The Official Course of the Force RV, which will be part of the caravan following a Hasbro lightsaber down the coast of Southern California. Photo courtesy of Course of the Force.
Star Wars Day might have been more than two months ago (on May 4th—as in “May the Fourth be with you”), but local nerds have yet another reason to celebrate their love of George Lucas’ iconic space-age saga.
In preparation for the San Diego Comic-Con International, which starts July 12, more than 400 participants will be running legs of a lightsaber relay down the Southern California coast in an inaugural Star Wars-themed charity event called Course of the Force.
“Peter Levin [CEO of Nerdist Industries] came up with the idea,” says Adam Harris of Course of the Force co-organizers Octagon Global Events. “He carried the Olympic torch when it went to Atlanta in 1996 and the experience really stuck with him. He’s a huge Star Wars fan, too…and he came up with the idea for an Olympic-style lightsaber relay.”
Beginning tomorrow at the Santa Monica Pier, celebrities, Make A Wish Foundation kids and those who donated $500 for the opportunity will dress up like their favorite Lucasfilm character and run quarter-mile segments of the race until the lightsaber lands at the San Diego Convention Center—just in time for next Wednesday’s Comic-Con preview night.
Sometime between 10AM and 1PM on Sunday, the custom Hasbro Ultimate FX Lightsaber–like the Levitated Mass rock before it–will pass through Long Beach on its way to elsewhere with a vehicle entourage (the lead vehicle is a replica of Jabba the Hutt’s sail barge) and a lot of spectacle.
But don’t take to the streets in your Yoda getup just yet. You can either follow the action online at on StarWars.com or the Nerdist YouTube channel or you can instead wait for the Star Wars-themed afterparty and concert that awaits costumed Saga fans Sunday evening when the lightsaber arrives at the Huntington Beach Pier. Then, it’s off to more parties in Oceanside and Pacific Beach on its way to nerd-culture mecca at Comic-Con.
“These public events are a chance for fans to celebrate the love of the Star Wars saga,” says Harris. “So don’t be alarmed if you show up at the pier on Sunday and see a bunch of Stormtroopers and Jedis.”
Feel like using the force for good? There are still several legs of the Long Beach segment of relay available for purchase. All proceeds will benefit the Make-A-Wish chapters of San Diego, Greater Los Angeles and Orange County and the Inland Empire. Go to www.courseoftheforce.com for more information.
Also check out the event’s promotional video featuring comedian and Nerdist Industries Founder Chris Hardwick. It was produced in collaboration with Lucasfilm, written by Broadway Video (SNL, 30 ROCK, PORTLANDIA) writers, and filmed at Industrial Light and Magic.