Introducing “Course of the Force”: An Epic Journey Awaits You
by Perry Michael Simon on February 9, 2012
What event wouldn’t be improved by a torch relay to start things off? This year, there’s going to be a relay in July that will go from Santa Monica to San Diego leading up to Comic-Con. That’s not the best part. This is:
Lightsabers.
Yes, there’s going to be a lightsaber relay down the Southern California coast, and you can be part of it. You want to be part of it. You NEED to… well, you’re going to want to be there. I mean, how often do you get to run in public like a Jedi Knight wielding a lightsaber and NOT have people look at you funny? AND help a great cause to boot?
It’s called “Course of the Force,” and Lucasfilm Ltd., Nerdist Industries, Octagon and Machinima are teaming up to give Star Wars fans — that means you — an opportunity to run with our own version of an Olympic torch in a benefit for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. The event, hatched deep within Nerdist Industries, will have runners taking quarter-mile segments along the course and passing the tor… er, lightsaber to the next runner. It’ll go from July 7th through 11th, starting in Santa Monica and ending in San Diego in time for preview night at San Diego Comic-Con International, which runs July 12-15 this year, and the segments will be sold to the public to raise money for Make-a-Wish.
From Chris’ guest post on the official Google blog:
In 2012, I will be attending my 9th San Diego Comic-Con. While I always look forward to that extended weekend of Nerdvana, I sometimes feel a bit like the commercial shininess of it slightly eclipses its intended spirit. To me, going to Cons as a kid was all about having a safe haven—a place where like-minded folks could come together to celebrate nerdly passions and accept each other for the oddball (by the larger and more boring sector of society’s standards) stuff we were all into. Ultimately, it should be the most fun thing of the year. For poop sake, most of you save up your whole year of cash and vacation time to go to SDCC so why not run at it screaming??
If you are geographically challenged and can’t make it out to Southern California in July, the entire relay will be livestreamed at YouTube.com/nerdist, aka, The Nerdist Channel. WHAT IS THAT??? Excellent query, Person! The Nerdist Channel on YouTube is a partnership between Nerdist Industries, The Jim Henson Company, and Broadway Video. We officially launch April 1 and will be bringing you nerd-centric programming with such folks as me, Neil Patrick Harris, Rob Zombie, Awkward Family Videos, The Dudesons and The Kids in the Hall, just to name a few. Additionally, we’ll have programs that cover gaming, science, tech and cosplay. Shows with other people you may recognize as being relevant to your interests will be announced VERY soon so keep an eye glued to Nerdist.com for that business!
Please join us in taking the Con out of the hall and stretching it to a full week of activities as we storm the yellow brick road (sand) to Oz (SDCC)!
There’ll be opportunities online and through various promotions for fans to get in on the action, participants will be encouraged (not required, but strongly encouraged) to dress in Star Wars or other pop culture-themed gear, and there’ll be prizes for that. Runners will get a customized Hasbro Star Wars Ultimate FX lightsaber, along with other gifts celebrating the Force and Comic-Con. Each day will be capped with things like Star Wars-themed parties, contests, and live Nerdist shows.
Chris will be talking about “Course of the Force” tonight on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, which you can watch on your local affiliate of the National Broadcasting Company (that’s the channel with the little graphical interpretation of a peacock in the lower right of the screen) in the U.S. and on CTV Two (the channel that used to be called “A,” as in “eh?” or “‘ey, we need a better name for this channel!”) in Canada. It’s at 12:35 am Eastern/11:35 pm Central or thereabouts. Watch it.
More information? You can check the official website, Twitter account, and Facebook page for all the details and updates as we get closer to the event. The full press release is here. And there might just be some chances to win slots in the relay if you subscribe to the GeekChicDaily newsletter, so keep an eye on that, too.
This is going to be fun.
That’s awesome !
Congrats for the insane partnership.
If you thought running with scissors was dangerous, I can’t imagine what hundreds of people running with lightsabers will be like.
A quarter mile? Will there be an ambulance following the participants?
That’s sooooooo awesome! I hope I can attend this year.
Was Chris wearing a Gryffindor tie or am I imaging things?
That is going to be awesome! And the Make-A-Wish Foundation couldn’t ask for better supporters!!!! So wish I could be there to help.
A quarter mile?? Come on, nerds! You can go at LEAST a half-mile in a day! LOL It’s a great cause and sounds like a fun event, wish I could be there!!
@algoan—me thinks this becomes increasingly more difficult in a Storm Trooper outfit and the Wookie may Suffer heat exhaustion— and do we really want to listen to an out of breath Vader ???
@redsonja1313… excellent points! Although doesn’t Vader *always* sound out of breath?
Do this for the star wars celebration in Orlando this August as well.
Also have those Tesla Coil guys that play the Imperial March be at one of the parties along the way or at the finish line at BOTH events.
This sounds great, but I’m saving all my pennies to actually get to Comic Con this year, so i can’t afford to pay the entry fee. Now, if I happen to win a slot (assuming I could win one for the 11th as that’s when I fly into SD) I’d be more than happy to slap on the old Ki Audi Mundi costume!