Oh, I ain't ignorin' him. He's just been talked ta death. [If only that were literal. Alas.] But you're right about how flimsy the premise is. He's given us the bare minimum in terms of how "real" this all is.

[He knew Zola's wish...but who's to say he would've ever actually granted it?

As for the group...]

No kiddin'. Not ta mention he managed ta nab some of us from the same worlds. I wonder if that was on purpose or some crazy coincidence.