The Official Course of the Force Blog - News, Insights and More

Course of the Force Comes to Cinemark Theaters!

June 19, 2013

If you’re in California this weekend and want to see a bit of Course of the Force awesomeness on the big screen, then you are in luck. At Cinemark Theaters in California, if you see a G, PG, or PG-13 movie, you’ll be able to watch a promo spot for this year’s Course of the Force, the Star Wars-themed relay going from Skywalker Ranch to San Diego beginning July 9th, projected large in front of your eyes.

Show some love to Course of the Force and watch a movie at Cinemark. While you’re at it, why not sign yourself up to run a quarter-mile leg of the relay? It’ll be fun and Star Wars-y.

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Virgin America’s Fly with the Force

June 17, 2013

We talk a lot about Course of the Force here and how much we’d like you to join in because it’s a lot of fun for a good cause. However, there are a lot of you out there who’d probably love to but can’t because of where you live. Well, Virgin America is stepping in to help with that. In their new Flight with the Force contest, if you enter by July 1st, you may win a spot in the Course of the Force relay AND airfare to get to California to do it! They’re basically doing everything for you but actually running it.

All you need to do to enter is “Like” them on Facebook to get the ball rolling, then fill out the pertinent information. You’ll get 20% off selected flights this fall just for entering. You’ll win a trip for two (no reason to go Solo) to San Francisco between July 9th and July 11th from any Virgin America destination, a two-night stay in a suite at Galleria Park Hotel, a relay slot in the San Francisco leg, a customized Hasbro lightsaber and Course of the Force swag bag, and an on-camera interview in San Francisco on the Course of the Force daily wrap-up show. That is a womp rat’s nest of awesomeness.

Enter by July 1st to get in on the action, and be sure to read all the fine print. It’s important. If you’re in the path of the relay already (or surrounding areas) you can go ahead and register right now. On top of being a lot of fun, the proceeds all go to help Make-a-Wish. It’s the Jedi thing to do.

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Presenting the Hosts and Correspondents for Course of the Force

June 12, 2013

In the Star Wars Universe it’s all about the friendships. Where would Han be without Chewie? He wouldn’t have even made it off Tattoine the first time if the big fuzzball hadn’t been at his side. Luke Skywalker would still be a moisture farmer on that same giant ball of desert if it hadn’t been for his friendship with Ben Kenobi. Course of the Force took Yoda’s words to heart when he said, “Only a fully trained Jedi Knight, with the Force as his ally, will conquer Vader and his Emperor.” We may not have the Force to help us build our lightsaber relay, but we definitely found some great allies to help bring Course of the Force to the California coast. Course of the Force 2013 is coming July 9-16 and the lightsaber relay from Skywalker Ranch to San Diego will feature a lineup of celebrity hosts and correspondents worthy of a commendation from Admiral Ackbar. Hosting coverage of this year’s event will be Jessica Chobot, Alison Haislip, Alex Albrecht, and Shira Lazar, plus Carrie Keagan of VH1′s Morning Buzz Live, HerUniverse founder and voice of Ahsoka Tano on The Clone Wars Ashley Eckstein, and, of course, our own Chris Hardwick.

That’s a Jedi’s council worth of cool people right there. Make sure to also tune in for more Course of the Force videos at the Nerdist Channel, like the web series’ first one with Matt Mira and Moshe Kasher (and Chris as Leia) and Episode 2 with Seth Green, Kyle Kinane, Kumail Nanjiani, and Clare Grant (and written by Scott Weinstein & Erik Kenward, writer/producers for Saturday Night Live). Look for more from Course of the Force right here at Nerdist.com and at starwars.com/courseoftheforce.

Sign up for Course of the Force, the lightsaber relay from Skywalker Ranch to Comic-Con in San Diego July 9-16, 2013 benefiting the Make-a-Wish Foundation, by clicking here.

Find out more about Course of the Force at starwars.com/courseoftheforce, Facebook,Twitter, YouTube, Google+, and Pinterest

Support the Make-a-Wish Foundation; find out how by clicking here.

Subscribe to the Nerdist Channel so you don’t miss a single moment of the Course of the Force saga.

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Course of the Force Episode II: The Wrath of Han

June 11, 2013

The search for the lightsaber continues as Kyle Kinane joins the cause. Episode II of the Course of the Force webseries is here. As we saw in Episode I, Matt Mira put the word out to all of Nerdist’s best people. Kinane’s gotten a lead that has led him to a hive of, not so much scum and villainy but karaoke, a hive of karaoke. It is here Kyle meets a mysterious, ruggedly-handsome stranger that may be able to help him track down the lost relic from a more civilized age. Han Solo? Sort of. Kumail Nanjiani and Seth Green are both ready to become scruffy-looking nerf herders. Can Kyle come to terms with the scoundrels with hearts of gold or will he lose his new allies to a game of “Who shot first?” Stay tuned to find out.

