A TAS can show the fastest possible time a game can be beaten in theory, it can show how a game can be beaten if the player were to do everything exactly at the right time, and hell, they are just entertaining things to watch.
As with the hacks, things like Knuckles in Sonic 1 are acceptable because they don't necessarily make the game shorter, it's only expanding on something that existed in the first place since the Sonic & Knuckles cart could have you playing as Knuckles in Sonic 2 & 3.
It would be like having a TAS of "General Dripik in Abe's Exoddus", obviously such a hack does not exist and it would be impossible to get through the entire game as a glukkon, but I'm sure you understand the principle, it doesn't necessarily make the game shorter, it is just expanding upon the game, I don't consider it cheating either, as it does not change the rules much unlike the -ddcheat hack.
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