Water seems to just be the right tool for the job in many applications. It always seemed funny to me that we have not found a better option to generate electricity over the years. Most large scale generators, no matter how complex, is just using something to heat up water and spin a really big fan in order to spin a really big magnet.
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“Is steam the best way to turn turbines” — Yes
“or is it just the best thing we are most familiar with?” — Yes
Sorry, I’m being a little snide here, but “best” is such a general term. I feel obligated to argue that the dominance of the steam turbine in thermal power production indicates it is clearly the best solution. 😈
OK, so I suspect you are asking if steam is the most efficient working fluid we can have. In this case, the answer is no. But there are big problems with some of the others: Helium – expensive, limited supply, likes to leak; Mercury — need I say more?
The 100 deg C boiling point of water also allows us to use a condensing gas turbine system at atmospheric temperatures. The condensing system produces low outlet pressures (lower than atmospheric) for the turbines, improving efficiency without the need for extremely high inlet temperatures.
The efficiency of GAS turbines tends to be limited by the maximum temperature that the turbine blades can handle. This is just one example of how it’s never just a simple question of what working fluid could be the most efficient. There are all kinds of practical considerations that effect the achievable efficiency.
You might be interest in the comments by BadAndy and Nicky McLean here:
https://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=1124663
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