I don't understand why people are so interested over this question? Why does it matter? We are going to explore the hell out of these systems whether they are s

I don't understand why people are so interested over this question? Why does it matter? We are going to explore the hell out of these systems whether they are sentient or not. It's not like that stopped us from exploiting other animals. So is this just intellectual curiosity or are people really advocating for extending right to these systems?