Stargate SG-1 Question

Ok, we all know the show has gone down hill a bit, but I still enjoy it. However, last nights episode left me a little confused.

How did the "cigarette man" prior all of a sudden get his powers back and grab the general?

At the end, when Garek(sp?) the head J'affa healed everyone and then combusted, Daniel said that the Ori couldn't use their powers in this Galaxy w/out the Ancients coming down on them. I'm assuming Garek's combusting was the Ori using their powers; but the healing wasn't???? Haven't they been using their powers ALOT already? Or is it just the Priors using powers? I don't get it, what's the distinction. I understand they're from another galaxy, but they HAVE been using powers in this galaxy already, or is it just the priors using powers. :shrug:

Also, one thing that has always sort of bugged me; have they ever explained how everyone speaks English? Or is it just something that's not talked about?

You're missing the most important part of the show.

Was the lame answer that it was a TV show and English made it easier on the audience or something like that (question was raised like around seasons 2 or 3 so it's been a while lol).

With Garek, I assumed it was the Ori that killed him for betraying them..I'm about as confused about the whole thing too lol.

I'm not positive, but I think it was first posed by fans re Star Trek. But here's the question and reasonable answer from the official (MGM) Stargate FAQ:

Q - Why does every culture SG-1 encounters speak English?
A - Practical reasons that come with television production. The time constraints of an hour-long episode mean that it would become a major hinderance to the story each week if SG-1 had to spend the first 10 minutes of the episode learning to communicate with a new species.

I would add, not to mention how tedious it would get for the viewer.

Are you familiar with the ST:TNG episode entitled 'Darmok' in which Captain Picard is stranded on a planet with the captain of an alien ship so they'll be forced to learn to communicate? It's a fascinating episode, one of my favorites, devoted entirely to acknowledging the language barrier problem...In this case, one the ever-convenient ST Universal Translator couldn't overcome. lol

About the Ori and their powers, wish I could respond but I haven't got a clue because I'm not watching regularly since they came on the scene. They just remind me a bit too much of reality.

that Douglas Adams used in his Hitchhikers books.

I just wondered if they had ever covered their bases in the beginning of the show somehow by at the very least having SG-1 discover some ancient technology translation device early on that they all had w/ them, maybe built into their communications devices. At least that would have given them SOME form of plausible cover and consistency. I guess they didn't even bother. Oh well. Thanks!

If you remember the Stargate film, they basically wound up teaching the Abydosians English the old-fashioned way...Only Daniel understood them and the Goa'uld without trying too hard. Daniel is the only translation device they ever had.