The title of the premiere NCIS: Origins episode likely teases that the series will revisit Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ worst near-death experience that was revealed 18 years ago on NCIS. The new spinoff will premiere in October and explore the NCIS origins of Mark Harmon’s’ central character for nearly two decades. NCIS: Origins’ story will delve deep into uncharted territory, but it will also build on existing narratives, completing some of the most compelling lore in NCIS history.
Gibbs has a traumatic past leading up to 1991, inspiring his career change from Marine gunnery sergeant to fledgling NIS operative. Since the NCIS: Origins series will pick up the same year, some of Gibbs’ past will likely be explored as backstory when setting up NCIS: Origins in its two-hour premiere. Moreover, the title of the episode seemingly confirms the series will be confronting the NCIS character’s military past decades after Gibbs’ retirement in NCIS. That means the franchise can finally explore a critical Gibbs arc 18 years after it was introduced.
NCIS: Origins Premiere Title May Refer To Gibbs’ Deployment In Operation Desert Storm
Leroy Jethro Gibbs Was A Gunnery Sergeant In The Marine Corps Before Joining NIS
The NCIS: Origins episode 1 title reveal from actor Mariel Molino seemingly confirmed that the opening episode will revisit Gibbs’ deployment in Operation Desert Storm. Molino’s Instagram post revealed the title of NCIS: Origins season 1, episode 1, is “Enter Sandman.” While the title can be a reference to the popular Metallica song of the same name, the play on words also likely references Gibbs’ time spent in Desert Storm, with the “Sandman” reference pointing directly back to the gunnery sergeant turned special agent.
Gibbs’ deployment in Operation Desert Storm would be a natural start for the series since Gibbs’ NCIS career directly followed his time deployed in the Middle East. Revisiting the narrative would mean that audiences would finally be able to get the full story of how Gibbs was injured in Kuwait, revealing more than the fleeting flashbacks with which NCIS introduced the story. As such, NCIS: Origins can build on one of the best episodes of NCIS.
Gibbs Almost Died During Operation Desert Storm As Revealed In NCIS Season 3
NCIS Season 3 Explored The Agent’s Traumatic Past
NCIS season 3’s special double episode revealed Gibbs’ traumatic past in the Marine Corps. In “Hiatus,” he was recovering from an explosion and woke up thinking that he was coming out from a coma that he experienced in Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm. While Gibbs slowly regained pieces of his memory amid a bout of amnesia, NCIS explored just how traumatic the experience was for him, particularly with how the Gunnery Sergeant almost dying. NCIS: Origins revisiting the events of the two-part “Hiatus” episode can add more context to the story, including, what happened to Gibbs’ wife and daughter.
It was clear in “Hiatus Part II” that Gibbs’ coma was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to that tumultuous period in the character’s life. It was a good chunk of time to dedicate to the backstory of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, but not enough to develop a narrative. Now, the franchise can fully flush out the story. Since it’s likely the NCIS: Origins premiere will revisit Gibbs’ Operation Desert Storm experience with a title like “Enter Sandman,” the prequel series can finally tell the story properly, filling narrative gaps that the mothership wasn’t able to include.