The Force Runs Its Course

1. 

   Jabba's Sail Barge

   The flagship of Course of the Force, where interviews were conducted and runners were photographed.

2. 

   Sail Barge with Jedi

   Instead of attacking Jabba's vehicle of choice, Jedi seemed strangely drawn to having their picture taken next to it.

3. 

   Course of the Bus

   The Course of the Force Tour bus was pretty pimped out.

4. 

   The Law of the Force

   The traffic cops helping guide the Course were very pleased with their lightsaber gifts.

5. 

   Friends in the Force

   Runners show off some of the greatest costumes this side of Tatooine.

6. 

   I Am Your Father

   That's Jackson from the Make a Wish foundation on the left, showing off his saber skills.

7. 

   Crowd Wars

   The sail barge seemed to make a lot of folks smile everywhere it went in San Diego.

8. 

   R2-D2, is That You?

   Nerdist host Alison Haislip displays her droid pride.

9. 

   Stay on Target

   The pilot of Jabba's sail barge was required to wear an X-wing pilot's helmet at all times. Not worn: Princess Leia's wig.

10. 

    Run Lobot Run

    Lando Calrissian's aide-de-camp gets his turn at the lightsaber.

11. 

    The Solo-ness of the Long Distance Runner

    Mallory Beck does the Kessel Run for less than twelve parsecs.

12. 

    Darth Mohawk

    One of the more interesting sartorial choices for the Lord of the Sith

13. 

    Run, Luke!

    When school's in, Todd Soper is a French teacher. This summer, he got together a Luke Skywalker Return of the Jedi costume and ran four different segments of Course of the Force.

14. 

    Leia and Artoo, Kinda

    Cross-dressing? Droid-dressing? Just another day at Course of the Force

15. 

    Paging Doctor Jedi

    Stethoscope? Check. Smock? Check. Lightsaber? Double check.

16. 

    Mara Jade

    Luke's Jedi wife in the Expanded Universe of Star Wars novels takes her turn to run.

17. 

    May the Force Be With You

    Nerdist CEO Peter Levin, in Jedi robes, waves from the sail barge.

18. 

    Let the Wookiee Run

    Chewie's head can get a little itchy, apparently. (That's a joke for you Holiday Special fans.)

19. 

    The Droids You're Looking For

    This father-daughter pairing made for one of the cutest couples on the trail.

20. 

    Freeway Jedi

    In Southern California, there's no getting around freeways -- but Course of the Force waited till its last day to run on the I-5.

21. 

    Surprise!

    Course of the Force got plenty of double takes as it passed through San Diego, including from this random pair of shirtless dudes.

22. 

    Darth Jogger

    Bow before his mighty sweatbands, Twilek.

23. 

    Clone of the Force

    A fully kitted-out Clone Trooper takes over from Darth Jogger. Is he really going to run in that in this heat?

24. 

    Clone Courage

    Yep, he really ran in it. We salute you, soldier.

25. 

    Darth Maul Awaits

    Runners were placed at set points by the side of the road, ready to take over in the relay.

26. 

    Maul Moves

    Some runners felt free to add a few cool lightsaber moves. But shouldn't Darth Maul have a two-sided saber?

27. 

    Darth Malgus

    Now we're getting really nerdy -- with a character from the Old Republic.

28. 

    Lego Boba Fett

    Note the Lego-like cupped hands

29. 

    Dark Side Discussion

    Alison Haislip interviews actor Wilmer Valderrama, the final bearer of the lightsaber, while Vader watches sternly on.

30. 

    @Nerdist and @HerUniverse

    Chris Hardwick and Ashley Eckstein (the voice of Ahsoka Tano on The Clone Wars) kick off the afterparty

31. 

    All This and Artoo Too

    The lightsaber finally comes to rest.

32. 

    Artoo Rocks Out

    The afterparty band wouldn't be complete without R2-D2, who provided sound effects as accompaniment.

33. 

    Tusken on the Dancefloor

    These Sand people really loved the band.

34. 

    Cantina Pals

    In the Course of the Force Mos Eisley Cantina, even Stormtroopers and Jedi bartenders can be friends

Love Star Wars? Love social media? Then you've no doubt heard about Course of the Force, which is fast becoming the geek world's answer to the carrying of the Olympic flame.

Now in its second year, the week-long event — created by the good people of Nerdist to benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation — took a symbolic lightsaber from Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, Calif., down to the steps of the San Diego Convention Center in time for this year's Comic-Con.

See also: Lose Yourself in the Largest Star Wars Collection Ever

Hundreds of costumed Star Wars fans took their turn carrying it (albeit at a leisurely pace), helping Course of the Force raise more than $100,000 for the charity.

Mashable tagged along on Jabba's sail barge, the flagship vehicle of the relay run, for its triumphant entry into San Diego. Check out the gallery above for our highlights.

Images by Mashable