The Course of the Force lightsaber relay to raise money for the Make a Wish Foundation kicked off earlier this week at Skywalker Ranch and is now working its way down the California coast.  The launch of this year’s relay, sponsored by Nerdist Indistries, Lucasfilm, and Octagon (see “Course of the Force Returns”), was commemorated by a music video for the song “West Coast” by actor Jason Schwartzman’s band Coconut Records.  It was set in the Mos Eisley Cantina, and Nerdist founder Chris Hardwick, Carrie Keagan, Patton Oswalt, and Billy Dee Williams all came out for the cause.  The event was done in partnership with Samsung, and Samsung Galaxy S4 phones were used to shoot the video.  We’ve share the making-of video here.

The relay has also been promoted by a Nerdist Channel Webseries (see “Course of the Force Video”), and daily wrap-up videos are being produced.  Events will be held in San Francisco, Santa Monica, Huntington Beach, and Oceanside, and the relay ends at Comic-Con in San Diego.  A Course of the Force Android app from Qualcomm can be used to keep up with the relay. 

Last year's relay raised over $100,000 for the Make a Wish Foundation.  Contributions to this year's fundraiser can be made by clicking here.