'Chief of War's Trailer Takes Us to the Kingdom of Hawaii
Temuera Morrison and Ocean Kaowili in 'Chief of War'
Apple TV+
Despite being one of the fifty United States, the history of the Hawaiian Islands is not covered much in American schools, or European ones, for that matter. That's because the history of white people and the Pacific Islands in general is pretty ugly, like "gifting smallpox blankets" ugly. The islands were each separate kingdoms when John Cook accidentally ran into them while sailing around the world in 1778. Within a generation of contact with white people, the rest of the islands were conquered by Kamehameha I, the leader of the island of Hawai'i, aided by artillery provided by the Europeans, who figured he was a useful idiot who could do the conquest work for them.
Technically, the Kingdom of Hawai'i built by Kamehameha stood for nearly 100 years before the U.S. decided to make the islands their first major foray into subjugating colonies and being an empire like their big boys across the pond. But the conquest was not easy, with rebellions in the 1800s and 1810s. The fight to unify Hawai'i versus those who rose up against it is the subject of a different period piece passion project, Chief of War, this one at Apple TV+, created by and starring Marvel star (and Native Hawaiian) Jason Momoa.
Though this is during the time when the U.K. was doing what it could to semi-control the island by proxy via Kamehameha, Momoa's script centers the stories of the native Hawaiians, guaranteeing that the series will provide viewers with a point of view not presented before. Also, the cast is almost entirely native Pacific island actors, introducing viewers to a subset of global talent not usually showcased on American television.
Here's the series logline via Apple TV+:
Set amidst the beautiful backdrop of the islands of Hawai‘i, the series is based on actual events and follows warrior Ka‘iana, as he tries to unify the islands before Western colonization in the late 18th century.
Momoa leads the series alongside Luciane Buchanan (Under the Vines), Temuera Morrison (Star Wars), Cliff Curtis (Kaos), Te Kohe Tuhaka (The Brokenwood Mysteries), Brandon Finn (Inheritance), James Udom (The Tragedy of Macbeth), Moses Goods (Inhumans), Siua Ikale‘o (Nemesis), Te Ao o Hinepehinga (Breakwater), Mainei Kinimaka (The Last Manhunt), Benjamin Hoetjes (The Doctor Blake Mysteries), and newcomer Kaina Makua.
Thomas Pa‘a Sibbett and Momoa co-created the series, with writer and showrunner Doug Jung penning the bulk of the episodes. Momoa also directs alongside Justin Chon, who helmed the first two episodes, and Hans Zimmer did the score. Jung, Sibbett, and Momoa executive produce with Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, Tracey Cook & Brian Andrew Mendoza for Chernin Entertainment; and Anders Engström, Jim Rowe, Molly Allen, Francis Lawrence & Tim Van Patten for Fifth Season.
Chief of War debuts with two episodes on Friday, August 1, followed by new episodes every Friday through September 19. 2025.
