"...The armor significantly reduced damage to the wearer from a blaster bolt, but it could be completely penetrated by a more powerful cannon blast."

 

"...it could partially deflect or disperse energy from low, medium, and high-energy blaster bolts; though the wearer may be incapacitated, survival would allow the trooper to receive advanced medical treatment that may return him to service."

 

"...in most scenes where the stormtroopers' accuracy is notably poor, they are actually under orders to not kill the main characters."

 

"...Stormtroopers are a fanatical elite, as it shows them to be willing to obey orders that put them in immense danger, such as deliberately putting up an ineffective resistance as part of a deception plan. This is further backed up by other scenes where stormtroopers prove unusually accurate, such as the Tantive IV boarding action, where many of them were hitting Rebel crewmen with shots from the hip, and the battle outside the shield bunker at Endor, where stormtroopers hit both Leia and R2-D2 with snap shots from long range."

 

- Wookieepedia

 

 

So does this explain why Stormtroopers seemed so gimped in the original trilogy, or does it seem like defensive rationalization?

I'm not so sure....I mean they pretty much flattened the rebels and the heroes when they attacked echo base sending them on the run, but the stormtroopers that hit R2 and Leia actually aimed with their weapons. Edited January 14, 2012 by Wolfninjajedi

posting this fro ma similar thread i responded too

 

 

People fail to realize the cliche rule of thumb is that heroes always hit dead on, don't get hit or hurt by non main antagonists. the only time the miss or get hurt is to elevate them for a plot point that comes immediately afterward.

 

Thus why many people do not give credit to the stormtroopers (and Imperial military in general) the credit they deserve. Though i want to slap Lucas every time I think of the fury victory on Endor...that took hero auto win waay to far in my book.

 

The armor, the skill, and the weapons they had were actual pretty good when you remove the hero factor.

 

TL:DR take away the heroes, stormtroopers can kick *** and take a hit. add in the heroes...they become the poster boy of suck.