I was actually thinking about this topic this morning, and I was thinking that perhaps Jack wouldn’t be killed but finally allowed to retire to his fishing cabin. Being promoted to General, however, is a good way–like you said–to keep a favorite character around.

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I always thought they handled it pretty well, even though the character’s absence was a great loss to the show. By promoting him they allowed the odd guest appearance, and created the handy “friend in high places”-guy for subsequent seasons as well as both spin-offs. (Which reminds be – as Beej watches SG:U, he’s probably already aware of the eventual promotion and implied lack of dying. Though I suppose he’d like to remain unawares of when it happens.) I loved how they awkwardly tried to keep the character alive with one-sided phonecalls and the like, and how they then later mocked themselves about it with their characteristic use of meta-jokes on their own format.
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RDA did want a break. His role in Season 8 is greatly reduced, and he’s almost gone in S9 and S10. They didn’t kill him off, though, they promoted him. I’m not sure which is worse.
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I’m with you. My best ideas come from other things, which is why I always have Evernote on my iPhone available or my handy dandy Moleskine notebook on hand at all times. I’m constantly jotting things down, and I’m pretty sure the people around me think I’m a nutter.

I wonder, though, if, like you mention, the character would have been able to come back had it not been the intellectual. I can’t think of any non-intellectual characters ever making stunning returns after a meta-break. If RDA had wanted a break, would they have just killed him? What about Teal’c? He’s a warrior, so his departure would have made most sense in his death. Daniel Jackson, however, was an intellectual, so he had to go on a journey of enlightenment.

There’s a paper in there somewhere, I think.