Michael Weatherly’s Anthony DiNozzo may have been the only cameo in “The Stories We Leave Behind,” but other former “NCIS” characters were represented in various ways. The episode confirms Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ (Mark Harmon) current location through a letter he sends to Timothy McGee (Sean Murray). Pauley Perrette’s Abby Sciuto also honors Ducky by sending a black wreath. However, the episode’s focus needed to remain firmly on Ducky’s — and subsequently David McCallum’s — legacy. That was an emotional struggle for Brian Dietzen, who co-wrote “The Stories We Leave Behind” with Scott Williams. 

There wasn’t much time between McCallum’s death and Dietzen writing the script, and the story was particularly poignant, seeing how close the actors were in real life. “It gets me choked up because I’m thinking of David and how parallel David and Ducky are and how parallel our relationships were — Jimmy and Ducky, myself and David — in certain ways,” Dietzen elaborated. 

With that in mind, it makes even greater sense why DiNozzo was an ideal choice to bring back. He and Jimmy had their share of great moments throughout the show, and since Ducky obviously couldn’t be there to comfort Jimmy during a difficult time, DiNozzo made for a solid substitute. Plus, Weatherly’s cameo was well-timed, as a new “NCIS” spin-off centered on DiNozzo and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) was announced shortly after the tribute episode aired. In a way, Weatherly’s appearance honors the past and what Ducky represented on “NCIS” while paving a path for the franchise’s future with what’s bound to be another solid series.