Why would they send a probe to inspect ships from a visible distance? They could fulfill all their curiosity from lightyears away

The Fermi Paradox is based on our understanding of physics, largely based in a 3 dimensional universe/reality. If these things are inter-dimensional, do those same rules apply?

What if physical distance, as we perceive it, is something unique to us as beings that perceive and navigate the universe in only 3 dimensions?

Personally my money's on we're one of the first, or our solar system is the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone of the galaxy and anybody who gets too close melts.

One thing that doesn't sit right with me is the fact that galaxies cluster together in similar ways that neurons do. Reminds me of how individual ants are just one cog in a collective hivemind. We're all just ants doing our part to power a giant alien's brain.

At least that's the answer to life, the universe, and everything that I'm going with. It also explains multiverses. Multiple aliens, all living in their own society. Maybe their universe is the same. Just brains inside of brains inside of brains. Who knows how deep it goes.

They're not really unidentified. Someone knows what they are, just not us.

its kind of neet because soon we will liter the galaxy and then we wait

What would the point of that be? Just because something is possible doesn't mean it'll be done.

And do probes flying around in navy training ranges make sense? If they wanted to be visible they would be. If they wanted to hide there wouldn't be footage of them.

These are the sorts of things where the line between zero and practically zero gets blurry, so people feel the need to emphasize that it might not be zero. Like, the chances of me finding a winning lottery ticket on the street without buying one might not technically zero, but the odds are low enough that not only is it not going to be part of my financial plan, but I also don't feel the need to justify why.

The odds of hyper drive aliens being on earth is zero. There might be an error bar on that number, but it doesn't practically matter

From classified spy satellites? No shot. Unclassified stuff maybe, or civilian satellites. But anything military and/or classified is going to be encrypted, so unless you know the key you may be able to intercept the data but not make an image.

Nah, you can get images from weather satellites this way, they broadcast unencrypted/with old encryption that has been broken.

Ain't nobody getting a feed from a modern GIS sat, let alone an actual spy sat.

In the intelligence field this is known as a bad move.