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The Mainframe Project: A Guide To ReBoot
When I watched the debut episode in November of 1994, I had no idea that I was watching
history being made. ReBoot broke new ground by being the world's first 100% computer
animated TV show. That distinction alone guaranteed it cult status, but it took things one step
farther. By presenting us with interesting characters, and subtle references at all aspects of geek
culture, it cemented itself as one of the most cutting-edge cornerstones of Saturday morning.
Now, as computer animated cartoons become more prevalent, it is still Mainframe
Entertainment (ReBoot's producers) who remain the world leaders. As someone once said on a
message board, "If these guys did movies, they'd be giving Pixar a run for their money." And,
the coolest thing of all, it was made in Canada, with Mainframe's offices and studios being in
Vancouver. So, journey with us down memory lane, at the show that started it all.
Season One (1994/1995)
The Tearing
The show begins with this simple introduction to the world of Mainframe. Megabyte happens to
get his hands on a tear, and tried to extort Bob into stabilizing it into a portal to the
Supercomputer. As they talk it over, a game cube descends over Megabyte's fortress, and the
tear is stabilized. So, Bob and Dot must then lead the charge through this space-battle game to
beat Megabyte to the portal. (Favorite line: "Stay frosty." -- Bob, trying out his Top Gun lingo.)
Racing The Clock
Enzo tries his hand at being a delivery boy. His first job: Megabyte has a "gift" he wants
delivered to Hexadecimal. Bob opts to deliver it instead, knowing that something's not right.
So, Hex refuses the gift, and tells Bob to take it back. Bob is taking it back when he gets trapped
inside a racing game. At about this time, Dot and Enzo discover the gift is a delete command
(i.e. time bomb) and have to chase down Bob to save him. Will they get there in time?
The Quick and the Fed
Bob steals Megabyte's weapon of mass destruction: a magnet. While taking it to Old Man
Pearson's Data Dump, he stops in at Dot's Diner, and allows Enzo to play with Glitch. This
results in Dot being partially erased by the magnet. To save Dot, Bob must journey to Level 31
and get some slow food from Al's Diner. On his way home, however, Bob gets trapped in a
game cube. Can he win the game and save Dot? (Favorite line: "WHAT??" -- the only thing Al
ever says. And, this episode teaches us an important lesson. When you take the world's most
dangerous substance to your favorite restaurant, don't let a little boy play with your weapon.)
Medusa Bug
Hexadecimal unleashes a virus on Mainframe: the Medusa Bug, which turns everything it
touches to stone. Bob, Dot, and Phong try everything they can to stop it, but soon everyone in
Mainframe is turned to stone. Except Bob, who was protected by his guardian protocols. Now,
Bob alone must defeat Hex and find the cure. (Note: This episode actually has two alternate
endings! In the first ending, Bob kicks back, relaxes, and says "Peace at last." Then, we hear
the computer voice say "Warning. Incoming game," and cut to to Bob's look of shock. The second
ending has Bob, kicking back, relaxing and saying "Peace at last." Then, we cut to a shot of the
Medusa Bug encroaching on Bob. Bob looks at this and says "Oh no! Not again!.")
The Tiff
Bob and Dot have a huge argument, and quit speaking to each other. Enzo tries everything he
can think of to bring them back together, but nothing works. Soon, however, Bob and Dot are
trapped in a game cube together. Can they make up and win the game?
In the Belly of the Beast
While playing at Old Man Pearson's Data Dump, Frisket accidentally eats an old unformat
command. Megabyte soon captures Frisket because the command is needed to power his latest
weapon of mass destruction. Can Enzo save Frisket? More importantly, can Enzo and Frisket
escape from Megabyte's forces?
The Crimson Binome
That scourge of the seven systems, the Crimson Binome (a.k.a. Captain Capacitor) raids
Mainframe and begins looting and pillaging. He even manages to capture Bob and steal Glitch.
