IMHO Classic suffers more translation issues than X. In the NES days there was simply no attempt made at consistency. A great deal of information was stated out-of-game and not carried over, which led to a lot of what we thought we knew being completely wrong. I generally just avoid any plot discussions prior to MM8, my head hurts less that way.
Sure, but owning the Complete Works art book for the Classic series allows me to get some of that missing info, so I try not to show too much concern for story details and inaccuracies. Besides, if everything was explained in-game, you wouldn't use imagination to interpret things.
Of course, with the Classic series, you're not really
expected to think about the story; you get a brief synopsis, (and, occasionally, mandatory quick plot twist cut-scenes) you pick up the controller and start blasting things. When it comes to classic gameplay in the vein of Mario (old-school), Final Fight, Metroid, Sonic (old-school) and so forth, a worthy challenge and great enjoyment are what matters the most, along with the assurance of good game quality.
Of course, one could say that GB V, MM7, 8, MM&B, 9 and 10 kinda missed the point, on the "get on with it!" front...