doubleofive said: I'm saying if AltUhura had magic alien powers that she never uses and was replaced by a robot halfway through the movie then vanishes at the end, sure, we can cut it out.

But Ilia does use alien powers, at least in the Director's Edition. She uses her powers to relieve Chekov of his pain after being electrocuted. And who knows? Maybe Ilia telling Kirk about her oath was her way of stating to him "Not going to happen" in a professional manner. She doesn't really have a friendly expression going on when she says it to his face!