I think it would have been difficult to have an all out explosion in the
same way one might think of when it comes to regular ordinance,
especially when you consider that the Ori, like any other ascended,
exist in a higher plain of existence, which is where the weapon was
meant to act upon.
This higher plain of existence has been shown in episodes to not be
directly comprehensible to non-ascended beings like humans, but rather
manifested in a way that can be interpreted by being like us, such as
the diner that Daniel saw in the season 8 episode, Threads (8x18.)
But this was the interpretation that Daniel saw, which I believe was
based from his own memories (perhaps his brain trying to make sense of
world that in reality is not limited by 3 dimensions.) Trying to use
this same plot device just to show an explosion probably wouldn't make
sense due to the lack of an actual person for which we can observe a
interpretation from.
Lastly, iirc, we don't actually know *how* the weapon actually
eradicates ascended beings. It might not even be anything like an
explosion, as we think of them. For all we know it could have been the
ascended equivalent of a deadly and fast acting containment of some
sort, or perhaps some form of resonance generator, etc, etc.
IMHO, the way this was handled may not have been CGI or explosion
packed, but it seemed to be the most realistic portrayal, at least
without feeling forced in some way.
If anyone has any other theories or thinks I've completely wrong in some
way, I more than welcome the input. Thanks.
--
szr