David J. North: “It's not like any piece of wardrobe. It's definitely cherished, but they shoot the original NCIS up in Valencia, California, and we reached out to them and asked for the hat, and that's how that's how we had it. But yeah, it was a really cool thing and Adam was so excited.”

Origins would deliver its own tribute to fan-favorite Donald “Ducky” Mallard, it was hard to know what to expect from this venture or whether Adam Campbell could reprise the role in a way that aligned with this spinoff.

As NCIS: Origins moves forward, fans can expect emotional complexity, professional stakes, and romance that’s both teased and restrained. Gibbs’ journey isn’t just about love — it’s about the making of a leader, a partner, and an agent whose choices reverberate across the franchise.

NCIS: Origins” paid tribute to the beloved Donald “Ducky” Mallard in its latest episode, bringing back actor Adam Campbell to the franchise

Gibbs (Austin Stowell) and Ducky Mallard (Adam Campbell) already have a personal history together, which is why Ducky's called in as a liaison between Gibbs' people at Camp Pendleton and the D.C. NCIS office — and also why Ducky gifts Gibbs upon their parting with a special object that they both admired while out on the town together: a boat in a glass bottle.

NCIS: Origins revealed more of the backstory of Special Agent Leroy Gibbs ( Austin Stowell) and NIS medical examiner Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard ( Adam Campbell) on tonight’s episode, and it was a surprise how much Gibbs’ friendship meant to Ducky and how little of it Gibbs remembered.