In Chief of War, Momoa plays Kaʻiana, a legendary figure in Hawaiian history. He was the first chief to travel beyond the islands and lived during the turbulent time when Kamehameha the Great fought to unify the Hawaiian islands under his rule.

Momoa is one of the creators of the Apple TV+ period series that shines a light on a violent era in Hawaiian history.

His contemporary was Kamehameha I (played in Chief of War by Kaina Makua), who would eventually become known as Kamehameha the Great. Like Kaʻiana, he was probably born in the 1750s, and came from the Big Island. And his aristocratic lineage, though questioned, cemented his future as a strong leader too, according to National Geographic.