Prior (Stargate)

In the television science fiction series, Stargate SG-1, a Prior is a highly evolved human, genetically engineered by the Ori. They apparently originate from outside the Milky Way galaxy.

As of season 10, Priors have been encountered on various worlds, trying to convert the local population and fight anyone who tried to stop them, including the Tau'ri and the Jaffa.

Overview
As the Ori are incapable of directly affecting the material universe in the Milky Way Galaxy due to the protection of the ascended Ancients, they direct their followers to do so. Due to their respect for free will, and because the Priors are not ascended beings, the Ascended Ancients do not interfere with the Priors.

Priors are normal humans whom the Ori transform into an evolved state of human to serve as missionaries as a reward for loyal and devoted service. This process drastically alters their appearance: albino skin and hair, a tracery of raised lines on the chin and cheeks, and indentation of the skull just above and behind the eyes. As for the eyes themselves, they alter so they appear as a misty gray pupil without an iris which adds to their overall intimidating appearance. The process of evolving humans into Prior grants them access to more brain power, giving them extra-human powers. Also, every Prior has a fail safe programmed into their evolved DNA, which makes them burst into flames if they would ever turn against the Ori (Presumably by recognising the chemicals released by the brain during such a thought process). A human is usually transformed into a Prior in front of the Flames of Enlightenment, where the Ori reside, although it has been shown, by transforming Gerak, that direct contact between the future Prior's physical body and the Flames is not required.

Every Prior carries a staff with a blue orb at its top. Often, when a Prior uses one of their Ori-bestowed abilities, the blue orb glows brightly. When the prior Damaris was relieved of his staff by Mitchell, he attempted to use telekinesis to get it back, clearly displaying a need for it. But a prior can use his powers even without his staff.

Like the pre-rebellious Jaffa, the Priors are led to believe that the Ori are gods who command that any non-believers should be exterminated. Thus, by proxy, they become not only a threat to the Stargate Command, but also a main antagonist that SG-1 must deal with. Unlike the Jaffa, however, who served primarily as soldiers for the Goa'uld, the Prior are more akin to priests and missionaries rather than warriors. Also unlike the Jaffa, the promise of Ascension and that the Ori genuinely have a deeper understanding of the universe than the humans can bind the Priors to the Ori more tightly than the simple intimidation tactics of the Goa'uld bound the Jaffa. However, the Ori are still not actual "gods", but simply have an understanding of how to manipulate the physical universe which is far beyond the scientific level of humans and their allies. This does not change the fact however that, according to Orlin, the Ori do not help their followers, even the Priors, to Ascend when they die. The Priors are totally unaware of this. The Ori survive and grow in strength by feeding off of the energy of their followers' life forces, and they also have no desire to share their power with new Ascended beings.

However, a Prior's abilities can be temporarily disabled by using the correct spread of ultrasonic sounds to deny Priors access to the advanced areas of their brains. The SGC has had some success in developing and testing a Prior inhibitor, although the Prior in question overcame the device and regained access to their evolved abilities.

Abilities
The abilities of the Priors are manifold, and stem from their advanced evolution and its accompanying increased brain function. Although some could be amplified by the staff, and it is also likely that occasionally, the Ori would augment a Prior's ability with small amounts of power from that gained from their human worshippers, although this would presumably happen only in special cases. These powers include:


 * The ability to send out a massive wave which heals everything it touches;
 * Resurrection of the dead;
 * Self-immolation and various other forms of control over energy, particularly fire (A Prior burns himself to death with no aid from any technology.);
 * Using telekinetic prowess to stop bullets, choke people, and throw enemies far into the air (one group of Jaffa were effortlessly thrown into the sky, perhaps hundreds of miles, by a Prior in the episode "Beachhead" where the prior was being empowered through an active Stargate, likely amplifying his abilities. The fact that such a tremendous feat has not been replicated supports this assumption. Usually, when this power is used as a 'wave' against standing opponents, the targets only travel a dozen feet at the most.); It is speculated that a Prior who has a telekenetic shield up in front of him may still be vulnerable if he is shot at by an enemy he does not see, such as if shot in the back.
 * Creation of force-fields in the form of a bubble around large areas of land;
 * The ability to function in an oxygen-deprived environment;
 * Creating city-leveling earthquakes (This has never been actually seen, but rather heard from by a lone Jaffa survivor of such an attack.);
 * Infecting an entire village with a fatal and extremely contagious disease
 * To allow their own and other minds to travel vast distances leaving their physical bodies behind;
 * The ability to interface with Ancient technology;
 * Capable of creating vicious creatures to unleash on a planet.
 * Ability to infect a victim with an unknown form of illness that quickly transforms them into an undead being whose sole purpose is to kill everyone around it. Alternatively, they might be exposing that victim to the same form of energy as the healing energy emitted by the Ancient healing device.

Philosophy
The Priors are the missionaries of the Ori, attempting to spread their faith, called Origin, everywhere they go. A Prior is usually chosen from the religious leaders of the various towns the Ori control, these people being especially loyal. However, sometimes outsiders have been transformed into a Prior. Apparently, there are also monks training to become a Prior in the city of Celestis.

The Priors don't fear death, for to those who die in the service of the Ori, Origin promises ascension, great power and knowledge, and eternal bliss in the home of their gods. This drives the Priors to do anything and everything the Ori ask of them, without question or hesitation.

If a loyal follower is straying from the path of Origin, the Prior would twist a quote from the Book of Origin in order to satisfy himself.

Doci
The Priors are led by the Doci, essentially a chief Prior who acts as a mediator or mouthpiece for the Ori. It is unknown if the Doci was once a Prior, as he has brown hair and colored eyes, instead of the Priors' white hair and grey pupils, but he does have the pale skin and facial markings of a Prior.

The Doci resides in the city of Celestis, his chambers next to the Flames of Enlightenment, where the Ori spend eternity. Apparently, the Ori cannot (or choose not to) manifest themselves directly in the mortal planes of existence, unlike the ascended Ancients, and if the Ori wish to speak to un-ascended beings, they possess and speak through the Doci. When this happens, the Doci's eyes glow fiery red, and afterwards the Doci feels spiritually touched.

After Daniel Jackson temporarily became trapped in the body of Harrid, he was introduced to the Doci. After he learned about the true nature of the Ori, he made his position clear to the Doci. The Doci then led him to witness the Flames of Enlightenment, granting him an audience with the Ori themselves. After this encounter, the Doci ordered the construction of Ori battlecruisers to spread Origin to the Milky Way, and for an increse in the number of priors to command them.


 * The Doci was played by Julian Sands.


 * The name likely comes from the Latin docere, meaning to teach.

Quotes

 * "Great holy armies shall be gathered and trained to fight all who embrace evil. In the name of the gods, ships shall be built to carry our warriors out amongst the stars and we will spread Origin to all the unbelievers. The power of the Ori will be felt far and wide and the wicked shall be vanquished." ("Origin")