No joke. This makes James T. Kirk we all know and love look super confident, dignified and almost godly compared to JJ's Kirk. The no-win scenario wasn't even an important element in the film the way it is in TwoK.
And in regards to the absence of Nurse Chappel and Yeoman Rand, what about Number One? The very first female character in Star Trek, the first "First Officer" and the first woman to be an figure of authority not seen in at least two more decades in the franchise? Do we get her? Oh, no. We get Chekov and Sulu. ARGH!
And if you read prequel comic Star Trek Countdown, the most interesting female character in the whole god dang story isn't even in the movie!