Hi RW. If you are going to use the Star in any capacity, you need to get an armboard cut specifically for the geometry of the Arm. Otherwise you will never be able to align the cartridge correctly. You can get a SOTA cut armboard and the composite armboard is worth the money or you can locate an aftermarket blank or make your own. Regardless you will want to precisely determine where to drill the tonearm pillar hole for the correct alignment. Have a machine shop to the drilling. That Arm is still worthy after all these years.
I owned SOTA's, gen I-III, Stars and non-Stars going back to the early 80s and have done most of the maintenance the last 20 years. Inspecting the bearing thrust plate, it's imbedded in the base of the spindle, and the bearing itself are the first things to do. Cheap, easy and very important. If the thrust plate is damaged and many are, you will need to ship the entire platter/bearing assembly to SOTA for inspection and repair. If you are handy or have a machine shop, you can replace the synthetic sapphire with delrin rod for cheap. The spring replacement kit is cheap, easy to do at home and important for stability, speed and tonearm performance. This is just the start so you can either go the upgrade path, buy a new one or seek alternative turntables. The Technics 1200 series offers good performance and excellent value. It can also be modded. Regardless, do the armboard in the interim.