It's because people chase karma. If you post early and something witty usually you'll get hundreds of upvotes. For some people that's a better dopamine hit than almost anything.
It's only like 50 times removed since there were about 50 generations between Elros and Aragorn. But even that really isn't much closer genetically than two random strangers on earth. 50 generations is a long time to stir up the genetic mix.
Riker strikes me as a Class 8 probe type of guy. He doesn't need the taper of the lower class probes but the girth of a Class 9 is a bit too much for him.
You have to watch Starship Troopers. One of the best satirical military action films of all time.