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There are billions and billions of stars. Good chance that somewhere in the vastness of the universe there are other advanced civilizations. However the enormous distances and the speed of light speed limit make it virtually impossible for any biological or mechanical entity to reach us or us them. Sorry but warp drives and navigable “worm holes” are pure science fiction.
However mankind had been broadcasting radio waves into space which travel at the speed of light for the past 125 years. Now if there is a planet hosting an advanced civilization with 75 light years, it is not impausible that they have received our broadcasts and are sending radio wave replies which may be soon arriving. In fact the “UFOs” we witness that dart around at the speed of light might be radio images that use our atmosphere as a video screen. Alien teenagers having fun?. Also there may be a string of alien civilizations linked by radiowaves. Messages and information might be shared but the communications are not very rapid.

IF there are life forms in other parts of the universe, it's pretty silly for us to assume they are at a stage of technological development that is generally comparable to ours. Our science fiction writes about X-wing fighters, cyborgs, phasers, etc. They may be technologically beyond our capability, but not beyond our conceptualization.

I suspect that IF there is an alien intelligence that has mastered intragalactic or intergalactic travel, that they will be at a level of technology far beyond our ability to get our heads around. They would probably give us all the passing interest you give a small anthill at the back edge of the Walmart parking lot.

As long as we're not being fire ants and giving people a reason to eradicate us, there may be a small number of entomologists who take a closer look, but for the most part, they don't bother us, and we barely notice them. Or, life on other planets may be the ones at the technological level of ants or bacteria, and we may be the most developed ones in the universe...

There is a science fiction story where somebody asked if anyone had ever created a joke. Once humans realized they had never done so, jokes stopped being funny. The aliens stopped using them to analyze humans.

Maybe science and science fiction were instilled in humans by aliens. Perhaps as a test, perhaps to speed our development. It’s easier to “invent” a warp drive or locate wormhole if one knows what they are looking for.