Per TVLine, North addressed the concern that the upcoming prequel series will have to navigate one of NCIS’ lead character Jethro Gibbs’ most defining characteristics – the relationship with his father, Jackson. “We did solve it,” North said. “We’re very aware of the canon and what’s been set up, and we’re working within that. But I’ll say this: Jackson (to be played by Longmire’s Robert Taylor) is an important role, and we’ll see the influence of him on Gibbs.”

In the original NCIS, which starred franchise icon Mark Harmon as Jethro Gibbs, the character previously stated that he hadn’t spoken to his father since the funeral for his own late wife and daughter, Shannon and Kelly. The funeral itself was said to have taken place in 1991, which fans have called out as a potential problem for the prequel timeline being set forth in NCIS: Origins. Jackson, previously portrayed by Ralph Waite, wouldn’t make his first appearance on NCIS until the series’ sixth season, which in its timeline marked 15 years between his and Gibbs’ last conversation.

The NCIS Franchise Continues to Expand

NCIS: Origins marks the sixth installment of the wider NCIS franchise, which itself is a spinoff of the long-running fan-favorite, JAG, which starred Tracey Needham in its first season, who was replaced by Catherine Bell, alongside David James Elliott. NCIS has been followed by a series of location-themed spinoffs including NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, NCIS: Hawai’i, and NCIS: Sydney, only the latter of which is still currently in development. NCIS will also be receiving an upcoming spinoff based on the original series’ fan-favorite pairing of Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo as the eponymous duo of NCIS: Tony & Ziva.

In late July, fans got their first look of Austin Stowell as a young Jethro Gibbs in the upcoming NCIS: Origins. Stowell will star alongside Mariel Molino as Special Agent Lala Dominguez, Kyle Schmid as Special Agent Mike Franks, Tyla Abercrumbie as Field Operation Support Officer Mary Jo Sullivan, and Diany Rodriguez as Special Agent Vera Strickland. Harmon is also reprising his role as the older Gibbs, who serves as the series’ narrator.

NCIS: Origins is currently slated to premiere on CBS on October 14.