A Starfleet admiral who twice gives Picard his orders by subspace during delicate border crises, first over the Romulan defector Jarok and later over Captain Maxwell's attacks on Cardassian ships.
Admiral Haden is a Starfleet flag officer seen on the Enterprise's viewscreen in two episodes of The Next Generation, played both times by John Hancock.
In The Defector, in the third season, he speaks to Picard from Lya III about the Romulan who claims that a secret base is being built at Nelvana III. The distance involved means the conversation suffers a long transmission delay, and Haden can do little more than urge caution and leave the decision about entering the Neutral Zone to the captain.
In The Wounded, in the fourth season, Haden tells Picard that the USS Phoenix under Benjamin Maxwell has destroyed a Cardassian station, and makes it plain that the Federation is in no state to fight another war: the peace is to be preserved whatever it takes.