Yep, there's always the possibility of magic. Maybe some civilization has the power to transport anywhere instantaneously. Ok, even on Star Trek, they have to beam something from and to a receiver. To me, that's part of the problem. For ex., if I want to go to Chicago, I have to know there is a Chicago, and where it is. Even if they could magically travel here instantly, how would they know --if they hadn't received some form of information from here? The problem isn't speed of crafts; it's the speed of information.
I agree with Giles that, if they could do all these things (imo, breaking causality), they'd have no reason to interact with us (biologicals) at all. And, their ability to communicate with us would compare to our ability to discuss with clams. DeGrasse Tyson points out that humans are only 2% genetically different from chimps. If aliens were 5% different from us, how much more intelligent would that make them. But, then they'd be biologicals and be subject to our rules.
Imo, the idea of "aliens" started when people were thinking in terms of Martians, moon men, etc., beings that could exist in our relative time frame. It wasn't until the mid-20th century that people started thinking in terms of aliens from other star systems. To solve that, there were characters like Dr Who, who had a 'Time And Relative Dimension(s) in Space' machine. Could the tic tacs be shooting in an out of our dimension? Maybe they're not coming "from" anywhere out of space. From Wakanda, maybe? Think about it.
Mustn't forget another choice: gods, demons, spirits, jinn. I wonder if the gov't really has a Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD). Maybe they'll have a Congressional hearing about that.
"A man is rich when he has time and freewill. How he chooses to invest both will determine the return on his investment."