Sign up for Course of the Force, the lightsaber relay from Skywalker Ranch to Comic-Con in San Diego July 9-16, 2013 benefiting the Make-a-Wish Foundation, by clicking here.

Find out more about Course of the Force at starwars.com/courseoftheforce, Facebook,Twitter, and YouTube.

Support the Make-a-Wish Foundation; find out how by clicking here.

Subscribe to the Nerdist Channel to make sure you’re there for the entire Course of the Force saga.

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Fett-ching Nerdist Mandalorian Helmet

June 6, 2013

A Nerdist Facebook fan known as Fett Finish who builds and repaints Mandalorian and other Star Wars helmets in cool and interesting ways has painted one in the color scheme of our partners in Course of the Force, The Nerdist, complete with logo on the top! It’s pretty much the coolest thing we’ve ever seen. What do you think?

To check out the rest of the photos of this awesome helmet, check out Fett Finish’s “Nerdist Fett” gallery. It’s well worth it. And since you’re in a Star Wars state of mind, why not sign up to run in this year’s Course of the Force, the massive relay from Skywalker Ranch to San Diego in the week leading up to Comic-Con? Anyone who wears a Nerdist Fett helmet will get…a hearty pat on the back.

No Comments » | Tags: Boba Fett, Course of the Force, Events, Mandalorian
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30 Years of The Return of the Jedi Makes a Lot of Memories

May 31, 2013

Last weekend marked the 30th anniversary of the release of Return of the Jedi, the film that introduced the world to a forest moon, a race of cuddly heroes and the most disgusting gangster the anyone had ever seen. We all have memories of what we love about Episode VI, but thanks to the folks at Entertainment Weekly we now know how some of our favorite actors, directors, and writers feel about the film formerly known as Revenge of the Jedi.

In preparation for Entertainment Weekly and Geoff Boucher’s Capetown Film Fest, EW asked die-hard Star Wars fan Kyle Newman to create a short film getting to the heart of why fans love the film. And who better to do that than Star Wars fans who’ve gone on to profess their love professionally as actors, writers and directors. Creators in their own right, Newman got a group including the likes of Kevin Smith, Seth Green, Sam Witwer, Jaime King, Topher Grace and our own Chris Hardwick to sit down and talk about what ROTJ meant to them.

After premiering at the May the 4th, 30th Anniversary screenings of the Return of the Jedi at the Egyptian Theater (the same theater the film premiered in 30 years ago), Return of Return of the Jedi is now available. Find out which actress has a surprising disdain for Ewoks, discover which actors have an obsession with Salacious Crumb and learn which costume one actor referred to as “the greatest thing to happen to Comic-Con.” So crack open a can of Jawa juice, put on your most comfortable robes and watch the Jedi masters of fandom remember back to their days as Padawan learners. After your walk down memory lane get ready to make new Star Wars fueled memories with Course of the Force this summer. Register now and get ready to relay for Make-A-Wish.

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Course of the Force: The Hunt for the Lightsaber Begins

May 29, 2013

The fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance as Nerdist’s Matt Mira begins a quest to retrieve Course of the Force‘s lightsaber, the baton for the Star Wars-themed charity relay going from Skywalker Ranch all the way to San Diego in the week leading up to Comic-Con. In the first episode of the Course of the Force web series, we see that Matt’s going to need all the help he can get if he’s going to get the precious Jedi weapon back. Little does he know, some nefarious villain is behind this.

The premiere episode also sheds some light on the comedy stylings of our favorite beep-booping handy-bot, R2-D2. Via a nifty translation app, powered by Qualcomm, on Matt’s Samsung Galaxy S4, he’s able to understand what the little guy’s saying even without a protocol droid. Turns out, Artoo’s a big fan of impressions, Justin Timberlake and Office Space. Quite the deep character, that squat blue roller.

Mysteries and revelations abound as the Course of the Force web series kicks off. Many questions to answer: Who stole the lightsaber? Can Matt Mira make any more Star Wars references than he already has? Why is Chris Hardwick dressed like Princess Leia? Will Moshe Kasher ever understand Mr. D2? To find out more, you just have to keep watching on the Nerdist Channel. And, while we’re on the topic, why not register to run a quarter-mile leg in the relay? It benefits Make-A-Wish and it gives you excellent brownie points with the Jedi Council.

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The Course of the Force Experience: Dr. Andrea Letamendi

May 23, 2013

We can’t wait for Course of the Force to return to California this July, but we’re not the only ones. Last year, hundreds of people came out to participate and helped Make-A-Wish grant over 1000 wishes with their registration. One of those runners was clinical psychologist Dr. Andrea Letamendi. If you recognize that name, it’s most likely because you’ve either caught one of her speaking engagements at conventions around the country or you might have seen her get name checked in Batgirl #16 as Barbara Gordon’s therapist. Dr. Letamendi discusses the psychology of superheroes on her site Under The Mask. She blogged about her experience as a runner in the inaugural Course of the Force and we can’t think of a better endorsement.

