Good point. There was a reason that show was such a classic and developed such a die-hard fan following.
I think its biggest strength was that the writers, and even the actors, took the characters seriously, even when the plots were kind of hokey.
Too many shows seem to be written as if the writers are saying to themselves "Who cares? It's just a TV show." And I always find myself thinking, "If they don't care about the characters, why should I?"
I personally would prefer to just get rid of the d**n idiot box, but my wife unfortunately is one of those people who insists on turning it on as background noise, and is perfectly capable of ignoring it - but gets very upset if I (a) turn it off, or (b) don't pay attention to her because there's five minutes left and they're about to reveal the TRUE KILLER... :-(
But Star Trek (The Original Series) was awesome in its ability to make you believe in the characters.
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"The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled."
-Plutarch