Whereas How I Met Your Mom was, in essence, the story of Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) and his seek for love, no character on the beloved TV sitcom had a extra partaking and transformative arc than Barney Stinson. The truth is, Neil Patrick Harris’ now iconic character underwent an enormous character change even earlier than the present’s predominant timeline begins.
For among the best HIMYM episodes, Season 1’s “Sport Night time,” co-creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, with author Chris Harris, envisioned a surprising origin story for Barney, and appeared to none apart from the Star Wars motion pictures for inspiration. If this looks like an unlikely alternative of a movie to mannequin a sitcom episode after, I discover your lack of religion disturbing. Permit me to clarify…
Barney’s Backstory Was Modeled After Darth Vader
On an episode of their How I Met Your Mom rewatch podcast, How We Made Your Mom, concerning the making of “Sport Night time,” Thomas and Radnor, with visitor Chris Harris, clarify that the thought behind the episode was to disclose that Barney Stinson was a wholly totally different particular person – a delicate hippie barista, particularly – earlier than turning into the conceited, suit-wearing, and extremely quotable serial womanizer he’s within the early seasons. The catalyst for the thought was to hint his evolution as a form of villain origin story just like how the Star Wars prequels observe Anakin Skywalker’s transition into the Darkish Facet as Darth Vader.
Thomas elaborates within the following:
The premise right here is, there’s somebody who’s inside a Darth Vader costume, and there is extra to him than meets the attention. And that is a lot extra fascinating than a man who simply hooks up with loads of ladies and appears actually cool. Like, I wanna see who’s that man actually, and that is the most effective a part of this episode.
The parallel between the Sith Lord and Stinson is even overtly spelled out in a scene that reveals Barney shedding his lengthy hair, goatee, and hemp hoodie in favor of a clean-shaven look and enterprise apparel. The transformation is shot in the identical type as when Hayden Christensen’s Anakin (who shares his Star Wars function with a number of actors) is positioned within the Vader armor for the primary time in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, which had been launched mere months earlier than the episode aired.
Star Wars Would Be A Extra Overt Focal Level Of A number of Extra Episodes
Barney’s Darth Vader-inspired origin story in “Sport Night time” was not even the primary time How I Met Your Mom referenced Star Wars, and it definitely wouldn’t be the final. The truth is, there have been a number of episodes closely devoted to creator George Lucas’ sequence of beloved sci-fi motion pictures.
As an illustration, in Season 4’s “Do I Know You?,” Ted places his engagement to Stella (Sarah Chalke) to the take a look at by exhibiting her the 1977 unique for the primary time. In “Subject Journey” from Season 7, Barney turns into satisfied his present girlfriend, Nora (Nazanin Boniadi), is mendacity about her age as a result of she hates Ewoks, primarily based on a principle of his referred to as “The Ewok Line.” A later episode from that very same season traces the historical past of Ted, Marshall, and Barney’s custom of watching the unique trilogy each three years, which can be used as a framing machine for instance how the characters have in contrast their future aspirations to actuality over time.
Being one of the vital cherished cinematic franchises ever, it isn’t unusual for a comedy present to pay homage to the Star Wars motion pictures (i.e., Household Man and Robotic Rooster, to call only a couple). Nevertheless, with its intelligent methods of relating tales of a galaxy far, distant to actual life, How I Met Your Mom has the Star Wars parodies I’m on the lookout for.