Well, one benefit of building an athletic Zorana even if you don't have a plan for what else to do is that she might be better equipped to handle any assassination attempts that come her way that you WEREN'T expecting!
1 - I think you've gotten decent answers for this.
2 - I truly haven't sat down and done the math to see but I'm sure there are some receptions where the amount of points you can lose due to bad rolls/choices is lower than others. Probably Myrkka II is the easiest since I think the only person you can possibly manage to offend is Mirelle herself. On the other hand, going there first you're almost guaranteed to lose some points with her because you won't have all those skills yet... but losing a few approval points won't doom you. It can be better to accept a few missteps in order to make progress with your plans.
3 - Leaving a star system does not offend the Electors. Not visiting at all might.
4 - Events where someone else enters the race always happen on the same turn.
5 - Not yet.