I don't know if stormtroopers are going to be beefed up or not. Origianlly, before beta, they said stormtroopers would be no laughing matter and that a stormtrooper would be a major threat to all but the most skilled of characters. But that is another story...
Smokie the Wookie (you) is a covert rebel spy or sympathizer trying to get to the bazaar in the center of town. You turn a corner and see a probot too late. You get the message that it is scanning you and hope you hid your republic blaster well. Unfortunately, you did't. The probot detects it and calls for backups. All of a sudden, you are no longer covert, as you were uncovered, so you have a temporary TEF. The stormtroopers start attacking you, as do any Imperial player characters.
This is the way the game was envisioned by many and the devs are finally implementing it. As a rebel, even as a covert rebel, you are going to have to keep a low profile and avoid going to busy areas, especially if their is an imperial presence there.
You can go completely unsliced and unspiced...as a covert rebel, this would make you a spy and as an imperial you would be a law-abiding citizen. You can try to travel with illegal items, which would make you a criminal or a sabateur if a rebel, or a vigilante if you are an imperial. I think one outcome of this patch is that more people will become overt: the people that want the best stats, items and equipment are going to be harassed anyway, so this they might as well be open about and at least get the benefits. Maybe the punishment for imperials caught with slice or spice is only a fine deducted from their bank account, and stormtroopers and probebots "look the other way" and do not harass or scan overt imperials. This would give the imps the advantage they need without making the game unfair to the rebels (rebels just need to be more careful).