diff --git a/includes/update.inc b/includes/update.inc
index 23b414c603036747bb68aba38dd16b0d9771cc39..de200d6b6a80f43cdbc73c8788e26657da4e5451 100644
--- a/includes/update.inc
+++ b/includes/update.inc
@@ -740,7 +740,6 @@ function update_fix_d7_install_profile() {
     // Merge in defaults.
     $info = $info + array(
       'dependencies' => array(),
-      'dependents' => array(),
       'description' => '',
       'package' => 'Other',
       'version' => NULL,
diff --git a/modules/system/system.admin.inc b/modules/system/system.admin.inc
index 74596927608dd08cc6bca988e131c2044216e25e..2ce39b653343451e3851e98e2367ab0352f7156a 100644
--- a/modules/system/system.admin.inc
+++ b/modules/system/system.admin.inc
@@ -857,8 +857,6 @@ function system_modules($form, $form_state = array()) {
       }
     }
 
-    // Mark dependents disabled so the user cannot remove required modules.
-    $dependents = array();
     // If this module is required by other modules, list those, and then make it
     // impossible to disable this one.
     foreach ($module->required_by as $required_by => $v) {
diff --git a/modules/system/system.install b/modules/system/system.install
index ae7ada281d88b696f78e7e5f9813d594fd895068..f3d97c56719083a6439713afbbbfa9d9eee37821 100644
--- a/modules/system/system.install
+++ b/modules/system/system.install
@@ -1566,7 +1566,7 @@ function system_schema() {
         'default' => 0,
       ),
       'info' => array(
-        'description' => "A serialized array containing information from the module's .info file; keys can include name, description, package, version, core, dependencies, dependents, and php.",
+        'description' => "A serialized array containing information from the module's .info file; keys can include name, description, package, version, core, dependencies, and php.",
         'type' => 'blob',
         'not null' => FALSE,
       ),
@@ -2505,7 +2505,7 @@ function system_update_7055() {
   db_change_field('sessions', 'session', 'session', $spec);
 
   $spec = array(
-    'description' => "A serialized array containing information from the module's .info file; keys can include name, description, package, version, core, dependencies, dependents, and php.",
+    'description' => "A serialized array containing information from the module's .info file; keys can include name, description, package, version, core, dependencies, and php.",
     'type' => 'blob',
     'not null' => FALSE,
   );
diff --git a/modules/system/system.module b/modules/system/system.module
index 09644206753f479b898aa2d2565fa6ce0d10ccbb..810bd1673d1dece1792c0b43626ebf10546fa56c 100644
--- a/modules/system/system.module
+++ b/modules/system/system.module
@@ -2277,7 +2277,6 @@ function _system_rebuild_module_data() {
   // Set defaults for module info.
   $defaults = array(
     'dependencies' => array(),
-    'dependents' => array(),
     'description' => '',
     'package' => 'Other',
     'version' => NULL,