Nerdist Begins ‘Star Wars’ Series Leading Into ‘Course Of The Force’

Nerdist is living up to its name with a new show based around Star Wars. Chris Hardwick‘s YouTube channel has released the first episode of Course of the Force, a six-part web series leading into the second annual charity run to Comic-Con of the same name.

The series stars the main personalities of Nerdist Industries, including Hardwick and Matt Mira, along with a nice little cameo appearance from R2D2. We all know that R2 can fix hyperdrives and deliver interstellar messages, but Course of the Force shows us that he can also do a mean Borat impression. The series is a joint production between Nerdist and Lucasfilm (although the series only uses a knockoff version of the iconic Star Wars theme), so R2 may not be the only nerd icon to show up.

Nerdist will release the last Course of the Force episode by July 9th, allowing the series to directly precede the weeklong charity event of the same name, which starts that day. As with last year’s event, Star Wars fans will carry a lightsaber down the Pacific coast, with each participant offering up a donation to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. If you wish to participate, there’s still time. All you need to do is sign up for a slot at the Course of the Force website.

The ceremonial lightsaber will arrive in San Diego on the 16th, just in time for Comic-Con. Of course, if the web series is to be believed, Hardwick and his associates need to find it first.