Milky Way and ET

I am fairly sure that I have blogged on this before - and I cannot be bothered to look for it - but its two things really.

I am watching the BBC 2's programme Beginners Guide to the Cosmos and a guy is stating on here that in our galaxy alone there is possibly 10,000 other educated, communicable life planets out there. Multiplying that up to other galaxies the figure becomes unreal.
I've always found it hard to reconcile why there would be this intelligent life on other planets as a Christian.

Why - I just don't get why God would create intelligent life on other planets. If he has, is he hiding it from us? Did Jesus die for other people on other planets? Are they just as sinful as us? Maybe this is part of simply concentrating on your own walk and not even worrying about others (whether this planet or somewhere else).

The other thing is something I have never understood. The typical image of a galaxy is spidery arms with a fat glowing centre. Well - I know we can see the Milky Way (the spidery leg we are in our galaxy) - but where is our glowing centre - why cannot we see it when we can clearly see others in other galaxy's - therefore it its that bright, sure we should be able to see it?

Is that me being silly or just wierd?