She was kinda both. If they'd been able to keep Denise Crosby as chief security officer, and Patrick Stewart had pulled the plug after Jean Luc went Borg, the show would have been absolutely dripping in Girl Power.

Its a bit of a shame that she, Crusher, and Whoopi Goldberg all had to play "Captain Whisperer" for the majority of the show's run. But it was a huge step up from the original series.