History talks about how we met aliens and found out they were human too.  Homo Sapiens that is.  Homo Stellaris.  Whatever.  Point is, it’s sorta true.  Yes, the most powerful are, but there are others.  We’ve uplifted cats and dogs for instance.  Other races have done similar things.  Genetic engineering for fun and companionship.  And for war as the Peloran can attest.  I’ve met lots of different people out there, from a lot of different races.  It’s a big galaxy.