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When Should a Reboot Occur?

Mido

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Apr 6, 2011
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Hello, all!

Reboots are a constant presence in media, a presence with a myriad of implications. They often are implemented to revive a stagnant series or as a way to breathe new life into a franchise. On the more negative side of implications, reboots can erase the significance of previous series lore that may have resonated with fans in the past while undergoing a new set of risks related to "starting fresh." No matter the consequences, reboots remain prevalent, especially it seems on the movies and TV front. So arrives the question:

When do you think in the course of a piece of media's timeline should a reboot occur within its series? When is it inappropriate? Has good/poor reboot timing affected the success/failure of reboots? Why or why not?
 
There are so many reasons for a reboot to occur, most of them being down to greedy business practices rather than because of creativity, so I'll just stick to when I personally think one should happen;

1. An absent property
As in if a franchise hasnt been heard from for many years. If an IP has been dormat for 20 years it would be unlikely most of the audience would be familiar with it. Reboots like this are largely inoffensive to me, new creative minds will also have control of the property and so instead of trying to follow the original status quo (which may not even work in a modern climate due to changes in society) i think a fresh start is often the best course of action (though Kid Icarus Uprising proved that a dormant IP doesnt always need a fresh start).

2. A new creative team
See above, but if there's an exodus of original writers and creators of a property or the rights change hands (like Halo) then the best thing may be to begin again as to not trample over what has come before and ruin the mythology (like Halo).

3. Convolution/stagnation
Sometimes a series can go on too long and when this happens two things often occur; the first being that the lore and world/character histories become too storied or convoluted (see any mainstream comic book superhero ever).
Or second, the series could fall into a holding pattern or try retconning itself so much so that the myhtos is no longer clear, see Zelda or Ass Creed.
In this sense I'd say a reboot would be beneficial.
 
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Dio

~ It's me, Dio!~
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Reboots should be for when a series has dug itself into a hole and is beyond saving through sequels where the creators are just piling **** on top of **** at that point. A reboot gives a fresh start and the possibility of a new direction. I think in some cases series reboot too soon before even giving themselves a chance to rectify their one bad installment like with Spiderman. And then you get others that let themselves go on far too long like Zelda which has many bad installments now and the lore doesn't make sense anymore.

I also think a reboot can be good to bring an old franchise back which hasn't seen a new instalment in many years. Sometimes a reboot can be better than just making a sequel to something not many people are alive to remember. But saying that, Tron Legacy I really enjoyed and didn't even know it was a sequel to the original Tron which I hadn't seen and which came out many years before.
 

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