The Crimson Binome's ship soon leaves, and Bob reawakens. Bob then tries to get Glitch and
stop the pirates while Dot and Enzo pursue with the fastest ship in Mainframe. Will they get
there in time? Can Bob stop the pirates? (Note: In a great bit of foreshadowing, Bob discovers
that Mouse was once a captive of the Crimson Binome as well.)
Enzo The Smart
Enzo is feeling rather depressed that he's not as smart as Bob. He goes to Phong for help, but
Phong suggest studying, when Enzo wants a faster way. Enzo soon finds Mainframes clock
speed room, and asks it to make him 20 times smarter than everyone in Mainframe. But, this is
accomplished by making everyone in Mainframe 20 times dumber than Enzo! As Enzo goes off
to fix the problem, he soon gets trapped in a Track and Field game with a moronic Dot, Bob, and
assorted binomes. Can he win the game and restore the system's clock speed? (Note: In a great
animation technique, everything goes to lo-resolution graphics when Enzo slows everything
down. Enzo even makes the comment "Everything's 8-bit! Completely lo-res!" Favorite line:
"We are helping!" -- what every slow binome says before he/she does something completely
disastrous.)
Wizards, Warriors and a Word From Our Sponsor
Mike the TV is annoying everyone to death with his endless string of catch phrases and mindless
movie lines. But, soon Bob, Dot, Enzo and Mike are all trapped in a "Dungeons & Dragons"
type game, and they have to work together to win. Can Mike shut-up long enough for them to
win? (Favorite line: "And it can be yours for only $9999999999.95!" -- Mike's commercial for
that wonderful product, the Bucket o' Nothing!)
The Great Brain Robbery
For Megabyte's latest plot, he brings in help: the mercenary Mouse. The plot: shrink Mouse,
Hack and Slash down and inject them into Bob, thus allowing them to steal the access codes to
the Supercomputer. But, there's a mix-up and they wind up in Enzo. Can Bob shrink himself
down, enter Enzo and stop this plot?
Talent Night in Hell
It's Enzo's first upgrade, and Dot is planning a huge surprise party. Bob keeps Enzo busy all
day, while Dot interviews acts for the party. Meanwhile, Megabyte plots to crash the whole
affair.... (Note: This has got to be the funniest episode. You gotta love it when Megabyte
crashes the party. He and Bob get into a huge guitar war.)
Identity Crisis - Part 1
Dot is assisting a group of binomes in a Megabyte-controlled sector to rebel. She has to try and
ignore the strange hallucinations she's experiencing. To free the binomes, she must collect all
their personal I.D. numbers. This, she manages to pull off, but the file is soon stolen from her.
But, before she and Bob can deal with that, they are sucked into one of the most lethal games of
all: the Funhouse. (Favorite line: "Oh, go fire your big gun." -- Dot, to Bob, when they are
escaping from Megabyte's forces in a tank and Bob timidly asks if he can shoot at their
pursuers.)
Identity Crisis - Part 2
Dot and Bob are losing the Funhouse, mainly because Dot has been thrown into the depths of
self-pity over her loss of the file. To help her get over this, Phong enters the game, and makes
Dot see a nightmare world in which she never tried to help anyone. In this world, Megabyte
rules, Bob is a null, Enzo is a punk-ass teenager, and Phong is a crazy old man. When this vision
ends, Dot sets out with a renewed vigor to win the Funhouse, get the file back, and free the
sector. (Note: Just so you're not left wondering, it is learned that Dot's hallucinations in Part 1
were a side affect of how Phong gave her her vision.)
