Also, FWIW, you can use a star nut in some carbon steerers. Cannondale forks have (or had) nylon sleeves that line the inside of the fork steerer, so a star nut is safe to use. Other fork manufacturers have star nuts inside aluminum carrier sleeves and the aluminum sleeve is epoxied into the steerer. It just depends on what the manufacturer recommends, but more and more are using compression/expansion plugs these days.

As for the term "star-fangled nut," I can't stand it either. A mechanic at my LBS said it yesterday and I was like..star-spangled banner what?