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Bellisario's Maxim
Don't examine this too closely.note 

Said by producer Donald P. Bellisario on March 17, 1990 at an SF convention in response to a persistent fan with very specific questions about the way things worked on Bellisario's series Quantum Leap. An unashamed admission of handwaving details unnecessary to the enjoyment of a show, and an exhortation to not let the obsession with those details get in the way of the story. Implicit in the Maxim is a request to understand that the story is being told by a small production team that (due to the limitations of the medium) has to work quickly, with limited budget and tight deadlines, and has to dodge Executive Meddling, all while trying to turn out the best product it can.

Frequently quoted in various fan communities in response to excessive Fan Wank, and to arguments about Canon, Fanon and the Word Of God. At its worst, it's misused to cover up cases of where a creator genuinely did a bad job.

See also MST3K Mantra, Rule Of Cool, A Wizard Did It, and Anthropic Principle. Contrast Moff’s Law.


BadassPt/Indice De TraducaoBerserk Button
Base BreakerAudience ReactionsBest Known For The Fanservice
Ass PullJustForFun/Tropes of LegendCanon Discontinuity
The Bechdel TestLaws and FormulasCatharsis Factor

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