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In A New Hope Luke consistently says he wants to join the (Imperial) Academy. Owen keeps saying he should wait but Beru pushes Owen to let him go. Could she be referring to him seeing Kenobi and not the Academy?
It seems the main hole is in Beru's remarks, since if it's taken at face value you’re left with a woman sending her fugitive son to the Imperial doorstep.
Hopefully somebody has a half decent answer to this.
The short answer to this is that Luke isn't a slave. Although Owen has been brow-beating his nephew on an almost continual basis (to the point that he's withdrawn his application to the Imperial Academy), the simple fact is that he's old enough to make his own decisions and they certainly can't stop him if he wants to just get up and leave.
As we see in the film's official novelisation, Luke has a gentleman's agreement with Uncle Owen to remain for one more season. Evidently this isn't the first time that he's succumbed to their persuasion:
“You know,” Luke replied distantly, “I think these ’droids are going to work out fine. In fact, I—” He hesitated, shooting his uncle a surreptitious glare. “I was thinking about our agreement about me staying on for another season.”
His uncle failed to react, so Luke rushed on before his nerve failed. “If these new ’droids do work out, I want to transmit my application to enter the Academy for next year.” Owen scowled, trying to hide his displeasure with food. “You mean, you want to transmit the application next year—after the harvest."
...
“I need you here, Luke. You understand that, don’t you?” “It’s another year,” his nephew objected sullenly. “Another year.” How many times had he heard that before? How many times had they repeated this identical charade with the same result?
As to why Beru would be more amenable to the idea, it boils down to three factors;
“Owen, you can’t keep him here forever. Most of his friends are gone, the people he grew up with. The Academy means so much to him.”
“He never will be, no matter how hard you try to make him one.” She shook her head slowly. “He’s got too much of his father in him.”
Note that they didn't even bother to change his name, nor is there any special evidence that the Empire is actively seeking him. Owen seems to think that all of that Jedi nonsense is behind them now.
Although we as the audience see the inherent risk in allowing young Luke Skywalker to join the Imperial navy, Owen & Beru Lars did not.
To the Lars family, and the galaxy at large, Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker were not the same person. To anyone not in the know, Anakin Skywalker was just a Jedi pilot who had been killed during the events of The Clone Wars. And the only people "in the know" were Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Bail Organa. They therefore had no reason to think that the last name Skywalker would be noticed by anyone... surely not by the Emperor or even Vader.
Without knowing his role in galactic events, the Lars found themselves in a common situation. Young men from many worlds - especially rural or remote ones - sought to join the Empire as a way to get out and see the galaxy, a way to seek adventure. Whereas Owen would prefer that Luke stay close and safe, Beru understood that parents must eventually let their children go their own way. And, as she stated to Owen, Luke would never be content with life as a moisture farmer - he simply had too much of his father (the pilot/adventurer) in him.
Related: Was Vader's true identity a secret?
As for the Academy being dangerous in general, there are two things to consider:
Owen wants him to stay, to help farm. Beru recognizes that he isn't a farmer and wont be happy there.
Luke's just not a farmer, Owen. He has too much of his father in him.
People often join the military in order to 'get out there and see the world' in this case galaxy. Luke wants to get out and seek adventure.
Owen and Beru are probably indifferent to the Empire, because they likely haven't had any issues with them before. Up until the stormtroopers kill them for harboring stolen droids.
For questions relating to whether Vader knew Luke was his son prior to the post-events of the Battle of Yavin see these questions:
When and how does Vader learn that Luke is his son?
I didn't think the "academy" was necessarily an Imperial organization...it may have been a prep school run by the local system to train starship crews, some of whom may have gone on to be employed in the Imperial forces, but the academy itself was not directly affilitated with the central Imperial government.
