'Star Wars' Stormtroopers: What message do they send?

On the opening night of J.J. Abrams' amazing film, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" I enjoyed a special 3-D screening in the Brooklyn Academy of Music's intimate Harvey Theater. I'll begin by stipulating that I loved the movie, I often had goosebumps, tears and the urge to stand up and cheer, and the entire audience apparently shared a similarly exuberant and nostalgic response to the movie.

The instant the theater lights went down the audience started cheering, and at the first chord of John Williams' music the crowd was shouting; when the "galaxy far, far away" backstory began streaming into the screen's outer space the audience simply went wild.