Season Two (1995/1996)
Infected
Mainframe prepares for an upgrade by the user. But, it soon turns out to be Megabyte's latest
plot to take over the system! Bob and Dot, trapped inside the Megabyte-controlled Principle
Office, then do a Die Hard routine to regain control of the system. Will they succeed? Will Bob
be able to recharge Glitch? (Note: A loving swipe at Aliens is taken when Dot dons power armor
to duke it out with Megabyte)
High Code
A codemaster from the Net arrives, and declares that he's looking for codemaster Talon. The
codemaster then goes on a rampage looking for Talon, and manages to disable Glitch! In a
desperate gambit to eliminate the codemaster, Bob lures him into a game and plans to lose. Will
this sacrifice be necessary? And what's the connection between Talon and Old Man Pearson?
When Games Collide
Megabyte begins using a Power Leech to suck up energy from the games, and then use this
energy to bore into the Principal Office's Main Archives. This causes strange side effects within
the games, and soon Bob and Megabyte are trapped within a bizarre fusion of a World War II
game and a Dinosaur game. Can they team up to survive? Will Megabyte be successful in
stealing a Portal command from the Archives? (Note: A loving swipe is taken at Stargate, when
Megabyte creates his portal.)
Bad Bob
Megabyte's latest plot is to steal Mainframe's core energy from the Principal Office. But,
complications ensue when a game cube descends on the Principal Office. Our heroes soon find
themselves trapped inside a Mad Max-type game, where Megabyte has turned into a tanker truck
carrying the core energy. Can our heroes recover the energy from the Mega-truck, and win the
game? (Note: If it wasn't clear enough, a loving swipe is taken at the Mad Max movies in this
game.)
Painted Windows
The problem: Hexadecimal gets her hands on Mainframe's Paint Program, and proceeds to turn
the city into one giant work of "art." The solution: Bob sets out to recover the Paint Program
and perform an undo command, while Dot heads to the Principal Office to sever the connection
between the Paint Program and the system. Will their plan succeed?
AndrAIa
Enzo is starting to feel lonely because there are no other sprites his age in Mainframe. But soon,
he, Bob and Dot are sucked into an underwater adventure game. Here, Enzo meets AndrAIa, a
game sprite his own age, and they become fast friends. But, AndrAIa is a game sprite, and will
leave when the game is one. Can they find a way for her to leave the game? Of course they can,
and the show gets a new main character. (Favorite line: "Nice tail." -- Bob, commenting on the
beauty of Dot's mermaid form in the game. Favorite line #2: "What is tea Earl Grey hot?" --
Cecil (the waiter at Dot's Diner), wondering what exactly a Captain Picard binome ordered from
him. Note: A loving swipe is taken at Raiders Of The Lost Ark during the lecture Bob gives at
the start of the episode.)
Nullzilla
Hexadecimal is infected by a web creature, and in this infected state she merges with all the
nulls in Mainframe to form -- Nullzilla; a giant monster bent on destroying the city! Can
Phong's latest development, giant robots, save the day? (Note: This episode takes loving swipes
at Godzilla movies and Power Rangers. Favorite exchange:
Phong>> Do not worry. I have planned for this event.
Bob>> You planned for a giant swarm of nulls destroying the city?
Phong> (giving Bob a very serious look) Yes. Yes I have.)
Gigabyte
The web creature now goes on to infect Megabyte. In his infectious rage, Megabyte merges with
Hexadecimal to form the ultimate virus: Gigabyte. As Gigabyte goes on a rampage, Bob sends
out a distress call, which is answered by Mouse! As Mouse and Dot go off in search of a tear to
trap Gigabyte with, Bob tries to hold off this new virus. Can Mouse and Dot put aside their
differences and succeed? Will Gigabyte be defeated? (Note: A loving swipe is taken at X-Men,
when the battle armor Bob dons to duke it out with Gigabyte looks a lot like Gambit's costume.)
Trust No One
Something on Level 31 is abducting binomes and sprites. Phong sends CGI Special Agents Fax
Modem and Data Nully to assist Bob in solving this mystery. Mouse is still hanging around
Mainframe, though, and most suspect her. Soon, however, it is discovered that the web creature
is abducting these binomes, and Mouse was hired by the Guardians to track it down and destroy
it. Will the creature be destroyed? Or the system? (Note: A loving swipe is taken at The X-Files, complete with special guest star Gillian Anderson (Scully) as the voice of Data Nully.)
