[rolenthedeep]

The anthropic principle would hold that we as a species and our circumstances of existence are entirely average and not at all special.

Being one of the first species, at the relative dawn of the universe is very special.

I'm not such a huge fan of the grabby alien model. It's internally logically consistent, but I think it's too rooted in human psychology. Plus I have serious doubts about the ability of any species to maintain a multi-planet empire, let alone a multi-system one. Barring something like a hive mind I suppose.

Ultimately it's just conjecture and we'll probably never know within our lifetimes.