re: Would someone please explain this to me...
A species that can traverse interstellar distances should have a definite technological advantage over us. If they are space-based, they do not even need sophisticated weapons: Just attach a rocket motor to a small planetoid and aim it at selected targets on Earth.
Of course one would hope that a species that achieves the ability to traverse the stars would also be non-hostile.
In summation, they should have little or nothing to fear from us, including more direct communication.
But now things get esoteric and it's all guesswork in the end.