In a previous “How I Met Your Mother” episode, central character and diehard “Star Wars” fan Ted Mosby fantasized about naming his children Luke and Leia.
Half of his wish came true.
In the closing moments of “Unpause,” Monday’s “HIMYM” episode, Ted and his wife (the titular “Mother”) finally confirmed the names of the two children viewers first met more than eight years ago.
Their names? Penny and Luke.
Integrated into the episode’s key storylines–Barney reaching a level of drunk in which he has to tell the truth, Marshall and Lily fighting about his decision to take the judgeship–was a glimpse into the night/morning Ted’s wife gave birth to Luke, their second child.
Set in 2017 at the same Farhampton Inn that has been so integral to Ted and his wife’s relationship, the scenes find Ted’s wife going into labor after 2AM. Luke, therefore, was the exception to Ted’s mother’s rule that “Nothing Good Ever Happens After 2AM.”
While Luke was almost certainly named after Luke Skywalker, his older sister Penny’s name seems to be a reference to the season two episode “Lucky Penny.” The penny that figured into that story was one of many devices that assured Ted’s destiny of meeting his future wife would be fulfilled.