Dave,
If you think how long humankind has existed then how much we've advanced in one millenium it doesn't seem far fetched that life could have evolved on another planet either slightly earlier or in a slightly different way could be as far ahead as us scientifically as we are of the Romans. Evolution is largely a matter of chance so it could happen quicker elsewhere.
Your comparism to us going to watch chimps, hmm, ever heard of Jane Goodall or watched some of David Attenborough's programmes. We've also sent a spacecraft to the moon and that's just a ball of rock.
I'm not arguing that aliens ARE watching us, just that there's no reason why they couldn't be.