Longtime NCIS fans finally received an answer to one of the franchise’s oldest unanswered questions. In the season 2 finale of NCIS: Origins, the Camp Pendleton office survives a near shutdown after Vera and her colleagues successfully defend the importance of their work. Their efforts lead to a historic moment: the official creation of NCIS.
The finale also reveals that Tom Morrow is the agency’s first-ever director, confirming that his leadership began in 1992. While Morrow became a familiar face in the original NCIS series, the franchise had never explained when his time as director actually started.
The reveal adds another important connection between Origins and the larger NCIS timeline. Fans already know Morrow eventually develops a close professional relationship with Gibbs, earning the famously tough agent’s respect over time.
Season 3 is expected to further explore that dynamic while continuing to build the early foundations of the agency viewers have watched for more than two decades.