Hide behind Starcraft? Look, Starcraft is good and all, but it is like the Halo of RTS, much of its success is due to its appeal to the general public (like... I don't know... Diablo. And Warcraft. And World of Warcraft.) I didn't play TBfME 1, but the second was quite nice in my opinion. And I'm not a hardcore LotR fan, just liked the books and found the movies great, while still reserving the view that others might actually not like it for the pace, escapism or some other reason(s).
Also, Starcraft is in what I call the Fast n' Furious RTS genre. You don't really need much strategy to win. If you're zerg? Zergling rush. If you're Terran? Marine rush. If you're Protoss? Curl up and die, because you won't have time to build up since the waves of Zergs and Marines will steamroll you before you get to build your second Dragoon... That's the same with the Command and Conquer/Red Alert series. They're entertaining, but aren't that much of strategy games... at least not in Multi-player. I like when a strategy game actually require thinking and patience, instead of hot-key memory and catlike reflexes (those belong to FPS).
Strategy games I like? Supreme Commander and Sins of a Solar Empire are high in my list, and both are known for hours of gameplay in a single multiplayer map. Both require you to think of multiple scenarios ahead of time instead of just: "Need 15 collectors so I can start belching up my tank/zerg/whatever rush." You can, if you want, make a rush. But a smart player actually has the possibility of pushing it back with good defense. Still, I believe I'll find some fun in Demigod, since I appreciated the play-style of the Warcraft 3 mod: DotA. It changes the focus of the strategy, but still has its tactical elements there.
Finally, there are very nice TBS out there. Heroes of Might and Magic, King's Bounty or the Total War series, for instance.
