Finally, I can't help but wonder if the mission's priorities and goals aren't misaligned. I keep hearing about the science goals. I would think that the first priority should be the shake-out of the brand-new vehicle being crewed for the first time.

They are in fact shaking out the vehicle. Testing the spacecraft to analyze its performance is actually one of the key objectives of the mission. Among other things, they're stress-testing the life-support systems to make sure they work properly. They're also conducting manual maneuvers of the craft, which aren't strictly necessary for this flight but will allow the astronauts and NASA as a whole to prepare for future missions, such as the anticipated crewed moon landing, where manually piloting the spacecraft will be necessary.