An Alliance observer was a member of the Alliance to Restore the Republic stationed onboard the ship of a Rebel privateer during the Galactic Civil War. Privateers approved by the Alliance High Command received a letter of marque and reprisal specifying the terms of the agreement that included not only the share of their profits with the Alliance, but also several forbidden activities such as slavery. The Alliance did not want to trust absolutely those independent agents, and thus, after the first stages of this experiment, they assigned an observer to ensure that the privateer would not break the said terms. The observer also served as a contact between the Alliance and the privateer, and provided commonly-unwanted advice to the privateer.