Reboot (media)

In serial fiction, to reboot means to discard all continuity in an established fictional universe, work, or series in order to recreate its characters, timeline and backstory from the beginning. The term is used with respect to various different forms of fictional media such as comic books, television shows, video games, and films among others.

The term is thought to originate from the computer term reboot, meaning to restart a computer system.

Reboots remove any non-essential elements associated with a franchise and start it anew, distilling it down to the core elements that make it popular. For audiences, reboots allow easier entry for newcomers unfamiliar with earlier titles in a series.

With reboots, filmmakers revamp and reinvigorate a film series in order to attract new fans and stimulate revenue. A reboot can renew interest in a series that has grown stale, and can be met with positive, mixed, or negative results by both consumers and film critics. Reboots act as a safe project for a studio, as a reboot with an established fan base 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. Reboots also allow directors and producers to cast a new set of younger actors for the familiar roles of a film series in order to attract a younger audience. Unlike a remake, however, a reboot often presupposes a working familiarity on the part of the audience with the original work.

In television, a reboot is different from a revival, in which many of the original cast, storylines, and locales from the original series are retained, whereas a reboot features an entirely new cast and timeline that doesn't take into account anything from the original series.

Reboots are common in the video game industry, particularly with franchises that have multiple entries in the series. Reboots in video games are used to refresh the storyline and elements of the game.

In comic books, a long-running title may have its continuity erased in order to start over from the beginning, enabling writers to redefine characters and open up new story opportunities, and allowing the title to bring in new readers. 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.

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