Web World Wars
The web creature was abducting binomes to steal their energy and open a portal to the Web.
Now, the skies over Mainframe has been replaced with one massive web portal. Bob tries to
keep all hell from breaking loose, and forms an uneasy alliance with Megabyte and Hexadecimal
to eliminate this massive threat to all. But, amid all the chaos, Bob makes Enzo a Guardian
(cadet, first class). Can the war be prevented? Will Megabyte and Hexadecimal take advantage
of the situation?
Season Three (1997/1998. A one year hiatus was taken so Mainframe could focus on Beast
Wars. Also, something different in Season 3. We were presented with four, four episode arcs.
Each arc had their own different opening credits.)
To Mend and Defend
Well, Megabyte did take advantage of the situation. He launched Bob onto the web, critically
wounded Glitch, and proceeded to conquer Mainframe. The only thing in his way is...Enzo, who
is now trying to take the mantle of guardian. Soon, Enzo is sucked into his first game. Will
Mainframe embrace this new guardian? (Note: A loving swipe is taken at the Evil Dead movies,
when, in Enzo's first game, he reboots as a zombie, and the user is a shotgun-wielding maniac
with a chainsaw for a hand who only says "Groovy.")
Between a Racoon and a Hard Place
Megabyte uses his agent Cyrus (the betrayer from way back in Identity Crisis) to spread anti-Enzo propaganda throughout Mainframe. This naturally destroys Enzo's self-confidence in his
new role. Will he (with the help of AndrAIa) be able to pull himself together to win the game
Rocky the Rabid Racoon?
Firewall
Enzo hatches a plot to entrap Megabyte and his troops in a sector with a firewall. While Hugh of
Hugh Branch, Dot, Mouse, and Phong get to work on putting this together, Enzo and AndrAIa
find themselves trapped in a Micro Machines racing game, where Cyrus is trying to unite the
binomes against Enzo. Can Enzo save the binomes who hate him? Will the plan to entrap
Megabyte succeed? (Note: Now, the loving swipe is taken at James Bond movies, with Hugh
and Hugh Branch, a James Bond style teaser, and James Bond style opening credits. In fact, the
teaser is a direct parody of the teaser for the Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me.)
Game Over
Enzo, AndrAIa, and Frisket get trapped in a Mortal Kombat style fighting game. Megabyte
frantically tries to break through the firewall. In the game, the user kicks Enzo's ass, and
AndrAIa and Frisket are unable to help. A stunned silence falls over Mainframe as we hear the
computer voice say "Game Over. User wins." In a last ditch effort to survive, Enzo, AndrAIa,
and Frisket switch to game sprite mode (courtesy of Mouse's modifications to their icons), and
are ripped away from Mainframe with the game.
Icons
Enzo, AndrAIa, and Frisket are now all grown up, and hopping from system to system on the
games in the hopes of someday returning to Mainframe. They arrive in a system badly destroyed
by the games, and seek to train the citizens into a game-winning force. In this system, they
encounter a young sprite named Backup, who reminds AndrAIa of another young sprite she once
knew....
Where No Sprite Has Gone Before
Enzo and AndrAIa go to a system dominated by two factions: the "Superheroes" and the
"Spectrals." Things are complicated even more because Robert Cursor, the leader of the
Superheroes, bears more than a passing resemblance to Bob. This leads Enzo to side with the
Superheroes, but AndrAIa thinks the Spectrals may be on the side of right. But, a virus has
infiltrated each team, and they seek to destroy the system. Can Enzo and AndrAIa make up and
save the system? Is Cursor really Bob? (Note: A loving swipe is taken at Star Trek, with the
Superheroes acting a lot like a certain starship crew, and Cursor being more than a bit like
Captain Kirk. This episode was even written by D.C. Fontana, a writer on the original Star Trek.
