Rationalization

I rationalize things. Mostly things that don't matter in the grand scheme, but it lubricates my universe. Calvin and Hobbes, for example. Folks apparently still ask Bill Watterson if Hobbes is 'real'. He won't answer, but I knew the answer long ago. The strip is being told from the point of view of the grown up Calvin. It's his memories. That's why five-year-old Calvin has such an overblown vocabulary. And that's why it doesn't matter if Hobbes is real or not. Not that I've shared any confidences with Watterson, it's just how Calvin and Hobbes fits into my universe. Likewise Star Trek. Fans of the series(plural) have difficulty reconciling the different look between the original show(TOS) and later series, most especially Enterprise. That show was supposed to have taken place nearly a hundred years before the adventures of Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the crew, yet looked far more advanced than their 'decedents'. The reality that a show made in the earliest days of the 21st century cannot help but look superior to something made in the mid
60's notwithstanding(is that a convoluted sentence or what?) I decided in my mind that the look of the uniforms and hardware of TOS represents one of those well-intentioned but misguided attempts by the brass to change the general designs of all military areas. But rather than an improvement, they just make things look stupid. There is not one shred of verification of this 'theory', but it helps me ignore glaring inconsistencies. It is similar to the fan/producers' little bit of retcon(retroactive continuity)regarding Chekhov in Wrath of Kahn. Walter Koenig had not yet joined the cast of Star Trek when the original episode Space Seed was filmed, yet his character was the first to find Kahn, and there was mutual recognition. It was explained later, once the mistake had been realized, that at the time of Kahn's first appearance on the show Chekhov was not yet a member of the bridge crew, but was on the ship, and was a close friend of the woman who would become Kahn's wife. A bit of a stretch, but not so much as to be unbelievable.

So what little rationalizations do you use to make your universe function better?