Set in the then-distant year of 1985, Queen of Outer Space depicts a future where humanity has established a presence in Earth's orbit. The world is characterized by routine space travel, including a permanent international space station served by rocket-powered taxi runs. This era of exploration is abruptly interrupted when an American crew, transporting a high-ranking scientist, is diverted to Venus by a mysterious energy weapon that destroys their station and forces a crash landing.

Earth functions as a central political and military hub, though its actual condition is only glimpsed through the lens of its spacefaring capabilities and the fears of extraterrestrial neighbors. The film presents a Venusian society defined by a gynocratic dictatorship led by Queen Yllana, who rose to power after a devastating war led by men nearly destroyed the planet. This timeline diverges from reality not only in its habitable depiction of Venus—complete with a breathable atmosphere and lush jungles—but also in its social dynamic, where a "war of the sexes" has resulted in the total exile or execution of the male population on Venus.

Technologically, the film accurately predicts the concept of a manned international space station, though it wildly overestimates the speed of planetary colonization and the habitability of the inner solar system. The "Beta Disintegrator" ray serves as a precursor to high-energy directed weapons, while the plot's focus on radio wave monitoring reflects early Cold War anxieties about electronic surveillance. Ultimately, the film’s 1985 is more a reflection of 1950s gender anxieties and pulp aesthetics than a serious attempt at forecasting, evidenced by its recycled props and campy tone.