Chief of War’spremiere episodes offer plenty of material to dive into.Chief of War’scastis led by Jason Momoa, who also created, wrote, and directed for the series. The series is a long-term,personal passion project for Jason Momoa, and that’s due to the show’s immersive exploration into Hawaiian history.
The series isset around the turn of the 18th century, when separate kings and chiefs ruled Hawai’i’s islands, and the Western world was beginning to cast its permanent influence.Chief of War’sreal-world historical contextis extremely important to the series, but the characters' motivations in the first two episodes can be understood with a surface-level understanding.
Ka’iana’s Fate & Where The English Ship Is Sailing Explained
Ka’iana Is Heading Away From Hawai’i For Now
Jason Momoa plays renowned War Chief Ka’iana, a man who’s torn between his duty as a warrior and his desire for peace. While I’ll dive into episode 1’s conflict with King Kahekili (Temuera Morrison) shortly, the primary cliffhanger from the opening episodes needs to be addressed first.
After beingchased around the island by Kahekili’s men for the bulk of the episode and sustaining an injury, Ka’iana makes a final standon an oceanside cliff (it’s difficult to get more badass than this). Before being overpowered by multiple assailants, Ka’iana kills several of his opponents in an epic, brutal fashion.
Finally, Ka’iana accepts the only available option, jumping off the cliff and diving into the ocean.With his family already sailing away to the island of Hawai’i, he’s fulfilled his purpose. He’s then pulled out of the water an English sailing ship, the crew of which he met and saved earlier in the episode.
Ka’iana awakens to realize the ship is sailing away from the Hawaiian islands, and that he’s now at their mercy. In history, the real Ka’iana was recorded as a passenger on the vessel of Captain John Meares, a fur trader, with whom he traveled to China, the Philippines, and more.
As per the TV series, it’sunclear where Ka’iana will be heading next, but the element of British integration is key to his story. Ka’iana had a relatively peaceful exchange with this crew, who seemed to admire him, but this could take any direction, as the story explores a pivotal moment in Hawaiian history.
Why Kahekili Attacks O’ahu & Lies About It In Episode 1
Kahekili Wields Prophecy As An Excuse To Conquer
King Kahekili is the ruler of the island of Maui, who begins the series trying to persuade Ka’iana to return to his service. He claims that Ka’iana is meant to fulfill a prophecy regarding the islands' unification, claiming that O’ahu is plotting against him.
They agree to an invasion on O’ahu under the terms that Ka’iana and his family will sneak in and kill a priest, ending the conflict before all-out bloodshed really ensues. However, it’srevealed that forces on O’ahu weren’t actually conspiring, and that Kahekili used this as an excuse to conquerand massacre political rivals.
Kahekili takes control of O’ahu after a vicious skirmish, though he angers both Ka’iana and his son, Prince Kūpule(Brandon Finn), in the process, who are furious about his lies. Episode 2 reveals more of Kahekili’s motivations, sharing that this is all connected to his interpretation of the prophecy.
Rather than allowing the prophecy to come about naturally,Kahekili is taking it into his own hands, explaining that the prophesied king could just be a ruler willing to commit unspeakable acts to strengthen the country. Essentially, he is using prophecy as an excuse to seize power through violence.
Why Ka’ahumanu Is Leading Ka’iana’s Family To Hawai’i
Ka’ahumanu Was Promised As A Bride In Exchange For Safety In Hawai’i
Ka’ahumanu (Luciane Buchanan) is the daughter of a chief, Moku (Moses Goods), and the niece of King Kahekili.Moku decides to wed Ka’ahumanu to a chief in Hawai’i, hoping to bring his daughter and wife there soon to avoid border disruption from Kahekili. Ka’ahumanu is stubborn about these customs, not wishing to marry.
Ka’ahumanu tells Ka’iana that she has a new life awaiting her in Hawai’i, prompting him to travel with her for refuge. Instead, Ka’iana instructs her to lead his family there instead for safety while he leads Kahekili’s men away from them. Before departing,Ka’ahumanu breaks custom by allowing a marooned British sailor to leave with them.
Kaʻahumanu’s Prophecy From The Seer Explained
Ka’ahumanu Is Feared By The Hawaiian Gods
Ka’ahumanu meets with the seer, Taula, on the beach earlier in the episode and is granted a compelling prophecy, which explains that her actions will lead to the destruction of her people. She wishes to know whether she will be happy with her new husband, but the Seer explains that she only has one path to freedom.
Thispath to freedom will require the aid of a guardian, who is very likely to be Ka’iana. Taula’s claim that the gods fear Ka’ahumanu is also enforced by the episode’s ending, in which Ka’ahumanu’s welcoming of a British sailor symbolizes the beginning of the end.
What The English Are Doing In Hawai’i & How It Will Impact Chief Of War
A Culture Clash Is Imminent
As mentioned, the vessel Ka’iana eventually finds himself on is in Hawai’i for exploratory purposes, but with history in mind, we know what this leads to. Hawai’i is, of course, a US state in present day, but this wouldn’t happen until 1959, over a century and a half after the events of this series take place.
The end of the episode sees a Hawaiian as a passenger of the British, as well as a British man traveling with Hawaiians, symbolizing an upcoming culture clash.
The path from Hawai’i’s state inChief of Warto the present begins with the Western influence we’re starting to see. The end of the episode sees a Hawaiian as a passenger of the British, as well as a British man traveling with Hawaiians, symbolizing an upcoming culture clash.
ThroughoutChief of War, we’ll see Hawai’i develop into a unified country, thoughcolonialism will begin digging its roots. This will eventually lead to Hawai’i becoming US territory later on, decades after the events of the show.
