Luke said he wanted to join the academy... does that mean the imperial academy? or like a school academy?
Both, sort of. This question comes up a lot, and it's not helped by the fact that the slightly more concrete details are in the deleted scenes with Biggs at Anchorhead. Basically, the 'Academy' Luke wanted to go to was an educational institution that had been around since the days of the Republic, and was for teaching pilots, much as any college or university. At the time of SW/ANH, the Empire was really beginning to tighten its grip on the galaxy, and taking control of such a facility would have definitely been one of its priorities, as conscripting young pilots into military service would have been an easy way of increasing its power. All Luke wanted to do was go & learn how to fly starships, probably with the intention of pursuing a career as a commercial pilot. He says to Biggs that he'll be at the Academy next year, and won't be drafted into Imperial service, but he was probably being extremely naive, and wasn't aware of the extent to which the civil war had escalated.
Maybe it was a planetary air force...I know it's Tatooine and not very important but still..... Or maybe Luke saw it as his escape from the hated Tatooine...even if it meant joining the Empire for a short period of time. Then he could resign his position and go on with a job as a pilot somewhere else...idk though this is all speculation without much proof...
I remember reading it somewhere, I think it was the Essential Guide to Warfare, that Academy recruits after they completed their schooling had a chance to join the Empire if they wanted to, but they could be standard pilots instead. Provided, I think, that they don't get in the Empire's way.
The Vietnam analogy (naturally at the forefront of Lucas' mind in the 70s) really stands out here--Luke is essentially proposing to attend a (quasi-military) academy/university/thing in order to dodge the draft, and avoid being conscripted as a grunt on the front lines of the Empire's dirty little wars. College students across America at the time used the same strategy to avoid being called up (back then it was easier to get a deferment while you were in school).
i really dont think so. there was never an alternative.... like if luke was to either have to go to the academy or join the empire... but thats not the case. the choice was either stay on the farm, or go to the academy
I don't think so - I got the impression that if he joined the Academy he would have been walking straight into conscription (probably as a TIE pilot), not avoiding it. He was just naive to think otherwise. When he says to Biggs that "he'll be at the Academy next year and won't get drafted into Imperial service", he's talking about not getting drafted while at the Academy, rather than being somehow drafted while he's on Tatooine. The Vietnam analogy is still relevant, but there's nothing to suggest that the Empire was dragging able-bodied youths into military service from backwaters like Tatooine to fight the Galactic Civil War. Signing up for adventure and excitement in the days of the Republic to fight the Clone Wars, however, that's heavily implied in Luke's conversation with Obi-Wan - more of a WWI analogy.
Luke didn't harbour any grand designs to overthrow the Empire before the events of ANH. He just wanted to be get the hell off Tatooine, be a pilot and see a bit of the galaxy. The Academy was the easiest path to that becoming a reality.
