So, hydrocarbons and water are among the basic building blocks of the universe.
And, are closely related to the basic building blocks of life forms.
So while the universe beyond earth looks to be a cold dead debris field, the building blocks for life are there already. Waiting for us to get there I suppose.
Extraterrestrial hydrocarbons have been known for some time, within the Solar System. The only evidence for biological activity off the Earth has been controversial fossil evidence, and Gilbert Levin’s experiment aboard the Viking lander on Mars.
We couldn’t spot a vacation home on one of Jupiter’s moons from here, much less around another star.