Editing Reset button technique (section)

{{Short description|Plot device that resets continuity in works of fiction}}
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[[File:Halloween storyline continuity histogram by film.svg|thumb|[[Halloween (franchise)|Halloween]] storyline continuity histogram by film{{Clarify|date=October 2023}}]]
The '''reset button technique''' (based on the idea of ''[[status quo]] ante'') is a [[plot device]] for interrupting [[Continuity (fiction)|continuity]] in works of fiction. The reset button device is used to return all characters and situations to the ''status'' ''quo'' prior to some major change. It can be employed in the middle of a program to negate some portion of what came before.<ref name="Kaveney">{{cite book |title=From Alien to the Matrix: Reading Science Fiction Film |first=Roz|last=Kaveney |year=2005 |publisher=[[I. B. Tauris]] |isbn=1-85043-806-4}}</ref> It is often used in [[science fiction]] television series, [[animated series]], [[soap opera]]s, and [[comic book]]s. The reset button technique accommodates dramatic changes to characters and the [[fictional universe]] that might otherwise invalidate the show's premise with respect to future episodes or other plot details. For example, writers may use the device to improve the audience's experience of [[comic book death|the lead character's death]], which is usually impossible without effectively ending the work or significantly altering its course.