Destination Earth begins on the planet Mars, where the emperor Ogg (reminiscent of Stalin) is addressing an arena of his subjects.

Prior to this, Martian society is shown with virtually everything having puns akin to Ogg and billboards extolling "our glorious leader".

Ogg then welcomes a bumbling subordinate Martian, Colonel Cosmic, onto the stage to share his discoveries from a mission to Earth.

He ventures into a nearby city and becomes awestruck when he sees average citizens with "powerful and reliable automobiles" that make their daily lives easier.

The Martian then enters a library (thinking it is a heavily guarded base) and researches the "secrets" of the remarkable power source.