Haha, well she did in that one epsiode - into a banshee screaming clone of the girl from the Ring. The thing is she changed quite dramatically again between then and this one. Wouldn't necessarily be so jarring if the initial episode had given her more character development.

Well they effectively handwaved that with the whole "It's all just rearranging atoms" line. So I guess the answer is no she doesn't need the Pilot to stay alive - huzzah for magical engine oil!