The O5 Council: Overseers of the SCP Foundation

The O5 Council, also referred to as the Overseers, represents the highest echelon of authority within the SCP Foundation. Comprised of thirteen individuals, designated O5-1 through O5-13, the Council is responsible for directing, approving, and coordinating all Foundation operations on a global scale.

Despite their immense influence, the origins of the O5 Council remain obscured. Their rise to power is undocumented, their selection process unknown. To most personnel, they are little more than myths or designations—faceless figures operating from the shadows. Only the highest levels of the Foundation are even aware of the Council’s existence, and their true identities are classified at the highest possible level.

Operating primarily from Site-01, a top-secret facility secured with unparalleled technology and defenses, the O5 Council functions as the nerve center of the Foundation. All major global operations, SCP classification approvals, and top-tier policy decisions are issued from this undisclosed command site.

The Council’s role within the Foundation is both complex and burdensome. They are charged with maintaining the balance between the containment of anomalous entities, the safety of Foundation personnel, and the broader protection of humanity itself. Their decisions frequently involve catastrophic risk, ethical ambiguity, and irreversible consequences.

While the Council’s power is virtually absolute, they are not immune to error. History records multiple instances where O5 directives have led to significant breaches, irreversible containment failures, or devastating loss of life. Nonetheless, their authority remains unchallenged—by necessity as much as by design.

Beyond internal governance, the O5 Council also monitors external Groups of Interest including the Global Occult Coalition (GOC), the Chaos Insurgency, Marshall, Carter, and Dark, and others. All high-level interactions, diplomacy, and strategic decisions regarding these entities fall under their jurisdiction. Likewise, any requests involving restricted SCP access, experimental technology, or Class-X memetic material require O5 approval.

Within the Foundation, the Council is viewed through different lenses. To some, they are enigmatic protectors, bearing the weight of impossible choices. To others, they are a secretive oligarchy, feared more than trusted. This duality underscores the O5 Council’s role: they are both the guardians of order and the final arbiters of the unknown.

Despite the secrecy, the controversy, and the occasional failures, the O5 Council remains the defining pillar of the SCP Foundation. Their continued leadership is essential to the Foundation’s mission: to Secure, Contain, and Protect.