‘Star Wars’ Fans are Lining Up for ‘The Force Awakens’ for Some Reason

You might be scratching your head at that headline — didn’t tickets for Star Wars: The Force Awakens go on sale over a month ago? Why would fans be waiting in line for something they could easily purchase tickets for in advance? Don’t they know that we’re living in a technologically convenient society? To answer your questions (and ours): these guys are committed to the great Star Wars tradition, and their determination cannot be swayed by such modern conveniences and common sense.

According to the New York Times, one particular group of Star Wars fans have been lined up outside Chinese Theater in Hollywood since December 5. That’s a full 12 days of waiting to purchase tickets, but don’t worry (not that you were) — they have a system in place. The group has their own Facebook page, where the rules are clearly outlined: you must sign in and out of the line via a clipboard, but the only way to guarantee one ticket is to stay for a full 24 hours. You can guarantee one additional ticket for each 24 hours you log in the line.

It’s all very specific and meticulously planned, clearly the work of Star Wars mega-fans / maniacal nerds.

So why are they doing this when they could just buy the tickets on Fandango or whatever? Line participant and Star Wars fan Erik Murillo tells the Times, “At night you freeze and in the daytime you cook, but you come for the camaraderie and the chance to be a part of cinematic history…Besides, there are traditions to be upheld.”

Fans have been waiting in line — sometimes for days — for Star Wars movies since the original trilogy hit theaters (though they probably regret the days they wasted for the prequels), so it’s kind of nice to see that there are still fans who would rather commit to waiting in line than sullying tradition by purchasing their tickets early.

On top of that, the Line Sitting group’s mission is for a good cause: they’re encouraging and accepting charitable donations to Starlight Children’s Foundation, which helps kids and families worldwide.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters on December 18. These guys have at least eight more days of line-sitting.