Howdy folks,

As a new player, looking at all of the available skills for both classes made me feel overwhelmed. If you wouldn't mind, could you point me to the trooper class that is better suited for ranged DPS (read: DPS at 30m, not 10m or 4m), and/or post recommended skill builds for ranged DPS? I would very much appreciate this, thanks.

If you're wanting ranged, you're going to be a Commando. Vanguards are short ranged fighters regardless of their talent spec.

As for what tree to spec into, for now I'd say it doesn't really matter. Gunnery and assault are your damage specs, and as far as leveling and the like go either work just fine. Gunnery tends to deal more damage overall but is more stationary, whereas assault is slightly more mobile but with less damage. You can switch between the two for a minimal cost (or for free next patch, assuming you've a subscription) so I'd say just try them out and see which one you prefer.