Reboot (fiction)
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]
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]