – September 2011)
  19. ↑ Zero Hour: Crisis in Time #4-0 (Sept. 1994)
  20. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1 at line 2547: attempt to call field 'is_valid_date' (a nil value).
  21. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1 at line 2547: attempt to call field 'is_valid_date' (a nil value).
  22. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1 at line 2547: attempt to call field 'is_valid_date' (a nil value).
  23. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1 at line 2547: attempt to call field 'is_valid_date' (a nil value).
  24. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1 at line 2547: attempt to call field 'is_valid_date' (a nil value).
  25. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1 at line 2547: attempt to call field 'is_valid_date' (a nil value).
  26. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1 at line 2547: attempt to call field 'is_valid_date' (a nil value).
  27. ↑ Keatis, D L (9 April 2019). "The 5 Best Soft Reboots in Cinematic History". Superman on Film.
  28. ↑ Agar, C (11 February 2016). "Why Soft Reboots Are the Ideal Compromise Between Remakes & Sequels". Screen Rant.
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