Set in the year 3000, Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs depicts a future Earth that is the political and social hub of a multi-species galactic civilization. The world remains characterized by a mix of high-technology (suction tube transport, robot integration) and persistent 21st-century bureaucratic absurdities, overseen by the Democratic Order of Planets (DOOP). The narrative centers on a massive tear in the fabric of space-time, an "anomaly" that reveals a gateway to another dimension inhabited by a colossal, sentient being named Yivo.

The film explores complex social dynamics, specifically focusing on polyamory and the quantification of love. Earth's society is shown to be highly susceptible to charismatic religious movements, as the population quickly pivots from fear to worship when Yivo’s tentacles—revealed to be reproductive organs—attach to their necks. This leads to a total abandonment of Earth, as humanity and other sentient species willingly migrate to Yivo’s body in a pocket dimension to live in a supposed post-scarcity utopia. Meanwhile, the robot population, left behind on a desolate Earth, struggles with their programmed purpose as servants without masters, leading to the formation of the League of Robots.

While largely satirical, the film anticipates several real-world cultural shifts. Most notably, it features the early use of neopronouns (shkee/shkler) to describe the gender-non-conforming, multi-tentacled Yivo, a linguistic development that has seen significant real-world traction since 2008. The film’s depiction of non-monogamous relationship structures through the character Colleen reflects an increasing societal dialogue regarding polyandry and open relationships. Additionally, the concept of a planetary-scale exodus serves as a hyperbolic commentary on environmental or societal escapism, a theme prevalent in contemporary discussions about Martian colonization.