Exactly. 13 billion year old universe. 5 billion year old solar system. Life on earth was effectively pond scum for 3 billion years. Humans went from banging ro

Exactly. 13 billion year old universe. 5 billion year old solar system. Life on earth was effectively pond scum for 3 billion years. Humans went from banging rocks together to transistors and space ships within 500k years. We have been a civilization for a laughably small time on astronomical terms. Given the timeframes involved it's entirely likely that any 'aliens' are half a billion years ahead or behind us. Our first encounter with life will likely be one of three things. 1. Pond scum millions of years away from being anything else. 2. Aliens who have been extinct for millions of years. 3. Aliens so hopelessly advanced they are deities Even just a million year gap would be insurmountable. Which is nothing on the universe's timeline.