So, the official schedule for Comic-Con International is finally here. And we’ve decided to highlight some of Thursday’s best offerings and must-not-miss panels, games, and big events for you — just, you know, to be nice. And also because, hoo lawd is that thing overwhelming-looking.

First up, of course, is the VERY EXCITING NERDIST SCIENCE PANEL! That’s right, your eyes don’t deceive you: our very own Science Editor Kyle Hill will host a panel to dissect and discuss the bevy of science behind some of your favorite shows and movies, including Game of Thrones, Star Wars, and more. He’ll be joined by a panel of writers, engineers, and scientists so it’s for sure you going to be one you won’t want to miss because WHOA science rules! It’s happening from 8p – 9p in Room 25ABC.

As for the rest and far, far less important stuff (we kid, we kid):
The day kicks off with several solid panels at 10am, including a 24 panel featuring Jack Bauer himself. “Kiefer Sutherland takes the stage to celebrate 24’s most iconic moments and highlights of Jack Bauer’s triumphant return in 24: Live Another Day. Catch the exclusive sneak peek at highly anticipated Blu-ray and DVD featurette, Worlds Collide, illustrating how the pulse-pounding storytelling was created for this thrilling new season. Screening and discussion moderated by executive producer Jon Cassar to be followed by Q&A in Ballroom 20.”

Also at 10am? Marvel is hosting a panel about breaking into comics — the Marvel way. “Have a passion for the inner workings of the comics industry? Curious about breaking into the field as a writer or artist? Marvel professionals from every corner of the business give insider tips, advice, and first-hand accounts of what it takes to start a career in comics today. Panelists include editor-in-chief Axel Alonso, talent scout C. B. Cebulski, and a slew of Marvel talent! Room 7AB”

At 10:30am there’s a fascinating-looking panel called “Behind the Music: Crime, Death and Resurrection” that will feature some of the musical minds behind American Horror Story, 24, Fargo, Transformers, True Blood, and many, many more over in Room 4.
Also at 10:30am is the sure-to-be-huge Battlestar Galactica panel and Q&A session about the upcoming film happening in Room 6BCF.

Up at 11am there are two panels of particular interest: Room 25ABC will play host to a sneak peek at Hasbro: Transformers‘ new animated series Transformers: Robots in Disguise whereas over at the Marriott Hall 2 there will be a panel surrounding Betsy Brandt’s (Marie from Breaking Bad, duh) latest film, The Professor.

At 11:15, Ballroom 20 will be overtaken by Dean Norris, Michael Vogel, and the cast of CBS’ Under the Dome while Room 6A will play host to Disney & Pixar’s upcoming holiday special Toy Story That Time Forgot.

Dreamworks Animation will take over Hall H from 11:30am – 1pm for a still-considered TBD big-time event, and USA Network’s event series, Dig, will host a panel and preview a bit of Homeland executive producer Gideon Raff’s latest about a 2,000 year-old conspiracy in the Indigo Ballroom at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront.

Seth Green will be on hand at 12 noon for a panel honoring Peanuts creator Charles Schulz in Room 25ABC. And over in Room 5AB, a seminar will take place for all you budding creatives out there hoping to learn how to pitch your ideas in Hollywood called The Pitching Hour.

At 12:05 the world premiere of CBS’ drama Scorpion will take place, including a Q&A with several members of the cast and creative team over in Ballroom 20. The real-life Walter O’Brien (on which the series is based) will also be in attendance.

Sony Pictures will dominate the Indigo Ballroom at 12:30, wherein two of their latest films will be previewed — the hotly anticipated R.L. Stine/Goosebumps feature and Christopher Columbus’ latest, Pixels, will pick one Comic-Con badge holder to win a role in the film.
Sean Bean will (hopefully?) discuss what it means to star in something and NOT die at TNT’s Legends panel, also at 12:30 in Room 6A.

Over in Room 32AB a panel we’re, personally, quite looking forward to — Female Heroes, Then and Now — will take place at 1PM to talk about sexism, science fiction, and geek culture with several of the industry’s top female writers and creators.

