Do you envision the Polaris to have any roles or uses outside of combat?

Due to its speed, the Polaris is first and foremost a military ship, so its design is based around combat scenarios. It is ideal as a patrol ship, or as a lead ship for a capital ship fleet. That said, as with most other ships, there is nothing stopping anyone from using it for cargo runs or general transportation. Bear in mind that in the real world, warships generally don't make money - they are incredibly expensive and represent a massive drain on the resources of the nation that fields them. They pay for themselves by projecting influence and providing deterrence for the nation that operates it, making the area safer for maritime and commercial activity that otherwise wouldn't be safe or practical for the benefit of that nation's economy, as well as providing strength in negotiations with other countries. Star Citizen is, of course, meant to be a game and we don't intend to make the costs of operating a capital ship as prohibitive to players as it would be in real life. They're attainable and we want you to have fun with them. It does mean, however, that you don't deploy or use capital ships, even corvettes, as casually as you would an Aurora, Starfarer, or other personal-scale ship where you can tool around space on a whim and cover your operating expenses with casual profits.