Federation Commander

I could actually see the counselor. You're talking about a ship with a couple of thousand people on board away from home for years. People get anxious and morale becomes a problem. In the US Navy they call them "chaplains".

But does the chaplain sit next to the captain and offer advise during combat?

What's her name in TNG seemed more a mix of Soviet Commissar and Health and Safety officer. She'd have worked better if her position was with the nurse in med bay, and not someone who sat next to the captain on the bridge.

She was ok if the Captain wanted to know if the other bloke was lying or not. But, given that they usually were, or were at least hiding something, it makes her a bit redundant.

She does sort of remind you of a commissar with a nice and gentle manner. Considering the Fed was kind of a socialist utopia, maybe that's what she actually was.

Actually she always struck me as a Cultural/Diplomatic Ambassador that also happen to be the ships councilor.

She was a Blue Blood Royalty and didn't she take the Bridge Officer Course which means she already had some other background in how ship things work.

The real problem seem to be that Picard already was an Ambassador at Large basically already so why did he need another one.

I once heard Roddenberry say that Picard, Riker, and Wesley were all avatars of himself. That would make the counselor his daughter, lover, and mother. Geez, I wish I hadn't thought of that

Eww...gotta scrub out my brain now!