At the beginning of 2022, the American Cancer Society estimated that over 62,220 Americans would be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and that it would prove fatal to almost 49,830 of those people. Due to a lack of clear warning signs early on, pancreatic cancer typically goes undetected until it has spread to other organs. It’s a cancer that hits home for a lot of individuals, including Jonathan Frakes. The Star Trek: The Next Generation veteran lost his brother, Daniel, to pancreatic cancer 25 years ago. As a result, Frakes now uses his platform and voice to bring awareness to the cause for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

Frakes recently spoke with CBR about raising awareness for pancreatic cancer, his involvement with PanCAN, and how people can make a difference in helping the fight against the fatal disease. In addition, Frakes spoke about Star Trek: Picard‘s third season, the series finale, and directing the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds/Star Trek: Lower Decks crossover.

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CBR: Why has pancreatic cancer awareness been so near and dear to your heart?

Jonathan Frakes: We took my brother Daniel to the hospital, and they opened him up. They closed him back up and said, “It’s too far gone. It’s inoperable. He has six months to live.” Five months later, he was gone. It was the week our daughter was born. Daniel was 41. It’s brutal. When he died, there was a 4% survival…