Truly Canadian moment: You know how the Batcave has a giant penny in it? Well, look closely
in the Superheroes' fortress, and you'll see a giant twonie.)
Number 7
Enzo, AndrAIa, and Frisket enter a game, but find themselves back in Mainframe! Things get
even more confusing when Enzo and AndrAIa reboot into Megabyte and Hexadecimal. What's
going on in this strange world? And who's the mysterious "01" who's running things? (Note:
This time, the loving swipe is taken at the cult classic 60's TV show, The Prisoner)
The Episode With No Name (that's the actual name of the episode)
Enzo, AndrAIa, and Frisket finally arrive in a system with web access, and a way home. While
AndrAIa and Frisket go looking for ship to take them to Mainframe, Enzo goes after a
pickpocket who stole Glitch. But soon, Enzo is confronted by Turbo; the Prime Guardian. It
seems that the Guardians have been infected by virus called Daemon, and the Guardians have
become dictatorial rulers of the Net. Turbo came looking for Enzo, thinking that Enzo was Bob
and that Bob could help him save the Guardians. (Enzo carries Bob's uncorrupted Guardian
protocols, from when Bob made Enzo a Guardian) So now, Enzo's mission to find Bob gains
added importance, because Bob is the only one who can save the Guardians. (Note: Does Turbo
sound familiar? His voice is done by Gary Chalk, who's also the voice of Optimus Primal on
Beast Wars/Beast Machines. And a loving swipe is taken at Star Wars, when the bar that Enzo
tracks the pickpocket to looks like the Mos Eisly Cantina -- complete with Stormtrooper
binomes! Favorite line: "Do your drones have personality chips?" -- Enzo, shortly before he
blows away the Guardians' enforcement drones.)
The Return of the Crimson Binome
Picking up immediately after the last episode, Enzo and AndrAIa run into Captain Capacitor
(from way back in The Crimson Binome). Since Enzo is an old friend, the Captain agrees to
give them passage back to Mainframe. Only one problem: the captain's crew have been
captured by the Guardians. So, it's up to Enzo, AndrAIa, Frisket, and the captain to effect a
daring jailbreak. Along the way, they also break out Ray Tracer, a web surfer who offers to be
their guide. Can the surfer be trusted?
The Edge of Beyond
Enzo, AndrAIa, the surfer, and the crew of the Saucy Mare (Capacitor's ship) make it to the
harsh seas on the web. But, out here, AndrAIa is soon infected by a web creature, and starts to
die. It's up to Enzo and the surfer to find the creature and formulate a cure. Can they put aside
their differences long enough to save AndrAIa?
Webriders on the Storm
While searching for the web creature, Enzo and the surfer soon run afoul of the webriders, the
sprites who live out on the web. The whole episode then degenerates into one massive battle
between the Saucy Mare and the webriders. But, in the middle of the battle, the leader of the
webriders calls for his troops to lower the weapons, and walks up to the dying AndrAIa. The
leader then heals AndrAIa, and turns to the crew of the Saucy Mare to remove his helmet. It's
Bob!
Mousetrap
With Bob found, Enzo, AndrAIa and Frisket can now return to Mainframe and stop Megabyte.
Now only one thing stands between them and home. In an effort to keep more web creatures out
of Mainframe, Mouse booby-trapped the web portal to Mainframe. Can Bob and Enzo find a
way around Mouse's traps?
Megaframe
Enzo and Bob search through the war-ravaged remains of Mainframe, and piece together what
happened in the time that they were gone. Now, Megabyte rules with an iron fist, and is
torturing Phong to try and gain the access codes to the Supercomputer. Dot is leading the
resistance against Megabyte. Soon, a tearful reunion is held between brother and sister, and Bob
is abducted by Hexadecimal.... (Note: Another loving swipe is taken at Star Trek, more
specifically, the movie First Contact. A group of binomes, led by one that looks a lot like
Captain Picard, confronts Megabyte and declares that "the line must be drawn here!" Megabyte
then kills the Picard binome, turns to the crowd and says "As you can see, resistance is futile.")
