The show takes place in the same timeline as "Kamp Koral".
In the episode "Stair Wars", when Patrick is sliding up the stairs, we see a train pass by with a sign "Kamp Koral". It pretty much explains the discontinuity.- Seems to be jossed in the upcoming "Tidal Zone" special.
- However, it seems that Patrick is older here.
- It's as in the show have connected history. Patrick went to Kamp Koral as a kid, and now he's hosting his own show as a teen. A recent Kamp Koral episode also proves the theory.
The show takes place within Patrick's mind.
It is a retelling of Patrick's youth from his own point of view. As indicated in "I'm With Stupid", Patrick can hardly remember what his parents look like, which explains why they look so different in this spinoff compared to the main show. And what about his sister Squidina? Patrick says he doesn't have a sister in "Something Smells", but later this is contradicted in "Big Sister Sam", which reveals he had an older sister who was separated from him at a very young age. It's possible that Patrick forgot what his real sister looked like altogether and simply imagined one instead. And the reason his family home gives off such a Pee-wee's Playhouse-esque vibe is because he imagines his childhood Denser and Wackier than most people would.- Alternate theory: After Sam Star got lost, the rest of the family decided to adopt another child (Squidina) to fill the void.
Patrick and Squidina would part ways later in their lives.
Squidina has made two appearances in the main show so far, and in her one interaction with Patrick they don't even address each other as siblings. Maybe a rift occurred between them and caused Squidina to revoke her Star surname. Maybe Squidina's real parents came back for her. Maybe Squidina became a Child Prodigy and went away to school. Or maybe it had something to do with Pat's biological sister Sam Star. It could possibly be all of the above. And the loss of two sisters made Patrick forget he had any for some time in his life. It will later be revealed that Patrick's parents in this series are not his real parents.
Instead, Patrick's "parents" are revealed to be thieves who stole Patrick at birth, isolating him from his real parents, Herb and Margie.- Alternate theory: Patrick was lost along with his sister Sam and the two were separated. Where Sam ended up is anyone's guess, but Patrick was taken in by Cecil and Bunny, just like Squidina. The reason Patrick couldn't remember his actual parents or sister is because he was separated from them at a young age, but thankfully they were eventually reunited.
- So did Patrick meet SpongeBob before the surfing incident?
GrandPat is secretly using the time closet.
That would explain how he existed as early as in the Stone Age, and even in impossible eras, such as the future, with his appearance being virtually the same as he appears currently.The Star family's religion has changed over time.
- In "Just in Time for Christmas", it's revealed that GrandPat used to eat at a restaurant where the owner was a crazed caveman living in fear of the Sun God. In "Patrick's Alley", he mentions that he used to be a Pagan. In the present day of "Pat-a-thon", Patrick knows what church is, implying the existence of Christianity. And in his adult years in the main series episode "FarmerBob", he practices a Jewish tradition, down to saying "Mazel tov!" So GrandPat used to be a Sun God worshipper, than a pagan, then introduced his grandson to Christianity, and Patrick later renounced it to become Jewish.
The Star family lives on a different plane of reality
That would explain the zany occurrences that are treated as something completely normal in Bikini Bottom. This is also supposed by the Kamp Koral episode "Help Not Wanted", where Cecil visits young Patrick. During the majority of the episode, he is animated in CGI, but when he leaves with Bunny and GrandPat, both of whom are animated in 2D, he becomes 2D animated as well, which means that their mere existence is able to interfere with reality.GrandPat is Herb's biological father and Billy Bob is Cecil's biological father.
GrandPat's skin color is beige, which is very close to pink, the color Herb's skin is. Billy Bob (Patrick's grandpa from the family tree in "Rule of Dumb") is green, and so is Cecil. They both are just completely different (but related) characters. Herb is actually Cecil's cousin, and Cecil and Bunny just took in Patrick to visit for some time, and because they're both as stupid as Patrick, they confuse him for their son. FitzPatrick did succeed in ruining Patrick's life.
Near the end of "FitzPatrick", the titular Evil Twin of Patrick's gets dragged into a time closet by multiple Patricks from other timelines. While traveling throughout time, he impersonated Patrick to make a fool out of him, which also explains "Patrick"'s increased jerkassery in post-movie seasons. As the ultimate twist, it will be revealed that this is a completely different Patrick than the one from the original series
Most likely as a Gainax Ending to the series, the two identical sea stars will cross paths, thus explaining the inconsistencies between them - like their parents' designs or why Patrick and Squidina didn't recognize each other in the original show. The reason everyone refers to them by the same name is because they used to be a single Patrick that split into two after losing a limb note . What really holds this together is the fact that these two Patricks have met before in "Chocolate With Nuts", making it also Hilarious in Hindsight.Herb and Margie will be confirmed to be separate characters.
The show has been pretty clear with Cecil and Bunny being Patrick's biological parents, with episodes like "Big Baby Patrick" and "Klopnodian Heritage Festival". Herb and Margie have been pretty ignored so far, likely because the staff just doesn't find them that interesting. So I think if they ever do appear, it'll be explained by them not actually being Patrick's parents.