Chief of War is Jason Momoa at his best, but this is actually the third bite at the TV apple for Momoa, who starred in See and Frontier years before in similar roles to his one in Chief of War. Momoa’s career has been a fascinating one as he’s risen from starring in Baywatch spinoffs to leading major DCEU movies.
Apple TV+’s original TV show Chief of War is something of a surprise hit on the streamer. With a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, Chief of War is proving to be a success with critics as well as audiences. Those who have been following Momoa’s career might remember the actor’s previous attempts at epic action TV series.
Jason Momoa Plays Declan Harp In Frontier
Jason Momoa’s first attempt at an epic TV series is a Western TV show for Netflix. Frontier is set in late 18th century Canada in the middle of the North American fur trade. Jason Momoa stars as Declan Harp, a half-Irish, half-Cree outlaw who previously worked for the Hudson’s Bay Company.
After learning about the company’s corrupt and illegal practices, Declan decides to turn against his former employers and protect the native land from the company’s destruction. It’s a powerhouse performance from Momoa, who certainly encapsulates the ruthless aspects of Declan, showing why he’s so feared.
Frontier got off to a rough start, with a sluggish story that spent way too much time showing the intricacies of 1800s business and fur trapping. Season 2 begins to turn things around, but by that point, people had moved on from the series, which is a shame considering the unique setting of the show.
Momoa Stars In The Apple TV+ Series See As Baba Voss
After Frontier ended in 2018, Jason Momoa had one year off before trying his hand at another epic original TV show that required him to beat people over the head with a stick. See was one of the very first Apple TV+ original series, and in the past few months, there’s been a groundswell of retrospective appreciation for the series.
See is set in a post-apocalyptic future set several centuries after a virus nearly wiped all of humanity out. The survivors’ descents did not get off easy, and have all lost their sense of sight. Humans now live in hunter-gatherer, medieval-type societies, believing in a warped history of the world and consider vision a heresy.
Momoa stars as Baba Voss, the leader of the Alkenny Tribe. Fearless and a proud warrior, Baba has been able to defend his small tribe from most threats, but the arrival of two sighted infant refugees puts his tribe in danger. Like Frontier, See got off to a rocky start, only to quickly improve in seasons 2 and 3.
How Declan Harp And Baba Voss Compare To Ka’iana In Chief Of War
It’s not hard to see the similarities between Jason Momoa’s major television characters: Declan Harp in Frontier, Baba Voss in See, and Ka’iana in Chief of War. All three are massively powerful men who are concerned with defending the innocent, though they have a history of serving bad people.
Violence is often the answer for Declan, Baba, and Ka’iana. However, all three recognize that it can’t be a permanent solution. Ka’iana most of all understands that the violence he inflicts is, at its best, a necessary evil. Perhaps it’s this clear understanding of the character that makes him feel the most fully formed.
Each of these characters are after something slightly different as well. For Declan, it’s vengeance and justice, making him the most ferocious. For Baba Voss, it’s the safety of his family and the morality of protecting children. For Ka’iana, it’s something bigger than himself, a united Hawai’i to end its constant wars.
Chief Of War Is Jason Momoa’s Best TV Role
While Jason Momoa’s film career has exploded, his TV career has taken a bit longer to get going. That’s not from lack of trying, however, and the fact that Momoa has been a part of two previous epic TV shows that, admittedly, failed, before Chief of War, is a testament to the actors’ drive.
It’s fitting that Momoa is recognized for Chief of War because it’s definitely the best television production he’s been a part of and arguably the best acting performance of his career. The series tells the real story, though dramatized, of the unification of Hawai’i under Kamehameha I.
Expertly produced, with an eye towards both the historical implications of this time period and the incredible stories it produced, Chief of War is the rare historical drama that feels powerful but never absurd. The choice of Momoa to play Ka’iana, a secondary figure, is an inspired one that allows Momoa room to act as well as fight.