Actually, after doing some research I'm rather shocked at how Stormtroopers have changed over the last twenty years.  I don't know why.  So many other things have been changed over the years.  There is no longer any mention of conscription and now the troopers are supposedly all "elite".  My question then... is what do the non-elite troops that are the majority of your forces look like?  

When I was growing up, the best explanation for why Luke and Han were still alive is that Stormtroopers were poorly trained and relied upon overwhelming numbers.