[meta] A distinct imbalance of knowledge

[robkelk]

We don't have to retcon it in, just make it a part of the story that there's some coalescing, coalitioning, and merging of similarly-minded groups.

Not neccessarily every similarly-minded group will fall into any particular coalition, so there's some room for oddities (like the Macross fans ending up with the Rockhounds, for example, or the Soviet/Federation alliance).

Well, the Soviets and the Feds are both heavy on space exploration (as opposed to exploitation or defense), so that match makes sense to me.

Have it be something that happens over time, not right away.

Oh, definitely - follow the Crystal Millennium's lead, but over a longer timetable.
EDIT: Come to think of it, the Soviet/Federation alliance could be what kicks off the meme of merging some but not all of the like-minded minor factions into the matching major factions... and they'd consider long and hard, on both sides, before actually taking that step.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012