Quick question about character generation.

Your starting class gets certain skills for free, for instance my astropath starts with 2xPsy technique.

His rank 1 advancements also lists 2x Psy techniques. Are that advancement considered taken since he got it during character generation (total of 3 including Astral Telepathy), or can he obtain another two Psy techniques during rank 1 (for a total of 5)?

Unfortunatly not, no.

Everything you get from your starting career is also included in your rank 1 advancement scheme.

FFG tells us this is for flexibility of future product design, I just think it's an unfortunate decission, but either way, that's how it is.

Yeah it's just a confusing way they listed it, redundantly re-posting starting skills in the rank 1 advances. If you're a GM I suggest several house rules as far as character creation. The first is that you start everyone halfway to rank 2 in terms of starting xp, the second is that in addition to whatever re-rolls you allow from characteristic rolls that you let the player swap any two results.