The CW’s Reign will take over Ballroom 20 at 1:15 with a panel, and 1:30 will see the illustrious funnymen of Key & Peele tackle a panel of their own in the Indigo Ballroom that will even include a sneak peek at Comedy Central’s latest animated series Moonbeam City.
Also at 1:30 is the hotly anticipated preview and panel for The Giver, which will find Jeff Bridges and Co. fielding questions and providing answers for the sure-to-be-huge crowd in Hall H.

Sure to be a fun and delightful hour is the panel/roundtable discussion from NPR’s Monkey See writer-editor Linda Holmes and NPR’s Music writer-editor Stephen Thompson’s Pop Culture Happy Hour Podcast, which will take place at 2pm in Room32AB.

2PM is proving to be a tricky hour, with an equally as exciting panel/ode to 1984’s Greatest Geek Movies, where the panel will discuss films like The Terminator, Gremlins, Repo Man, Ghostbusters, Dune, Splash, This is Spinal Tap, Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom, Star Trek III, Buckaroo Banzai, Body Double, The Karate Kid, Red Dawn, Night of the Comet, Once Upon a Time in America, This is Spinal Tap, and, of course, Purple Rain in Room 5AB.
At 2:15 folks will be crammed into Ballroom 20 as TV Guide salutes Community with Dan Harmon in what will sure to be a lively and intense one given the series’ recent pick-up by Yahoo! Screen.

By 3PM you’ll probably want to be in Hall H as Paramount Pictures prepares to preview many of its upcoming films.

For those of you less enthused with the major movie stuffs, might we suggest the discussion of women in popular culture happening in Room 7AB? At 3PM, that’s when The Most Dangerous Women at Comic-Con: Positive Portrayals of Women in Pop Culture will take place.
At 3:30, Ballroom 20 will be invaded with werewolves of the teen variety — also known as the cast of MTV’s Teen Wolf.

At 4PM you’ll find us in the Indigo Ballroom no doubt, hoping to hear what’s on the mind of George R.R. Martin, where he’ll no doubt talk Thrones but also his newest endeavor, the comic book series In The House of Worm.

For you Star Trek fans out there, though, you may want to head to Room 23ABC at 4pm, where the they’ve amassed a veritable smorgasbord of Treksperts and luminaries to wax philosophical about Star Trek at 50.

At 4:15 in Room 6A, The Walking Dead graphic novel series will be dissected.
Bryan Fuller and the many madcap geniuses that help bring us NBC’s Hannibal will be on hand to eat the rude and dish on season three in Ballroom 20 at 4:45PM.

The rise of transgender visibility in popular culture will get the panel treatment at 5PM in Room 28DE, and at 5:45PM the Witches of East End will be on hand to look at season 2 and chat with fans in Room 6DE.

6PM is turning into quite the jam-packed hour on Thursday, with several events you might be interested in. First up is Showtime’s Penny Dreadful panel in Ballroom 20 with moderator Aisha Tyler fielding questions for the cast and crew.
Disney XD’s Star Wars Rebels will get a once-over in Room 6BCF at 6pm, too, while SDCC favorite Rob Corddry will share a sneak peek of season 6 of Children’s Hospital, which should be a delightful way to cap off the 6PM hour in Room 25ABC if you’re not into the previous two offerings. Or there’s always The Goonies panel happening at the same time in the Indigo Ballroom.

At 7PM in Room 6AB, horror will get chopped up into tiny, bloody pieces and lovingly reanimated with ghoulish glee by Mark L. Miller’s Reinventing Horror panel. But it’s 7:15 that may prove to have the highest body count as Sharknado 2: The Second One splashes down at Comic-Con.

And to close out the evening? How about an actual sing-a-long version of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog, eh? Get your freeze rays out and join in on the madness (complete with cosplay contests!) at 8:30 in Room 6BCF.

So — what are you most excited about, SDCC fans? Discuss your plans in the comments!