NCIS: Origins Just Rewrote 2 Key Pieces of NCIS Lore With the Franchise’s Best Characters

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The new NCIS: Origins series is changing some established history within the NCIS franchise. Despite the passing of David McCallum, the actor who famously played Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, the character reappears in Season 2 of NCIS: Origins in the episode “The Edge.” NCIS honored McCallum and his character with a touching tribute following his death in 2023, but NCIS: Origins uniquely allowed for Ducky’s return.

Ducky, played by David McCallum, is a close friend of Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and has been a significant part of the NCIS universe since the beginning. We’ve even seen a younger version of him, portrayed by Adam Campbell, both in the original series alongside a young Gibbs (Sean Harmon) and again in NCIS: Origins. The episode “The Edge” focuses on the beginning of Gibbs and Ducky’s friendship, and is a heartfelt tribute to their enduring bond.

NCIS: Origins Season 2, Episode 3, “The Edge,”Brought Back Donald “Ducky” Mallard

Season two of NCIS: Origins is off to a good start, showing the team adjusting after a car accident and following young Gibbs (Austin Stowell) as he begins a relationship with Diane (Kathleen Kenny), who later becomes his wife. After some changes between the first and second seasons, the team is reunited and back in the field, but Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid) is clearly troubled. In the episode “The Edge,” NCIS sends Dr. Mallard to Camp Pendleton to assess whether the NIS office there needs its own medical examiner.

The arrival of the new character creates some initial friction with Franks, but Ducky quickly earns the trust of his team, showing he has no hidden agenda. This episode also establishes a connection between the younger and older versions of Ducky and Gibbs, and marks the first time actors David McCallum and Sean Murray have shared a scene as their respective characters. The episode includes touching tributes to McCallum’s memory, including playing his song, “The Edge,” during the character’s introduction – a song which also serves as the episode’s title.

Ducky’s Appearance In NCIS: Origins Rewrote Vital NCIS Franchise Lore

Dr. Mallard, known as Ducky, and Gibbs share a moment while Ducky performs an autopsy in a shipping container. Gibbs gives Ducky some advice: he worked best when speaking directly to the deceased, as he was trained to do. This habit of talking to bodies became a defining characteristic of Ducky’s character, and the show NCIS: Origins reveals that Gibbs inspired this behavior ten years before the events of the original NCIS series.

Ducky’s influence motivates Gibbs to finally start building his boat. It’s revealed that Gibbs had wood but wasn’t sure what to make with it. When Ducky gives him a ship in a bottle, Gibbs looks at the wood again, as if realizing he wants to build a boat. Both Gibbs’ boat building and Ducky’s gift for connecting with people were central to their characters. By showing how these early traits developed, NCIS: Origins subtly alters our understanding of these characters and adds depth to their stories.

NCIS: Origins Can Smooth Out The Plot Holes In Gibbs & Ducky’s Friendship Timeline

Even though the new prequel series shows how Ducky and Gibbs first met, it’s not the complete story of their relationship. Both the original NCIS and NCIS: Origins reveal they initially connected in 1980. Over time, they developed a strong friendship while working at NCIS headquarters in Washington. The prequel might clarify some inconsistencies in their history, as the show previously established they had several interactions throughout the 1990s. However, a plot point in NCIS Season 3, ‘Hiatus,’ creates a wrinkle: when Gibbs recovers from a coma, he has no memory of Ducky.

The season finale featured Gibbs with significant memory loss, remembering only up to the early 1990s and his first coma. Surprisingly, despite knowing Ducky before, he didn’t recognize him. It would have been logical for Gibbs to not remember Ducky in the prequel series, NCIS: Origins, mirroring his memory loss in the episode “Hiatus,” where he had the same 1991 memories. However, the prequel chose a different approach.

A notable continuity error in NCIS arises after Gibbs falls into a coma during Season 4. The team discovers details about Gibbs’ past, including his former wife, Shannon, and their daughter, Kelly, leading to a confrontation with Ducky about why Gibbs kept his family a secret. The show previously showed flashbacks of a pivotal conversation where Ducky encouraged Gibbs to pursue his relationship with Shannon, even inspiring him to propose. It’s strange that Ducky wouldn’t have known about the marriage at all, but thankfully, the prequel series NCIS: Origins didn’t complicate things further by adding dialogue about it.

The show NCIS revealed that Ducky and Gibbs crossed paths frequently during the 1990s while working at NCIS. The new prequel series, NCIS: Origins, has the opportunity to fill in some inconsistencies in the show’s history. For example, seeing Ducky’s early years alongside Gibbs trying to cope with loss helps explain why Gibbs kept the details of his relationship with Shannon a secret. Ultimately, fans hope future appearances of Ducky will clarify existing mysteries about the NCIS universe and provide satisfying explanations for longtime viewers.

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2025-11-04 06:41