NCIS: Origins is coming! And with the show, which will focus on the origins of one Leroy Jethro Gibbs (played by Mark Harmon in NCIS and Austin Stowell in NCIS: Origins), set to premiere on CBS on October 14, it’s worth revisiting the question of what we already know of the backstory of such an iconic character. Gibbs was, after all, the lead character on NCIS for almost two decades. CBS might be launching a whole new show about his roots, but we already know a fair bit about him.
And what we know we learned over 19 seasons of NCIS. In NCIS: Origins we will meet Gibbs as a newly-minted NIS agent under the tutelage of Mike Franks (played by Muse Watson on NCIS and Kyle Schmid in Origins), a role he begins right after the death of his wife and daughter. But we’ve already met Franks and gotten the backstory on the murder of Gibbs’s wife and daughter on NCIS. So, before NCIS: Origins digs deeper into the story of Gibbs, we’ve compiled a list of the episodes it might be a good idea to re-watch to get a sense of who the man really is.
“Yankee White” – Season 1, Episode 1
The series’ first episode, which follows the backdoor pilot on JAG, sees Gibbs basically explain to the audience what NCIS is about and why it’s important, as the team investigates a mysterious death on Air Force One. It’s also the episode that sets the groundwork for Gibbs’ famous rules, which we’re likely to revisit on NCIS: Origins. Among the famous rules are Rule #6: “Never say you’re sorry,” Rule #12 “Never date a coworker,” Rule #18 “It’s better to seek forgiveness than ask permission,” and Rule #91 “When you decide to walk away, never look back.”
“One Shot, One Kill” – Season 1, Episode 13
This Season 1 NCIS episode explores Gibbs’ Marine Corps past, which is likely to be something NCIS: Origins explores much more deeply, particularly as the show picks up right after Gibbs has left the service and is just starting with NIS. In the hour, Gibbs goes undercover as a Marine recruiter while he tries to track down a sniper targeting Marine recruiters. Gibbs is a former U.S. Marine Corps Scout Sniper, and this NCIS episode is the first to really explore how his military service translates to his leadership at NCIS.
“Hiatus” Parts I & II – Season 3, Episodes 23 & 24
Perhaps the most important episodes in understanding the character of Gibbs, “Hiatus” Part I & II see the character survive a terrorist blast and relive moments from his past as he’s unconscious. The episodes also serve as an introduction to a character who will play a central role in NCIS: Origins, Mike Franks, Gibb’s mentor. He was played by Muse Watson on NCIS and will be played by Kyle Schmid in the prequel. “Hiatus” Part II is also the episode where we find out about the death of Gibbs’ wife and daughter. NCIS: Origins is set to pick up right after their deaths.
“Requiem” – Season 5, Episode 2
It’s not until Season 5 that we get to explore Gibbs’s family again, in an episode where Gibbs helps a childhood friend of his daughter. The hour, which was meant to be the show’s 100th episode, but ended up being the 101st, sees Gibbs hallucinate his wife and his daughter and get some closure by their reassurance that everything is fine. Of course, this is also the episode where Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) has to save him and said friend of his daughter from a sinking car, in one of the most action-packed moments in NCIS.
“Judgment Day” Parts I & II – Season 5, Episodes 18 & 19
Mike Franks returns to NCIS in “Judgment Day,” which makes this two-parter another essential watch before NCIS: Origins premieres as a new, albeit younger, version of both Gibbs and Franks is introduced to audiences. The two-parter also sees the death of NCIS Director Jenny Shepard (Lauren Holly), who dies protecting Gibbs, and the first appearance of Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll), who is still in the role of Director in NCIS Season 22.
“Heartland” – Season 6, Episode 4
NCIS: Origins is set to introduce us to a younger version of Gibbs, and one of the biggest influences on him is his father, Jackson Gibbs, played on NCIS by Ralph Waite. “Heartland” introduces the character as Gibbs investigates an ambush that leaves one Marine dead and another one injured, as it turns out he shares a heartland – Stillwater, Pennsylvania – with the remaining victim. This episode establishes that Gibbs and his father haven’t spoken in 16 years and reveals how Gibbs met his first wife, Shannon.
“Life Before His Eyes” – Season 9, Episode 14
A life-or-death situation leads Gibbs to reflect on the most important moments in his life in this episode, which includes flashbacks to the character leaving home, joining the Marines, meeting his first wife, witnessing the birth of his daughter, fighting in Desert Storm, finding out his wife and daughter are dead, meeting Mike Franks, and becoming an NIS agent. If there’s one episode you need to watch before NCIS: Origins, it’s this one.
“Honor Thy Father” – Season 11, Episode 24
NCIS pays tribute to Ralph Waite, who passed away during NCIS’s eleventh season, in an episode that sees Gibbs find out that his father died from a stroke and has him return to his hometown of Stillwater, Pennsylvania. The hour mostly focuses on Gibbs reminiscing about his past, with the episode revealing that when Gibbs was young, he built a small wooden boat with his dad that they named after his mother. NCIS: Origins is set to feature a younger version of Jackson Gibbs, played by Robert Taylor.
“The Arizona” – Season 17, Episode 20
Widely considered one of the most emotional NCIS episodes, “The Arizona” sees Gibbs help a 95-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor, played by Christopher Lloyd, verify his identity. This causes Gibbs to come to terms with his military service, at one point even confiding in McGee that when he came home after his service, he felt like half a person. Considering when NCIS: Origins picks up, this is surely something that will be revisited in the prequel.
“Great Wide Open” – Season 19, Episode 4
The last episode for Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS sees Gibbs follow a case to Alaska and then decide to stay there and enjoy the peace he’s found – a peace he hasn’t felt since his first wife Shannon and daughter Kelly died. It is, in many ways, the end of Gibbs’ story, except it isn’t. We will see, and hear, Mark Harmon again in NCIS: Origins. It’s just that we will see him in the past, telling us the story of how he became the man we met.
