Has Star Trek survived so long because of its classic Homeric story-telling device?

I think it�s a band of people heading off into the future, but I think it�s also that Star Trek is not afraid to address big, ballsy issues - philosophy, duty, loyalty, friendship. We do it with gusto, we do it without our tongues embedded in our cheeks and without winking at the audience, and I think people respond to that. There isn�t a lot of that. There�s a lot of fluff on television, a lot of very funny, sitcoms and a lot of drama in which there�s personal tragedy. But big issues, big philosophical issues about race, or about philosophy are not dealt with in a lot on television, and, on Star Trek, we do it every day.