Showdown
With Enzo and AndrAIa returned, a full-scale assault is launched on the Principal Office in an
attempt to reclaim the system. This leads to a full-out final battle between Megabyte and Enzo.
While this goes on, Bob and Hexadecimal engage in a battle of wits, which finally ends when
Bob heals Hexadecimal. Will Enzo defeat Megabyte and save Mainframe? (Note: This is,
HANDS DOWN, my favorite episode! The battle between Megabyte and Enzo, the interplay
those two characters have during their fight, and the overall feeling that the whole third season
was just boiling down to this. Man, I wish I had the speeches that Enzo and Megabyte have at
the end of their battle. Everything about this episode just rocks! Oh, and yet another loving
swipe is taken at Star Trek, when the destruction of the Saucy Mare mirrors the destruction of
the Enterprise in Star Trek III)
System Crash
Megabyte is gone, but the badly damaged Mainframe is on the verge of crashing. In order to
save as much as possible, Bob enters Mainframe's core to shut down the system sector-by-sector. But, in the core, Bob encounters a holographic Megabyte, put there by Megabyte to taunt
any "would-be saviours." As this goes on, undeleted RAM leaks into Mainframe, and the people
are terrorized by former users. Can Enzo and his crew stop these old game sprites? Can Bob
successfully shut down the system? (Note: One final loving swipe is taken at Star Trek, when
Bob's words upon leaving the core mirror Spock's dying words in Star Trek II)
End Prog
Mainframe is shut down, but that wasn't enough. Soon, the user drops a game cube into
Mainframe. If our heroes don't win the game, Mainframe will crash for sure. But, Bob prevents
Enzo from entering the cube. Perhaps, if they let the system crash, the user will restore
everything from protected back ups. Will this gambit work? Of course it does, and the series
ends with a splashy musical number summarizing Season Three! (Note: A lot of loving swipes
in this episode. Watch for: An Indiana Jones binome being chased by a giant 8-ball, a Sailor
Moon binome and Sailor Scout binomes being crushed by flying debris, and Fax Modem (from
Trust No One) trying to decide between two road maps: one labeled "B.C.," the other labeled
"L.A." Oh, and I've been told that the opening shot is a loving swipe at Blade Runner)
The Ride
I feel that, for completeness, I should point out the IMAX ride film. In the mid-90's, Mainframe
Productions teamed up with IMAX to produce ReBoot The Ride: Journey Into Chaos, an IMAX
simulator ride that gives riders a virtual tour inside the mind of Hexadecimal. The ride-film
introduces a new character, Maxine, a search engine who serves as your tour guide. Maxine
finally got introduced on the show in The Episode With No Name. The film plays at IMAX ride
theaters at theme parks all across the world.
The Game
The only time Mainframe Entertainment dabbled into video game design was with ReBoot: The
Game for the Sony Playstation, developed by Electronic Arts in association with Mainframe.
The writers of the show wrote the plot of the game, and Mainframe Entertainment produced the
cut scenes (the movies between levels). So, if you own a Playstation, and ever see this game at
your local video store, check it out some time.
...And The Adventure Continues...
Of course, the main motivation for writing this guide was the recent announcement that
Mainframe Entertainment would be producing two ReBoot TV movies to continue the saga.
Production has begun on the first film, ReBoot: Daemon Rising, which will tie-up the third
season's loose ends. Daemon Rising will premiere in the spring of 2001 (probably February
sweeps), and the second film will come in the fall of 2001 (probably November sweeps). They
will be shown on YTV here in Canada, and on the Cartoon Network in the USA. Oh, and given
the past history of the writers, you just know they're going to take loving swipes at Episode I and
The Matrix.
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