I got asked why the Empire still used Stormtroopers in The Mandalorian when they were exposed as ineffective in the Original Trilogy and this was my answer:

In storyline, Stormtroopers were actually widely feared across the galaxy. They had a reputation of being ruthless and merciless, and there were always overwhelming numbers of them.We see this with their very first appearance as they roll right over a battalion of rebel troopers and easily capture Leia. We see it again on Hoth as they roll over the greater body of the Alliance military with relative ease.However it becomes painfully obvious that they are no good at handling surprise attacks. That’s why a teenager and a couple of ballsy smugglers get the drop on them again and again.Still, if it weren’t for Leia’s quick thinking, Stromtroopers would have rounded the heroes up after trapping them in the hallway of the Death Star detention center.As the series progresses, the main characters become more like superheroes. One of them even develops actual powers and everything, and they still keep catching stormtroopers off guard."Okay, but what about the Ewoks," you might say.Turns out those little bastards are perhaps the baddest warriors in the galaxy. They immediately capture the main core of adventurers with little trouble, after all. It’s only Luke’s superpowers that get them out of that bind and also tricks them into allying themselves with the Rebels.Also, at that point in the story, it must be assumed that the Empire knew just how much trouble those cannibalistic little fucks were because they dropped everything to fight them immediately on their appearance. They knew they had to throw everything they could at those little monsters if they were going to even survive.One has to figure they’d had run ins with small groups of them before and seen untold horrors from them so if a whole army of them suddenly appears that is most definitely an “Oh Shit” moment, no matter how cute the Ewoks appeared to be.(More on how the Ewoks were actual badasses HERE.)Stormtrooper armor is definitely ineffective and indeed, hampers their sight lines and aim. That’s seen again and again in the original films as you can see these dudes bang their heads on doors and everything. It’s also why they’re such terrible shots. Hell, Luke even says so when he's in the armor himself, "I can't see a thing in this helmet."So why do they wear that armor if it’s not only ineffective but an actual hindrance to their abilities?The first reason is they look scary. They look kinda like skeletons and there are always a ton of them. The average person in the universe isn’t going to even try to fight back, and Stormtroopers know that They’re also ruthless. They will burn you to a crisp and leave your smoking corpses for your family to find. Just ask Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru.So it doesn’t matter that the armor isn't that protective because they don’t need it to be effective anymore. The average person was too scared of them to try fighting back anyway.Then add the retcon reasons from the Prequels. Stormtroopers look like the infamous Clone Troopers. These were the dudes that just took over everything one day, and not even those wizards with laser swords could stop them. They were legendary for their fearsomeness, and Stormtroopers are riding on the coattails of their reputation.Stormtroopers are not Clone Troopers anymore of course, the clones are long dead at this point. But the average person doesn't know that. No, Stormtroopers are just a bunch of grunts in Halloween costumes because the Emperor and Vader love the dramatic effect of their appearance.Not that they’re alone in that. Even the average Joe in Star Wars has extravagant fashion tastes. “Hmm, what will complete this outfit? I know! A cape!” Honestly I wish all of us in real life had fashion tastes like that on the regular. Capes are pretty fucking awesome.To sum up, the Empire relies heavily on stormtroopers for the shock effect and their sheer numbers. One of the main reasons they lost is that they underestimated the bravery of the Rebels. They also didn't expect them to take full advantage of surprise attacks and exploit the ineffectiveness of the troopers' armor as whole.In short, arrogance on the part of the Empire led to the decay of their fighting forces.By the time the Mandalorian happens, some five years after the fall of the Empire, they’re stuck with the dregs of the universe for stormtroopers. These are dudes that fit in nowhere and nobody else wants them around. These idiots are like the Star Wars versions of America's "militia" morons who try to kidnap governors. As such they’re even more ineffective than previous versions of Stormtroopers.That’s the in canon explanation. What’s the real life explanation?Stormtroopers look cool, sell merchandise, and if they were better soldiers, the original Star Wars trilogy would only be fifteen minutes long.As for the Mandalorian, they’re actually riffing on the long standing joke that Stormtroopers are terrible shots. They even did a whole gag about it in the first season with Jason Sudeikis in the scout trooper suit. via /r/StarWars https://ift.tt/3qyYyGj