Drivers on Pacific Coast Highway (known to L.A. natives as “PCH”) on Saturday afternoon were met with quite the traffic jam. The Star Wars event, “Course of the Force,” the first charity lightsaber relay, was making its debut. The well-paced parade (not quite as fast as 12 parsecs) began its journey from Santa Monica Pier to Redondo Beach in quarter-mile increments. The procession included two giant tour buses, Jabba’s sail barge, two escort-cyclists, and a couple of shuttles! Oh– and a good amount of motorcops to help clear the path!

That’s me, trying my best to keep up with the Sail Barge! Runners ranged from athletes to hardcore Star Wars fans to celebs, cosplayers, and 501st members. In front of the Barge is a participant shuttle bus, which transported the runners to each of our respective running points. While preparing for my leg, I watched motorists and spectators’ baffled expressions as the procession passed them. Although there was a brief traffic delay, I don’t believe folks stuck in traffic were too bothered by the sight of a Stormtrooper or Jedi running with a lightsaber! Hell, the ice cream in the trunk can melt, this is way cool!

Participants were asked to show off their best Star Wars costumes, and were given the choice to walk, jog, or run! I intended to run my entire quarter mile (before I knew it was uphill!).

My best friend and her husband created this custom-made athletic outfit for me which included the Imperial Logo on the front and the intimidating phrase “The Chosen One” on the back. I also wore my Darth Vader belt since I knew I’d be able to run in it.

Photo above was taken by a photographer on the Sail Barge and is part of the official Star Wars Flickr photostream.

And here’s my view of the CoTF Crew!

Meanwhile, in the participant shuttle bus, the CoTF organizers and group leaders were helping us every step of the way! They led the entire procession and dropped off runners at their respective stops! My shuttle comprised the participants in the first running group for the event– a couple of father-son duos, Clone Trooper Captain Rex, Luke Skywalker, the Emperor, Jedis, and non-costumed fans. We had a great team!

Photo of Lawrence Green costumed as Luke Skywalker was taken by Matt Martin. Lawrence’s costume was spot-on!

A Jedi and his Padawan getting ready to board the shuttle! Younglings were allowed in the event as long as they ran with an adult. So adorable!

I have to give a lot of credit and thanks to the CoTF organizers, drivers, and local police staff. I think the hardest-working folks were the cyclists who escorted each runner and “protected” the lightsaber so that it can get to Comic-Con safely! And of course, proceeds went to Make-a-Wish Foundation!

No Comments » | Tags: Course of the Force, Relay
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We’re on a Barge: Jabba’s Sail Barge Keeps Pace

May 21, 2013

Being a Hutt crimelord isn’t the greatest hand to get dealt in life - sure, you get to put Princess Leia in a gold bikini and have a pet Rancor, but you’re also fat, disgusting and likely to be killed by a returning Jedi (just when you thought it was safe to go back in the desert). On the upside, you get the greatest personal transport ever: the Sail Barge, which was so cool we co-opted it for Course of the Force (register now!). While we await the invention of superior hover technology, this 25-foot long, 13-foot high desert cruiser will lead all the action of the Star Wars charity relay benefiting Make-A-Wish. Speaking of blueprints, you can check out the Barge’s blueprints in our Course of the Force gallery on Pinterest and see how the original Sail Barge looked behind the scenes in Return of the Jedi.

Jabba’s personal barge often spelled doom for most onlookers and dinner for the Sarlacc, but it’s okay to stare at ours, as it’ll serve as homebase for some considerably friendlier. Contestants in the relay will each be given their own custom lightsabers, so there’s no need to worry about making a precarious catch from an R2 unit. And while the Sarlacc takes years to digest bounty hunters, running will accelerate your own metabolism and possibly even get you healthier.

One thing we always did appreciate about the crew on Jabba’s barge was its diversity. From Squid Heads to Yak Faces, all were welcome in whatever outlandish garb they chose, united towards a common goal of having fun. Course of the Force enriches lives rather than endangering them as Jabba did, and it welcomes one and all in the best costumes you can make. Sign up for the Course of the Force and prepare for a trip lead by “Jabba’s Pleasure Barge.”

As we head down the California coast, many an onlooker will be puzzled about what is causing the back up on Pacific Coast Highway. Have no fear though, because once the SoCal commuters realize they’re in a procession with the mighty Jabba the Hutt, those snears will turn to smiles.

No Comments » | Tags: Course of the Force, Events, Jabba, Sail barge, Star Wars, Stormtroopers
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