The fate of Cupcake (spoilers)

[The Wormhole]

I'm glad Orci made the comment about us not seeing Cupcake killed, hopefully they'll bring him back next film.

Just show us him and Gaila in a bar together.

Or have you all forgotten about Gaila now that your precious Cupcake's fate is in jeopardy?

I haven't. I've always interpreted her reaction in the assignment scene as meaning she got the Enterprise. Plus, in a deleted scene Kirk actually mistakes another Orion for her and apologises for his behaviour, so I think he was aware she was onboard.

My interpretation of that deleted scene was just that Kirk was ignorant and thought all Orions look alike. It works even better if one were to assume Gaila wasn't assigned to the Enterprise.

 

[Kevman7987]

We never saw him die and we never saw him back on the ship after the battle. I can't say one way or another but I'm leaning to him being alive. no death scene makes that likely IMO.

In television and movies, unless the body is shown and characters comment on the fact someone is dead, they can always come back. Even if it was intended he die on the landing party in the script or is implied to have happened, in sci-fi no one dies without proof, and even then, you don't always stay dead...

 

[KittyDuran]

Well, I'm reading the novel based on STiD and...

Spoiler

Cupcake is killed. Kirk fended off one attack but then Hendorff ran around a corner and into a bat'leth (across the neck). "Death came quickly". Page 112. On page 115, in the captain's log, Kirk mentions that "we lost a member of our crew..." so the other security survived.

 

[propita]

He'll, I just happy I recognized him! I usually suck at that type of thing.

 

[Commishsleer]

The novelisation isn't canon unless Abrams or TPTB have deemed it so.
I think there's still time for a 'Bring back Cupcake' letter/email/tweet campaign