Intelligent life doesn't need to be very common before you should expect to be pervasive.
We're a matter of years from originating von Neumann machines ourselves, so any civilization with thousands or millions of years head start should have incredible galactic spread.
> so any civilization with thousands or millions of years head start should have incredible galactic spread.
No, we're saying that that life didn't even reach "civilization". Humans are a blip in time compared to the dinosaurs, for example - we may well be the anomaly, but life still be abundant.
We're a matter of years from originating von Neumann machines ourselves, so any civilization with thousands or millions of years head start should have incredible galactic spread.